I noticed
this commit to the OpenBSD ports tree. It appears that OpenBSD's compat_linux(8) ABI will eventually be removed, perhaps as early as OpenBSD 6.0-release, expected 1 November 2016.
For anyone unfamiliar with this, it is a compatibility layer in the kernel to permit applications compiled for 32-bit Intel Linux to run on OpenBSD, without recompilation. Along with the kernel compatibility layer, all Linux libraries needed by the application must also be provisioned.
The compat_linux() layer has always been i386-specific, and is currently tied to 8-year-old base Linux libraries (Fedora 10), with all of the unpatched CVEs that implies.
If you are using compat_linux() on OpenBSD/i386, you have time to consider your exit strategy. If this removal occurs with OpenBSD 6.0 as I expect, you will not need to make a transition until May 2017, when support ceases for OpenBSD 5.9 with the release of OpenBSD 6.1.
Your choices:
- Choose replacements for your Linux binary applications.
- Switch to an OS where your Linux binary applications can be supported.