Multiple Linux tarballs return 404 on kernel.org

kernel.org is the official distribution point for the Linux kernel source code, maintained by the Linux Kernel Organization. Visitors have reported that links to several tarballs (compressed archive files ending in .tar.gz, .tar.xz, or similar) now return HTTP 404 errors. Tarballs are the canonical way the kernel source is distributed — without them, developers cannot download clean copies of specific versions for building, patching, or testing. The issue affects what appear to be older or less-maintained release series, not necessarily the latest stable kernel. Such breakage on the primary source of truth for the world's most-used operating system kernel is unusual and suggests either a storage cleanup, a server migration problem, or a configuration error that the maintainers have not yet publicly addressed.