Based on the available information from the official GNU/Savannah sources, here's a summary of changes between FreeIPMI 1.6.11 → 1.6.17:

Breaking Changes & Notable Updates

There are no major breaking API/CLI changes documented between 1.6.11 and 1.6.17. The releases in this range are primarily bug fixes, build fixes, and minor enhancements. Here's the version-by-version breakdown:

1.6.12 (Nov 2023)

• Switched from select() to poll() to avoid file descriptor limits in the openipmi driver.
• Fixed portability issues on systems without cbrt().

1.6.13 (Jan 2024)

• Fixed build issues with inb/outb inline assembly declarations.
• Added additional sensor/event interpretations.

1.6.14

• Details not publicly available in online sources (check the NEWS file in the tarball).

1.6.15 (Jan 2025)

• Fix: Incorrect output of IPv6_Dynamic_Address_Source_Type in ipmi-config — ⚠️ if you parse this output, your scripts may see different values after upgrading.
• Increased precision of Dell cumulative energy output in ipmi-oem — ⚠️ could affect parsing if you rely on a specific numeric format.
• Removed advertising of options only available with special debug builds.
• Fixed build errors with -Werror=implicit-function-declaration.
• libfreeipmi: Removed unnecessary/duplicate parameter checks.
• Fixed gcc 14.x build failures.

1.6.16 (Sep 2025)

• Important fix: Potential sensor reading miscalculation on systems where char is unsigned (e.g., ARM) vs signed (e.g., x86) — ⚠️ if you're on ARM, sensor readings may change (become correct) after upgrading.
• Fixed gcc 15 compilation errors.

1.6.17

• Detailed release notes not yet publicly available online.

Overall, the upgrade from 1.6.11 to 1.6.17 should be safe and non-breaking for most users

Auto cherry-pick results:

• 3.0-dev ✅ -> [AUTO-CHERRYPICK] [AUTOPATCHER-CORE] Upgrade freeipmi to 1.6.17 for CVE-2026-33554 - branch 3.0-dev #16685

Auto cherry-pick pipeline run -> https://dev.azure.com/mariner-org/mariner/_build/results?buildId=1088551&view=results