Linux 7.4 Block Updates Range From Floppy Disk Driver Fixes To Apple M4 NVMe Support
Curated from Phoronix
This merge window highlights the sheer volume of maintenance required to keep Linux viable across heterogeneous hardware. While the headline feature is NVMe support for Apple M4 chips, the inclusion of floppy disk driver fixes serves as a reminder that legacy code persists in the kernel long after the hardware has vanished. For SREs and platform engineers, this breadth creates a dual challenge: you must track hardware-specific enablement for new infrastructure while simultaneously managing the risk surface of ancient, rarely tested code paths. The kernel remains a monolith where cutting-edge silicon and obsolete peripherals coexist. Takeaway: Audit your deployment pipeline to ensure you are not inadvertently exposing legacy block device drivers in production environments, as their continued presence in the mainline kernel does not equate to a security guarantee.
The Linux 7.4 block/storage and IO_uring updates were merged today for the ongoing merge window. With the breadth of Linux hardware support, the pull request varies from fixes to Linux's floppy driver to enabling support for NVMe storage on Apple M4 devices...
— Phoronix