Aeroflex Gaisler GRETH 10/100/1000 Ethernet MAC
The Ethernet MAC shipped as part of Gaisler's GRLIB VHDL IP library, typically synthesized into FPGA-based SPARC LEON systems-on-chip used in aerospace, defense, and industrial control. It supports 10/100 Mbit and gigabit variants and shows up as an on-chip peripheral rather than a discrete NIC.
recommendation
Worth keeping but documenting its niche audience: the GRLIB IP library is still actively marketed by Gaisler in 2025 and pairs with their LEON SPARC cores used in space and avionics designs, so new hardware continues to ship. Volumes are small and the driver sees little churn, but a real 2024 bug fix made it into stable, showing the code is maintained rather than abandoned.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
Recent upstream maintenance exists: a 2024 GRETH bug fix was accepted and queued for stable.
- gaisler.com
The current GRLIB IP Library is still marketed and includes 10/100/1000 Mbit Ethernet MAC IP, indicating the GRETH family remains commercially available.
- gaisler.com
GRLIB product pages were still updated in 2025, supporting the conclusion that the IP library remains an actively sold offering.
- cateee.net
LKDDb shows CONFIG_GRETH is still present through current kernel series and ties it to the Aeroflex/Gaisler GRETH platform and OF IDs.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Local file read via shell showed this is the GRETH driver for the GRLIB VHDL IP library, a SPARC/platform Ethernet MAC driver. lore_activity on greth.c produced the 2024 stable-patch URL above, showing real bug-fix traffic rather than pure bitrot; lore_file_timeline on the directory returned no separate directory-level removal chatter. Web search returned the current Gaisler GRLIB product pages and LKDDb entry. Conclusion: niche aerospace/industrial IP-core deployment, still sold in 2025, low-volume but not obsolete enough to deprecate; annotate as niche/low-activity rather than remove.