linux-drivers/
drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/esw

NVIDIA/Mellanox ConnectX E-Switch (mlx5 SR-IOV switching)

The embedded virtual switch built into NVIDIA/Mellanox ConnectX and BlueField smart network adapters, which steers traffic between the physical ports, the host, and SR-IOV virtual functions or representor ports. It is the piece that makes hardware-offloaded networking for VMs, containers, and DPU workloads work on modern 25/100/200/400 GbE datacenter NICs.

keep conf=0.96 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=net category=networking-ethernet
96%

recommendation

It should stay because it is part of the mainline mlx5 stack for current NVIDIA ConnectX-6, ConnectX-7, and BlueField products that are still sold and widely deployed in datacenters in 2025. The code is under active development, with new devlink features landing in net-next as recently as early 2026 and bug fixes flowing into stable, so there is no question of retirement.

repository signals

28 files
9,577 source lines
217 commits, 5y
+10,187 / −3,915 lines added / removed, 5y
37 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 217 total · active in 48/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 3 commits · +734 −66 2021-05: 5 commits · +849 −71 2021-06: 6 commits · +794 −149 2021-07: 4 commits · +90 −30 2021-08: 7 commits · +36 −648 2021-09: 9 commits · +377 −125 2021-10: 3 commits · +40 −26 2021-11: 3 commits · +104 −1 2021-12: 2 commits · +2 −2 2022-01: 2 commits · +5 −1 2022-02: 1 commit · +1 −1 2022-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-05: 2 commits · +211 −12 2022-06: 5 commits · +324 −88 2022-07: 3 commits · +15 −11 2022-08: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-10: 2 commits · +9 −5 2022-11: 2 commits · +6 −6 2022-12: 4 commits · +91 −196 2023-01: 3 commits · +8 −16 2023-02: 9 commits · +1,554 −130 2023-03: 6 commits · +48 −225 2023-04: 1 commit · +2 −1 2023-05: 21 commits · +330 −223 2023-06: 4 commits · +45 −18 2023-07: 4 commits · +392 −0 2023-08: 8 commits · +483 −28 2023-09: 2 commits · +12 −167 2023-10: 2 commits · +5 −5 2023-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-12: 2 commits · +4 −1 2024-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-03: 1 commit · +1 −1 2024-04: 1 commit · +4 −0 2024-05: 1 commit · +4 −4 2024-06: 2 commits · +30 −9 2024-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-08: 2 commits · +26 −22 2024-09: 1 commit · +7 −0 2024-10: 27 commits · +981 −866 2024-11: 6 commits · +261 −400 2024-12: 2 commits · +16 −14 2025-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-02: 7 commits · +31 −7 2025-03: 5 commits · +144 −20 2025-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-05: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-06: 4 commits · +1,027 −46 2025-07: 3 commits · +5 −3 2025-08: 10 commits · +325 −92 2025-09: 3 commits · +38 −33 2025-10: 2 commits · +1 −6 2025-11: 2 commits · +4 −18 2025-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-01: 1 commit · +1 −1 2026-02: 4 commits · +61 −60 2026-03: 1 commit · +9 −14 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. spinics.net

    A net-next patch from February 3, 2026 adds new mlx5 E-Switch/devlink functionality for host PF state control, indicating active upstream feature work rather than retirement.

  2. spinics.net

    A November 6, 2025 netdev patch series proposes 'devlink eswitch inactive mode', showing ongoing design and review activity around mlx5 eswitch behavior.

  3. spinics.net

    A March 23, 2026 stable patch carries an mlx5 esw QoS locking fix, indicating current bug-fix maintenance for this code.

  4. docs.kernel.org

    Current kernel documentation describes mlx5 devlink E-Switch parameters and notes future ConnectX-8 behavior, showing the subsystem is current and forward-looking.

  5. nvidia.com

    NVIDIA's current Ethernet adapter lineup still markets ConnectX NICs, including ConnectX-6 Dx and ConnectX-7, as active products.

  6. docs.nvidia.com

    NVIDIA's ConnectX-6 Dx user manual, updated March 1, 2025, documents actively sold adapter SKUs alongside only some legacy EOL part numbers, consistent with ongoing availability of mlx5-era hardware.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Keep. Local shell inspection of the in-tree history (`git log` on this directory) shows heavy recent activity through 2026-03-19 with fixes and feature work, not end-of-life drift. No upstream removal/deprecation series was found; web search located active net-next and stable traffic on spinics mirrors of lore-indexed mail instead. URLs were obtained via web search results; the activity signal was cross-checked against local kernel git history. Hardware remains in new datacenter/SmartNIC deployments via current NVIDIA ConnectX products, and this directory is part of the main mlx5 stack rather than something with a separate replacement driver.