linux-drivers/
drivers/net/ethernet/microchip/lan966x

Microchip LAN966x industrial TSN Ethernet switches

A family of Microchip Ethernet switch chips (notably the LAN9662 and LAN9668) aimed at industrial automation, supporting Time-Sensitive Networking and PROFINET. They are typically found on embedded boards for factory networking, automotive gateways, and other deterministic-Ethernet applications.

keep conf=0.93 last_sold=2026 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=net category=networking-ethernet
93%

recommendation

It should stay because the underlying silicon is still in active production at Microchip and is being actively marketed for industrial PROFINET and TSN use in 2025. Upstream maintenance is clearly ongoing, with CVE fixes and patch series landing in netdev as recently as April 2026, and there is no alternative driver in the kernel that handles this hardware family.

repository signals

34 files
17,393 source lines
213 commits, 5y
+18,758 / −1,318 lines added / removed, 5y
38 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 213 total · active in 39/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-05: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-06: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-08: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-10: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-11: 4 commits · +3,386 −7 2021-12: 14 commits · +1,736 −52 2022-01: 11 commits · +1,485 −23 2022-02: 8 commits · +185 −21 2022-03: 5 commits · +20 −3 2022-04: 15 commits · +1,475 −31 2022-05: 3 commits · +37 −4 2022-06: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-07: 6 commits · +83 −38 2022-08: 12 commits · +781 −123 2022-09: 13 commits · +1,829 −15 2022-10: 6 commits · +55 −32 2022-11: 20 commits · +3,301 −148 2022-12: 3 commits · +266 −26 2023-01: 9 commits · +61 −73 2023-02: 8 commits · +276 −51 2023-03: 8 commits · +2,061 −78 2023-04: 2 commits · +29 −24 2023-05: 12 commits · +1,194 −15 2023-06: 1 commit · +4 −4 2023-07: 2 commits · +4 −3 2023-08: 6 commits · +76 −66 2023-09: 1 commit · +2 −4 2023-10: 1 commit · +0 −1 2023-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-01: 2 commits · +5 −2 2024-02: 1 commit · +7 −2 2024-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-04: 4 commits · +16 −10 2024-05: 3 commits · +8 −6 2024-06: 2 commits · +1 −9 2024-07: 1 commit · +1 −1 2024-08: 1 commit · +1 −1 2024-09: 13 commits · +234 −378 2024-10: 1 commit · +1 −1 2024-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-01: 2 commits · +5 −4 2025-02: 1 commit · +0 −1 2025-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-04: 2 commits · +4 −10 2025-05: 2 commits · +71 −13 2025-06: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-08: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-10: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-11: 2 commits · +19 −18 2025-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-02: 3 commits · +15 −16 2026-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-04: 3 commits · +24 −4

sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    A Linux CVE announcement dated 2026-04-24 references a lan966x fix, showing the driver is still receiving current upstream maintenance attention.

  2. spinics.net

    Patchwork-bot reported on 2026-04-09 that a lan966x fix series was applied to netdev/net.git, indicating active upstream development rather than removal.

  3. microchip.com

    Microchip lists LAN9668 as 'Status: In Production', indicating the LAN966x family is still an active product line.

  4. microchip.com

    Microchip lists LAN9662 as 'Status: In Production', showing newer and smaller LAN966x-family parts are still commercially available.

  5. microchip.com

    Microchip's current PROFINET/industrial networking portfolio still features LAN9668 and LAN9662, supporting ongoing industrial deployment relevance.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

web.search_query found current maintenance evidence via lore/spinics results (including the direct lore URL surfaced in a Red Hat CVE result and a spinics patchwork-bot application notice), plus Microchip product/portfolio pages showing LAN9662/LAN9668 remain in production and marketed for industrial TSN/PROFINET use. Local shell checks (`sed` on lan966x_main.c) confirmed this is the main platform OF driver for `microchip,lan966x-switch`, and local `git -c safe.directory ... log` showed recent 2025-2026 bug-fix traffic with no removal discussion. No natural replacement exists for the same silicon family, so this should be kept.