Various ways to establish tracking branches. Use linux-next remote ln with branches:

• master
• akpm
• akpm-base
• pending-fixes
• stable

$ git fetch ln
$ git branch -a
* master
  remotes/ln/akpm
  remotes/ln/akpm-base
  remotes/ln/master
  remotes/ln/pending-fixes
  remotes/ln/stable
  remotes/origin/HEAD -> origin/master
  remotes/origin/master
$

$ git branch [-u|--set-upstream-to=] ln/akpm [localname]

Create the branch to be set to track:

$ git checkout -b rday

Examples while on branch rday:

$ git branch -u ln/akpm
$ git branch -u ln/akpm myakpm
$ git branch --set-upstream-to=ln/akpm
$ git branch --set-upstream-to=ln/akpm myakpm