linux-drivers/
drivers/net/mctp

MCTP transport bindings for I2C, I3C, USB, and serial

Transport layers for the Management Component Transport Protocol, a DMTF-standardised messaging scheme used inside servers so that baseboard management controllers (BMCs), NICs, and other platform components can talk to each other over side-channel buses like I2C/SMBus, I3C, USB, and serial lines. It underpins modern server platform management stacks such as OpenBMC.

keep conf=0.90 deploy=medium replacement=none subsystem=net category=networking-other
90%

recommendation

It should stay because the code is actively maintained, with bug fixes still landing in mainline and stable trees through 2025 and into early 2026. The underlying DMTF standard was refreshed in 2025 with a new Host Interface 2.0 specification, and OpenBMC continues to document Linux's in-kernel MCTP stack as a core building block for current server and BMC designs, so the hardware and use case are very much alive in new equipment.

repository signals

6 files
2,946 source lines
46 commits, 5y
+4,077 / −1,065 lines added / removed, 5y
19 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 46 total · active in 26/61 months
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sources

  1. spinics.net

    Patchwork bot mail shows an mctp-i2c fix was applied to netdev/net.git on 2026-03-10, indicating current upstream maintenance.

  2. spinics.net

    Net patch thread for mctp-usb in late 2025 shows active bug-fix traffic rather than removal/deprecation discussion.

  3. spinics.net

    6.15-stable review carried an MCTP USB fix in 2025, showing the code is relevant enough for stable backports.

  4. dmtf.org

    DMTF released MCTP Host Interface 2.0 in 2025 and explicitly lists I2C/SMBus, I3C, USB, and PCIe-class transports, showing the standard remains current.

  5. gerrit.openbmc.org

    OpenBMC documents in-kernel MCTP as part of current platform-management architecture, indicating ongoing deployment in new BMC/server designs.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Local shell inspection (`rg`) showed this is a real driver directory with transport drivers for I2C, I3C, USB, and serial. Local `git log` showed substantive fixes through 2026-03-10 and no deprecation/removal-oriented history. URLs were obtained via web search: the three spinics pages provide lore-style maintenance evidence, while the DMTF and OpenBMC pages provide ecosystem/deployment evidence. Because upstream activity is current and the hardware/protocol niche is still present in modern server/BMC designs, removal or deprecation is not justified.