“Expected in March, the forthcoming kernel will contain the new
LIO target framework for implementing Storage Area Networks (SANs).
Also new are a kernel-side media presence polling feature for disk
drives and various Device Mapper optimisations that are relevant
for desktop systems.“All the parts in this Kernel Log mini-series can be found by
reference to the 2.6.38 tracking page.“With RC6 of 2.6.38 issued last Tuesday (22 February) and
Torvalds having just released RC7 late on 1 March, the development
of kernel version .38 is slowly entering the home stretch. RC7
fixes a flaw in the Btrfs code, recently discussed on the LKML.
that could cause recently created files to be empty when copied
with current versions of the “cp” coreutils component.“The Kernel Log continues its “Coming in 2.6.38″ mini series
with a description of the kernel’s storage advancements. Part 1 of
this mini-series described the changes in the graphics hardware
area, while Part 2 covered file systems and Part 3 the kernel’s
network code; in the coming weeks, further articles will discuss
the kernel’s architecture and infrastructure code as well as its
audio, USB, and video hardware drivers.”