[LSF/MM/BPF ATTEND][LSF/MM/BPF TOPIC] : blktests: status, expansion plan for the storage stack test framework

[Chaitanya Kulkarni]

Hi all,

   Since the discussion at the LSFMM 2017 [1], Omar Sandoval introduced 
the new
   framework "blktests" dedicated for Linux Kernel Block layer testing.

   Blktests serves as the centralized testing framework. It has grown 
with the
   latest block layer changes and successfully integrated various 
stand-alone
   test suites like SRP-tests, NVMFTESTS, NVMe Multipath tests, zone 
block device
   tests. This integration has significantly simplified the process of 
block layer
   testing and development, eliminating the need to configure and 
execute test
   cases for each kernel release.

   The storage stack community is actively engaged, contributing and 
adding new
   test cases across diverse categories to the framework. Since the 
beginning, we
   are consistently finding bugs proactively with the help of blktests 
testcases.

   Below is a summary of the existing test categories and their test 
cases as of
   February 2026.

   block        :  41
   blktrace     :   2
   dm           :   3
   loop         :  11
   md           :   4
   meta         :  24
   nbd          :   4
   nvme         :  59
   rnbd         :   2
   scsi         :  10
   srp          :  15
   throtl       :   7
   ublk         :   6
   zbd          :  14
   ------------------

   14 Categories   : 202 Tests

   For the storage track at LSFMMBPF2026, I propose a session dedicated to
   blktests to discuss expansion plan and CI integration progress.

-ck