[Nbd] add client -persist support to an interim 2.8.x release?

["Mike Snitzer" <snitzer@...17...>]

Would it be possible to add the client -persist feature to the next
2.8 release?
svn diff -r 152:154 provides the needed changeset.  It'd be nice to
provide this feature independent of all the 2.9 changes.

Would the recently added export verification patch and the -persist
feature be adequate justification to push out a 2.8.5 release?

please advise, thanks.
Mike