drivers/crypto/gemini · keep-annotate

Cortina/StorLink SL3516 (Gemini) crypto offload engine

The hardware crypto accelerator built into the StorLink (later Cortina) SL3516 "Gemini" system-on-chip, an ARM SoC from the late 2000s used in low-end NAS boxes and small routers such as the Raidsonic IB-NAS4220-B and ITian Square One SQ201. It offloads symmetric cipher and hash operations from the main CPU.

keep-annotate conf=0.83 last_sold=2011 deploy=low replacement=none subsystem=crypto category=crypto

83%

recommendation

Worth keeping but documenting its niche. The SoC stopped being widely sold around 2011 and the surviving devices are legacy NAS and router boards still supported by OpenWrt 24.10. The driver continues to receive upstream care, including a 2023 crypto-engine API update and a maintenance commit in October 2024, so there is no removal discussion in flight; a note about its legacy status would help future readers understand why it remains.

repository signals

5 files

1,334 source lines

12 commits, 5y

+1,387 / −51 lines added / removed, 5y

10 authors, 5y

monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 12 total · active in 9/61 months

sources

cateee.net
LKDDb identifies this as CONFIG_CRYPTO_DEV_SL3516 for the Storlink SL3516 crypto offloader and maps it to OF compatible cortina,sl3516-crypto.
git.kernel.org
The driver received an upstream maintenance change on 2024-10-19, indicating it is still being kept buildable and integrated.
git.kernel.org
The driver also received crypto-engine API adaptation work in 2023, showing non-removal upstream attention.
openwrt.org
An SL3516-based NAS remains supported by current OpenWrt 24.10.4, evidence of some remaining real-world deployments.
openwrt.org
Another SL3516-based device is marked discontinued while still supported by current OpenWrt, suggesting the hardware is legacy rather than newly sold.
dflund.se
Gemini SL3516 is described as an early-2000s-era SoC family and documented mainly as a legacy bring-up/testing platform.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Local `rg` inspection showed module_platform_driver and OF match `cortina,sl3516-crypto`, confirming a real platform crypto driver for SL3516. Recent activity was checked with local `git log` (latest substantive commit 2024-10-19; another API update in 2023); canonical kernel.org commit URLs were then cited by canonical recall. Deployment evidence came from web search hits on OpenWrt hardware pages and the Gemini platform history page. No credible removal discussion was located; with active upkeep but clearly obsolete hardware, `keep-annotate` fits better than deprecate/remove.