linux-drivers/
drivers/scsi/bnx2fc

Broadcom/QLogic NetXtreme II FCoE offload (bnx2fc)

Fibre Channel over Ethernet offload for Broadcom NetXtreme II converged network adapters such as the BCM57710, BCM57712, and BCM57810: 10 Gb dual-purpose Ethernet/storage cards deployed in enterprise blade servers and SANs from roughly 2010 through the late 2010s. A single card carries both LAN and Fibre Channel traffic, with FCoE work handled in silicon.

keep-annotate conf=0.82 last_sold=2019 deploy=low replacement=none subsystem=scsi category=storage-scsi-ata
82%

recommendation

Worth keeping but documenting its niche: the cards have been withdrawn from sale (Lenovo lists the family as end-of-marketing) and FCoE itself is a fading technology, but Broadcom still publishes setup guides, Citrix's hypervisor HCL still lists the adapters with FCoE, and upstream maintenance work on bnx2fc was still landing in 2025-2026. That points to a small but real legacy installed base in enterprise storage environments that would be hurt by premature removal.

repository signals

12 files
11,158 source lines
30 commits, 5y
+180 / −206 lines added / removed, 5y
20 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 30 total · active in 19/61 months
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sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    Upstream still sees recent functional maintenance in 2026 (e.g. bnx2fc lock-context-analysis prep), so it is not abandoned or under obvious removal.

  2. lenovopress.lenovo.com

    OEM product guide for Broadcom NetXtreme II BCM57810/BCM57712 adapters marks the family as withdrawn from marketing, indicating legacy rather than current-new hardware.

  3. knowledge.broadcom.com

    Broadcom still documents FCoE offload setup for NetXtreme II devices, showing the hardware remains in supported legacy enterprise use.

  4. hcl.xenserver.com

    Citrix Hypervisor HCL still lists BCM57810 with FCoE support, suggesting some remaining deployed installed base in virtualization/storage environments.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Shell inspection of local Kconfig/docs identified this as the Broadcom/QLogic FCoE offload driver tied to NetXtreme II/CNIC hardware. `lore_file_timeline` on bnx2fc files showed continued 2025-2026 maintenance and no removal discussion. Web search results yielded Lenovo's withdrawn-product page plus Broadcom and Citrix support/HCL pages, which together point to old, no-longer-new hardware with a small but real legacy enterprise footprint. Chosen `keep-annotate` because hardware is obsolete for new purchases, but upstream and deployed-base signals are still nontrivial.