DKMS (Dynamic Kernel Module Support) is a framework where device driver source can reside outside the kernel source tree so that it is very easy to rebuild modules as you upgrade kernels. This allows Linux vendors to provide driver drops without having to wait for new kernel releases (as a stopgap before the code can make it back into the kernel), while also taking out the guesswork for customers attempting to recompile modules for new kernels. For veteran Linux users it also provides some advantages since a separate framework for driver drops will remove kernel releases as a blocking mechanism for distributing code.
