SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 Toolchain Module Released

Today SUSE released the Toolchain Module for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12. It consists of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and related packages. In the 2014 GA (general availability) release, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 included updates for the GCC. With the most recent GCC 5.2 release, it’s time to make the new compiler collection available through the Toolchain Module. This module allows software developers to take advantage of the new features including improvements in language support, such as for most C++14 changes and more Fortran 2008 and 2015 support, as well as many new optimizations. For more details, see https://gcc.gnu.org/gcc-5/changes.html

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 customers can now use the new compiler just by adding the Toolchain Module using the YaST registration component. Additionally, SUSE released updates for the basic binary tools (GNU binutils) and the GNU debugger together with all needed runtime libraries for SUSE Linux Enterprise 12.

Using the new compiler is easy. After adding the Toolchain Module, install the packages such as “gcc5,” and install the patch for the runtime environment. Now you can invoke the GCC 5 compiler driver using “gcc-5”:

$ gcc-5 -O2 hello.c -o hello

The Toolchain Module will be updated again next year once GCC 6 is released.

P.S.

The Toolchain Module is just one of several modules that SUSE introduced in SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 in late 2014. Each module has an independent lifecycle and is included in a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 subscription without additional cost. This design approach offers faster integration with upstream updates for better agility and also lets you balance the flexibility of the modules and stability of the infrastructure.