Linux 6.17: Pktcdvd Driver for CD/DVD Writing Set for Removal After Two Decades of Obsolescence

The maintainer of the block subsystem in the Linux kernel, Jens Axboe, has announced that he has prepared a patch to remove the pktcdvd driver from the main branch of the kernel. This patch is expected to be presented in the upcoming Linux 6.17 cycle. The pktcdvd driver has been part of the kernel for over two decades, dating back to Linux 2.6, to support packet writing for CD-RW/DVD-RW/DVD+RW/DVDRAM drives, although its relevance in today’s world is questionable.

The pktcdvd driver was declared obsolete in 2016 and is now set for final removal. «This driver has long outlived its usefulness; it’s broken and no one needs it. It was mainly used for directly mounting CD-RW drives via UDF, requiring 32 KB packet sizes. It would collect data in that size and write it in multiples of that. This use case is no longer common, as the world has moved away from such media. Even worse, it actively corrupts systems where it’s not needed or useful,» explained Axboe regarding his patch, which is in the queue in the for-next branch of linux-block.git.

In 2022, there were also plans to remove the pktcdvd driver from the kernel as it had become outdated and unsupported, but a decision to retain it was made in early 2023 due to the existence of some users. By 2025, no developers had taken up the maintenance of the driver, leading to expectations of its permanent removal.

A recent Debian bug report, linked to continuous hanging of blkid upon inserting a DVD-RAM disk into the drive, served as the last motivation to remove pktcdvd. The kernel driver in question turned out to be faulty, and while the Kconfig text mentioned a potential development of a more efficient user-space solution for managing the role of the packet writing driver, no contributions were made.

Regarding the Debian bug report, Axboe commented: «As far as I know, no work has been done in that direction. However, since the current driver is completely broken and users aren’t even complaining about it (except when it’s due to other reasons), I don’t see any justification for keeping the driver in the working branches of distributions.»

Thus, barring any last-minute objections from Linus Torvalds or others, the patch to remove pktcdvd is queued in the for-next branch of the block subsystem and will likely be merged in the upcoming Linux 6.17 merge window, effectively ending the legacy of this old and unsupported driver.