Long Term Support Initiative (LTSI)
Long Term Support Initiative (LTSI) is a Linux Foundation project that provides long-term maintained Linux kernel branches for use in embedded and industrial systems that require stable, predictable kernel baselines.
- Curated long-term Linux kernel trees for extended maintenance (operating system / kernel lifecycle management).
- Backporting of selected upstream fixes into LTSI kernel releases (security and stability maintenance).
- Common kernel base for consumer electronics and embedded products (embedded platform standardization).
- Coordination between semiconductor vendors, device manufacturers, and distributions on kernel versions (ecosystem alignment).
- Guidance on integrating LTSI kernels into products with long life cycles (embedded product support planning).
More About Long Term Support Initiative (LTSI)
Long Term Support Initiative (LTSI) addresses the need for long-maintained Linux kernel versions in embedded, consumer electronics, and industrial systems that have multi-year product lifecycles. Many devices in these domains require stable kernel baselines over long periods, while the mainline Linux kernel evolves quickly. LTSI provides curated long-term support kernel branches derived from upstream long-term kernels, tailored for industries that need predictable maintenance.
The project focuses on selecting specific mainline long-term support (LTS) kernel versions, maintaining them for a defined period, and backporting appropriate fixes from upstream. These backports include bug fixes and security patches (security maintenance) that preserve stability while aligning with upstream development practices. LTSI maintainers work from the Linux kernel’s official long-term trees and add patches needed by participating companies or industry groups, within the constraints of maintainability and upstream compatibility.
In enterprise and industrial environments, LTSI kernels are used as a common reference platform (embedded Operating System (OS) baseline) for semiconductor vendors, system integrators, consumer electronics manufacturers, and embedded Linux distributions. By converging on shared kernel versions, supply-chain participants can reduce divergence between vendor-specific kernels, simplify integration and testing, and plan product maintenance around a known support window. This is especially relevant for devices such as consumer electronics, automotive systems, networking equipment, and other embedded appliances.
LTSI operates under the umbrella of The Linux Foundation (open source governance), which provides a neutral forum for collaboration among participating companies and developers. The project aligns with upstream Linux kernel processes by basing its work on kernels designated as long-term by the upstream maintainer and by encouraging contributions to flow first into mainline. This model supports interoperability with existing kernel tooling, distributions, and board support packages because LTSI trees remain close to upstream code.
From a technical categorization perspective, LTSI fits into OS lifecycle management and embedded platform standardization. Its primary artifact is a series of maintained Linux kernel branches with defined release and support policies. Enterprises and device manufacturers adopt these branches as the base for their own product kernels or as a reference for vendor kernels, integrating additional board-specific or product-specific changes on top. This approach enables coordinated planning for kernel updates, reduces duplicated maintenance work across organizations, and provides a shared, well-documented kernel baseline for embedded and long-lived systems.