MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) automotive infotainment networking
MOST is a fibre-optic and electrical multimedia network used inside cars to carry audio, video, and control data between infotainment components. The kernel stack talks to Microchip/SMSC Intelligent Network Interface Controllers such as the OS81118, OS81119, and OS81210, typically over USB, exposing character, sound, and networking interfaces.
recommendation
It should stay in the kernel but with a note about its narrow scope. The underlying Microchip MOST controllers (OS81118 and OS81210) are still listed as in production for automotive use in 2025, the code still receives upstream maintenance, and there is no removal effort in flight. Deployments are limited to legacy and niche automotive/industrial infotainment networks rather than general-purpose Linux systems, so flagging the niche sets expectations without dropping working hardware support.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
Recent upstream work still touches the driver in 2026; activity is maintenance/hardening rather than removal.
- microchip.com
The OS81118 MOST150 INIC referenced by the driver is listed by Microchip as 'In Production' and recommended for automotive design.
- microchip.com
The OS81210 INIC referenced by the driver is listed by Microchip as 'In Production' for automotive/industrial applications.
- en.wikipedia.org
MOST is an automotive multimedia network used in vehicles, indicating a specialized niche deployment profile rather than broad general-purpose use.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Local tree inspection via shell showed `drivers/most` is a real MOST USB/core/cdev/sound driver stack and names SMSC/Microchip USB IDs OS81118/OS81119/OS81210. Lore evidence came from `lore_file_timeline` on `drivers/most/most_usb.c`, which returned a 2026 LKML patch URL and showed continuing upstream maintenance; I found no removal signal in the evidence gathered. Deployment evidence came from web search results for Microchip product pages, which show OS81118 and OS81210 still in production in 2025/2026. MOST is still relevant for legacy and niche automotive/industrial infotainment networks, but new deployments appear limited, so this looks better classified as keep-with-annotation than deprecate/remove.