The Linux 7.3 kernel has integrated a patch addressing compatibility issues with Samsung 990 PRO and 990 EVO Plus solid-state drives. The update specifically targets the Immediate Readiness feature, which allows devices to respond to system configuration requests immediately after a reset.
The issue stemmed from a discrepancy between the capabilities reported by the hardware and its actual firmware behavior. Samsung 990 PRO drives with ID 144d:a80c claimed to support Immediate Readiness, causing the kernel to skip necessary wait times after a Function Level Reset (FLR). However, the drives could take up to 7 milliseconds to become ready.
This mismatch led to failed configuration recovery and disrupted VFIO passthrough functionality. The problem was identified in various firmware versions, including 1B2QJXD7 and 2B2QKXG7 for the 990 EVO Plus. Because the kernel cannot reliably detect specific firmware versions, it will now force a wait period after an FLR for affected models instead of relying on the reported readiness flag.
