drivers/scsi/ibmvscsi_tgt

IBM PowerVM Virtual SCSI target (vSCSI server)

The server side of IBM's PowerVM Virtual SCSI, a paravirtualized storage transport on IBM Power servers (pSeries, Power10, Power11). It lets a Virtual I/O Server or Linux partition export disks to other logical partitions on the same machine over the PowerVM hypervisor, so guest LPARs can boot and run without owning physical SCSI hardware.

keep-annotate conf=0.79 deploy=low replacement=none subsystem=scsi category=virtualization
79%

recommendation

Worth keeping but documenting its niche, because it serves a specific corner of the IBM Power ecosystem rather than commodity hardware. IBM still sells PowerVM with current Power10 and Power11 systems and continues to document virtual SCSI as a supported way for partitions to share storage, and the code itself was still getting real maintenance patches into late 2025 and 2026. The audience is small but the platform is alive and shipping.

repository signals

5 files
4,979 source lines
18 commits, 5y
+50 / −120 lines added / removed, 5y
15 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

    The driver was still receiving upstream maintenance in March 2026, including a targeted ibmvscsi_tgt patch for lock-context analysis preparation.

  2. lore.kernel.org

    The driver received a late-2025 maintenance patch updating its workqueue usage, indicating ongoing upkeep rather than abandonment.

  3. ibm.com

    IBM markets PowerVM as a current product, explicitly saying it is enhanced for IBM Power11 and supports Linux workloads, so the underlying platform is still sold new.

  4. ibm.com

    IBM Power10 documentation describes virtual SCSI adapters as a current feature and states that virtual SCSI server adapters exist in IBM i and VIOS partitions.

  5. ibm.com

    IBM Power11 VIOS documentation still instructs users to configure virtual SCSI devices, showing the virtualization stack remains current in new deployments.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Directory purpose was confirmed with exec_command against local Kconfig/source: this is the IBM POWER Virtual SCSI server driver on pSeries. Upstream activity was checked with lore_file_timeline on drivers/scsi/ibmvscsi_tgt/ibmvscsi_tgt.c, which showed real 2025-2026 maintenance patches and no evident removal series. Platform/deployment evidence came from web search results and an opened IBM PowerVM product page; IBM still sells PowerVM for Power11 and still documents vSCSI on current Power10/Power11 systems. That supports keeping the driver, but annotate it as a niche PowerVM/VIOS-era deployment rather than broad mainstream hardware.