Kernel 2.6.8 changes hard drives

[Scott Thompson <sthompson@lldlaw.com>]

I have Debian installed on a drive attached to an ATA controller.  I also
have a CD-RW and DVD-RW attached to those controllers.  These drives were
recognized as hda, hdb and hdc.

I also had two hard drives attached to SATA controllers.  These drives were
recognized as hdd and hde.  After moving to kernel 2.6.8 from 2.6.7, the
SATA drives are recognized as sda and sdb.  I corrected the fstab entries
and now they both seem to mount and work fine.  

Any idea why this occurred?  Is it something changed in the 2.6.8 kernel or
a problem with my setup?  Thoughts and comments would be appreciated.