configuration to prevent startup failures before upgrading `kubelet`. For `kubeadm` clusters, if users pass extra arguments to the `kubelet` like `--pod-infra-container-image`, it will be written to the `kubelet` env file during the `init` phase. `kubeadm` does not remove it during the `init` or `join` phase, so users must manually remove it from `extraArgs` in the `kubelet` configuration file. ([#133779](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/133779), [@carlory](https://github.com/carlory))...

**Affected Versions**:

### Instrumentation

- Sync node status during kubelet node shutdown.
  Adds an pod admission handler that rejects new pods when the node is in progress of shutting down. ([#98005](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/98005), [@wzshiming](https://github.com/wzshiming)) [SIG Node]

* The `spec.SecurityContext.Sysctls` field is now dropped during creation of `Pod` objects unless the `Sysctls` feature gate is enabled. ([#72752](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/72752), [@rajathagasthya](https://github.com/rajathagasthya))
    * The `spec.AllowedUnsafeSysctls` and `spec.ForbiddenSysctls` fields are now dropped during creation of `PodSecurityPolicy` objects unless the `Sysctls` feature gate is enabled.

- Kubeadm: fix a bug where file copy(backup) could not be executed correctly on Windows platform during upgrade ([#117861](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/117861), [@SataQiu](https://github.com/SataQiu)) [SIG Cluster Lifecycle]

    2. Remove the `kubeadm.alpha.kubernetes.io/cri-socket` annotation from nodes during upgrade operations.
    3. Remove the `--container-runtime-endpoint` flag from the `/var/lib/kubelet/kubeadm-flags.env` file during upgrades. ([#131981](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/131981), [@HirazawaUi](https://github.com/HirazawaUi)) [SIG Cluster Lifecycle]

* fix data loss issue if using existing azure disk with partitions in disk mount  ([#63270](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/63270), [@andyzhangx](https://github.com/andyzhangx))
* Fixed API server panic during concurrent GET or LIST requests with non-empty `resourceVersion`. ([#65092](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/65092), [@sttts](https://github.com/sttts))

  a bug in the transforming informer during the Resync operation, 
  by making the transforming function idempotent. ([#124352](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/124352), [@wojtek-t](https://github.com/wojtek-t)) [SIG API Machinery and Scheduling]

- Remove ready file and its directory (which is created during volume SetUp) during emptyDir volume TearDown. ([#95770](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/95770), [@jingxu97](https://github.com/jingxu97)) [SIG Storage]

### Other (Cleanup or Flake)