linux-drivers/
drivers/scsi/bnx2i

Broadcom NetXtreme II iSCSI offload (bnx2i)

Hardware iSCSI offload support for Broadcom NetXtreme II converged network adapters (BCM5706/5708/5709 and BCM57710/57711/57712), which shipped on enterprise servers, blade systems, and Cisco UCS hardware mostly between 2007 and 2013. The cards let storage traffic ride over Ethernet while letting the NIC silicon handle the iSCSI protocol work instead of the host CPU.

keep-annotate conf=0.72 last_sold=2013 deploy=low replacement=iscsi_tcp subsystem=scsi category=storage-scsi-ata
72%

recommendation

Worth keeping but documenting as legacy because the silicon was last common in early-2010s servers and is no longer sold new in 2025, yet a meaningful installed base still exists on platforms like Cisco UCS M2/M3 generation hardware where these cards turn up as replacement parts. Upstream activity in late 2024 is just routine API maintenance rather than active development, and software iSCSI over a modern NIC (iscsi_tcp) is the natural path forward for anyone deploying fresh hardware.

repository signals

9 files
8,314 source lines
18 commits, 5y
+51 / −50 lines added / removed, 5y
10 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 18 total · active in 14/61 months
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sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    Recent upstream activity exists on bnx2i in late 2024, indicating the driver is still build-maintained rather than abandoned.

  2. cateee.net

    LKDDb identifies bnx2i as the kernel's NetXtreme II iSCSI offload driver and shows it remains configurable in current kernel series.

  3. cisco.com

    BCM57712 is an older Cisco UCS-focused NetXtreme II converged NIC with TOE/iSCSI/FCoE, tying bnx2i hardware to legacy server generations rather than current platforms.

  4. texas.gs.shi.com

    A 2025 reseller page shows BCM57712 only as limited-stock legacy hardware for Cisco UCS C200/C210/C220/C240/C250/C260/C460 M2/M3 systems, suggesting residual replacement demand rather than broad new deployment.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Real driver directory. `lore_activity` on `drivers/scsi/bnx2i/bnx2i_init.c` returned recent linux-scsi/lkml patches, but they are generic maintenance/API churn rather than evidence of growth or removal. `web search` found LKDDb confirming the driver is still present and the Cisco/SHI pages tying supported silicon to early-2010s UCS generations. I infer the hardware is legacy, still possibly seen in installed base/spares, but not meaningfully sold into new 2025 deployments. That supports `keep-annotate`: retain for legacy users, annotate as old offload hardware, no evidence here for active removal.