linux-drivers/
drivers/net/ethernet/ibm

IBM Power virtual Ethernet (ibmveth) and vNIC (ibmvnic) adapters

Paravirtualized network interfaces used by Linux guests running in logical partitions on IBM Power systems under the PowerVM hypervisor. The ibmveth driver handles the classic Virtual Ethernet adapter for inter-LPAR and bridged networking, while ibmvnic backs the higher-performance virtual NIC offered on enterprise Power servers from POWER8 onward through today's Power11 generation.

keep conf=0.92 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=net category=networking-ethernet
92%

recommendation

It should stay in the kernel because IBM still ships and documents both Virtual Ethernet and vNIC as current networking features on the Power11 platform sold in 2025, and both drivers continue to receive upstream bug fixes from IBM and community contributors. Any Linux distribution targeting IBM Power LPARs (RHEL, SLES, Ubuntu on POWER) relies on these to provide guest networking, so removal is not on the horizon.

repository signals

31 files
24,258 source lines
176 commits, 5y
+3,448 / −2,000 lines added / removed, 5y
42 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 176 total · active in 41/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-05: 5 commits · +18 −20 2021-06: 16 commits · +268 −85 2021-07: 2 commits · +4 −4 2021-08: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-09: 14 commits · +471 −268 2021-10: 9 commits · +24 −33 2021-11: 2 commits · +12 −5 2021-12: 4 commits · +40 −54 2022-01: 5 commits · +104 −71 2022-02: 11 commits · +199 −45 2022-03: 1 commit · +55 −15 2022-04: 7 commits · +363 −176 2022-05: 2 commits · +7 −3 2022-06: 1 commit · +1 −1 2022-07: 1 commit · +9 −0 2022-08: 1 commit · +6 −6 2022-09: 5 commits · +242 −200 2022-10: 3 commits · +10 −26 2022-11: 4 commits · +246 −2 2022-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-01: 1 commit · +16 −13 2023-02: 1 commit · +2 −2 2023-03: 2 commits · +6 −6 2023-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-05: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-06: 1 commit · +8 −1 2023-07: 1 commit · +10 −1 2023-08: 7 commits · +121 −36 2023-09: 2 commits · +25 −38 2023-10: 2 commits · +6 −5 2023-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-12: 1 commit · +2 −2 2024-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-04: 2 commits · +19 −7 2024-05: 1 commit · +3 −3 2024-06: 2 commits · +18 −0 2024-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-08: 10 commits · +192 −183 2024-09: 10 commits · +77 −158 2024-10: 23 commits · +145 −238 2024-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-01: 1 commit · +11 −7 2025-02: 2 commits · +4 −7 2025-03: 1 commit · +18 −12 2025-04: 1 commit · +27 −12 2025-05: 4 commits · +341 −95 2025-06: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-07: 3 commits · +199 −77 2025-08: 1 commit · +56 −9 2025-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-10: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-02: 4 commits · +63 −74 2026-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    `ibmveth.c` still receives substantive upstream fixes in 2026, indicating active maintenance rather than retirement.

  2. lore.kernel.org

    `ibmvnic.c` also received a bug fix in 2026, showing ongoing real-world attention for IBM virtual NIC support.

  3. ibm.com

    IBM documents Virtual Ethernet adapters as a current Power11 feature, so the ibmveth use case remains present on new-generation systems.

  4. ibm.com

    IBM documents vNIC management on Power11, showing the ibmvnic class is a current platform feature rather than legacy-only hardware.

  5. ibm.com

    IBM support guidance explicitly covers both ibmveth and ibmvnic for enterprise Linux on POWER systems, supporting continued deployed use.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Top-level directory contains active IBM Power virtual networking drivers, chiefly `ibmveth` and `ibmvnic`, not a dead legacy stub. Lore evidence came from `lore_file_timeline` on `drivers/net/ethernet/ibm/ibmveth.c` and `drivers/net/ethernet/ibm/ibmvnic.c`; both show 2026 fixes. Deployment evidence came from web search hits on current IBM Power11 documentation for Virtual Ethernet and vNIC, plus an IBM support page covering ibmveth/ibmvnic bonding on supported enterprise Linux releases. I found no positive removal signal in the inspected lore history; with active maintenance and current-platform vendor docs, this backs `keep` rather than deprecate/remove.