Daily update · Oct 25, 2026
Linux 7.4 merge window: NVMe, SCSI, EFI, and driver updates land
Apple M4 NVMe support, a large SCSI sense-code rework, and an EFI variable for systemd highlight the first batch of subsystem pulls.
In brief
A broad batch of subsystem pull requests was merged for the Linux 7.4 development cycle. Highlights include NVMe support for Apple M4 (t8132) ANS2, a large SCSI sense-code rework, and an EFI variable that helps systemd when booting without a traditional boot manager. Many driver trees also landed fixes and cleanups.
Bug fixes
Block and NVMe updates
The block pull request brings NVMe updates including Apple M4 (t8132) ANS2 NVMe support, new nvme-multipath sysfs attributes for path_state, iopolicies, and fail_on_ctrl_loss, plus path state evaluation fixes.
Why it matters: Adds the NVMe/block changes to mainline for the 7.4 cycle; the multipath sysfs attributes give administrators more visibility into NVMe path state.
SCSI sense-code rework
The SCSI pull request includes driver updates for mpi3mr, ufs, and scsi_debug, along with a 4000+ line core change reworking sense handling to follow the 16-bit sense code definitions referenced in the merge message.
Why it matters: The core sense handling change is the largest part of this SCSI pull and is aimed at aligning the sense handling code with the specification.
Staging tree drops rtl8723bs
The staging pull request is dominated by the rtl8723bs driver, which is deleted entirely through the wireless driver tree.
Why it matters: Removes an old staging Wi-Fi driver from the staging area as part of the 7.4 merge window.
TTY/serial and USB/Thunderbolt updates
The tty/serial pull request is described as quiet, while the USB/Thunderbolt pull request includes thunderbolt driver updates and fixes, devicetree schema conversions, and USB gadget fixes.
Why it matters: Brings serial and USB/Thunderbolt driver changes into mainline; the devicetree schema conversions are developer-facing cleanups.
Char/misc, fbdev, sound, media, and pinctrl trees
Several additional subsystem pulls were merged: char/misc/IIO updates, fbdev cursor-handling cleanups in vt/fbcon, sound core hardening with new platforms and codecs, media/v4l2 core improvements and new sensor drivers, and pinctrl updates with new drivers and fixes.
Why it matters: Rounds out the first batch of 7.4 merge-window changes across drivers and media; no detailed commit-level impacts are given in these merge messages.
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FireWire callback guarantee
The firewire updates change both the 1394 OHCI driver and the core transaction layer to guarantee that asynchronous packet and transaction callbacks run in process context.
Why it matters: Makes FireWire callback behavior more deterministic for drivers and core code that rely on process context.
Input and MTD fixes
The input tree rejects parent device overrides on managed input devices so devres lifetime management is not split across different devices, and includes fixes for da7280, drv2665, and others. The MTD tree includes virt-concat fixes, a new INT0800 firmware-flash map driver, mtdblock reclaim-I/O prevention, and a write-buffer chunk cap for cfi_cmdset_0002.
Why it matters: These are mostly correctness fixes for device lifetime management and flash storage edge cases.
GPIO fixes
The GPIO tree adds ACPI quirks for the ThinkPad L13 Gen 2a and Acer Nitro 16S AI to ignore incorrect GPIO interrupt declarations, and adds a missing return-value check in gpio-lpc32xx.
Why it matters: Targeted fixes for specific laptops and an error-checking cleanup in the LPC32xx GPIO driver.
EFI and devicetree updates
EFI updates set the LoaderDevicePartUUID variable from the stub to help systemd discover filesystem layout when booting directly into Linux without GRUB or systemd-boot. Devicetree updates improve dt-check-style and convert or update various Hisilicon bindings.
Why it matters: The EFI change is directly useful for systemd-based systems that skip traditional boot loaders; the devicetree work is mostly binding maintenance.
Source commits3375 entries +
Merge tag 'for-7.4/block-20261021' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/axboe/linux
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'scsi-misc' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/jejb/scsi
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'staging-7.4-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/gregkh/staging
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'tty-7.4-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/gregkh/tty
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'usb-7.4-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/gregkh/usb
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'char-misc-7.4-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/gregkh/char-misc
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'fbdev-for-7.4-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/deller/linux-fbdev
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'sound-7.4-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tiwai/sound
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'media/v7.4-1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mchehab/linux-media
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'firewire-updates-7.4' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/ieee1394/linux1394
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'input-for-v7.4-rc0' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/dtor/input
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'pinctrl-v7.4-1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/linusw/linux-pinctrl
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'mtd/for-7.4' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mtd/linux
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'gpio-fixes-for-v7.4-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/brgl/linux
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'efi-next-for-v7.4' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/efi/efi
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026
Merge tag 'devicetree-for-7.4' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/robh/linux
Linus Torvalds · Oct 25, 2026