QLogic/Marvell FastLinQ 41000 iSCSI Offload Adapters (qedi)
Hardware iSCSI offload support for QLogic (now Marvell) FastLinQ 41000 Series Converged Network Adapters — enterprise data-center cards that combine 10/25/50/100 GbE networking with storage offload so the adapter, rather than the host CPU, handles iSCSI block-storage traffic. The line was introduced under QLogic in the mid-2010s and continues to be sold by Marvell today.
recommendation
It should stay in the kernel and be kept annotated as a niche data-center driver. The FastLinQ 41000 series is still sold new by Marvell in 2025 as a converged network adapter with hardware iSCSI offload, and the driver is still receiving targeted upstream fixes as recently as 2025 and 2026 (memory-leak and command-queueing patches on linux-scsi). Real-world deployments are limited to specialized enterprise storage networks, so a short note about its narrow audience would help readers, but there is no replacement driver that covers the same offload hardware.
repository signals
sources
- git.kernel.org
Upstream Kconfig describes qedi as the iSCSI offload driver for QLogic FastLinQ 41000 Series Converged Network Adapters.
- lore.kernel.org
qedi still receives targeted upstream fixes in 2026 ('Fix command overqueueing'), indicating active maintenance rather than abandonment.
- lore.kernel.org
qedi received a 2025 bug-fix patch for a probe-path memory leak, showing recent functional maintenance.
- marvell.com
Marvell still markets FastLinQ 41000 Series adapters as current products, supporting new-hardware availability in 2025.
- marvell.com
Marvell's current FastLinQ CNA materials still list 41000-family converged adapters with iSCSI/FCoE offload capability.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Local Kconfig checked with exec_command to map qedi to FastLinQ 41000 iSCSI offload. git.kernel.org Kconfig URL is canonical recall for a stable upstream reference. lore_file_timeline on drivers/scsi/qedi/qedi_main.c produced the cited 2025-2026 linux-scsi patches, showing ongoing fixes and no visible removal trend in recent activity. Marvell product pages were obtained via web search and indicate the 41000 family remained an actively marketed product line, but this is a specialized data-center CNA niche, so deployments today are low rather than broad. No clear upstream replacement driver covers the same hardware iSCSI-offload function.