Linux Kernel Ditches Outdated IBM and SGI Drivers in 7.3 Update

The Linux kernel's latest update for version 7.3 has seen the removal of several outdated drivers, following a trend observed in previous releases.

This includes the IBMASM driver, which managed the IBM Remote Supervisor Adapter (RSA) and RSA II out-of-band management PCI and ISA cards used on early 2000s IBM eServer xSeries servers.

The driver was deemed unnecessary as any remaining hardware is unlikely to be running a modern Linux OS stack. This decision eliminates insecure code and reduces maintenance burden, resulting in 2.6k fewer lines of code.

This move follows the removal of old SGI drivers, which were also deemed obsolete due to their age and potential security risks.