drivers/crypto/intel/qat/qat_c62xvf · keep-annotate

Intel QuickAssist C62x (Lewisburg) crypto accelerator — SR-IOV virtual function

The guest-side companion to Intel's C62x (Lewisburg chipset) QuickAssist crypto and compression accelerator, exposing SR-IOV virtual functions so that VMs and containers running on a host with C62x hardware can offload bulk encryption, public-key crypto, and compression. C62x parts shipped in Xeon-class server platforms from roughly 2017 through 2021.

keep-annotate conf=0.77 last_sold=2021 deploy=low replacement=none subsystem=crypto category=crypto

77%

recommendation

Worth keeping but document its niche because the C62x QuickAssist accelerator is older silicon (Lewisburg-era, last broadly available around 2021) and Intel's newer QAT software stack now emphasizes the 4xxx generation. Even so, Intel still lists C62x under its supported QAT Linux drivers in 2025 and the kernel code saw real maintenance commits through May 2025, so existing deployments — particularly virtualized and containerized workloads using SR-IOV — continue to depend on it.

repository signals

4 files

348 source lines

11 commits, 5y

+367 / −16 lines added / removed, 5y

7 authors, 5y

monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 11 total · active in 10/61 months

sources

git.kernel.org
Upstream kernel directory is a real PCI driver subtree for the C62x QAT VF path, not a helper library.
intel.com
Intel support guidance reviewed in 2025 still lists the Intel C62x chipset under the CE Linux driver family, indicating ongoing vendor-recognized support for deployed systems.
intel.com
Intel support guidance reviewed in 2025 documents enabling QAT Virtual Functions, showing the SR-IOV VF use case remains relevant for installed systems.
intel.github.io
Current QATlib requirements emphasize 4xxx-class devices, implying Intel's new-platform focus has shifted away from older C62x-era hardware.
intel.com
Intel's QAT device plugin documentation includes C62x/C6xx VF-era devices among supported deployment targets, consistent with continued niche virtualization/container use.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Local shell `rg` on the directory showed `PCI_DEVICE_ID_INTEL_QAT_C62X_VF`, `is_vf = true`, and `module_init/module_exit`, confirming a hardware VF driver. Local shell `git log` plus the provided metadata show nontrivial maintenance through 2025-05-05 and no sign of active removal; attempted `lei` lore query failed because `lei` is not installed, and web lore searches returned no evident removal discussion. Web search snippets for the cited Intel URLs were used to confirm that C62x and VF workflows were still documented in 2025, but Intel's newer software docs now center on 4xxx devices, so this looks like an actively maintained legacy driver with low but nonzero deployments rather than a removal candidate.