linux-drivers/
drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom

Broadcom NetXtreme, GENET, and SystemPort Ethernet controllers

A large family of Broadcom wired Ethernet hardware spanning roughly two decades, from gigabit PCIe server NICs (Tigon3/tg3, NetXtreme II/bnx2x) up through current NetXtreme-E and NetXtreme-C 10/25/50/100/200 Gbps datacenter adapters (bnxt, bnge), alongside the on-chip Ethernet MACs (GENET, SystemPort, ASP) found in Broadcom SoCs used in the Raspberry Pi, set-top boxes, and other embedded devices.

keep conf=0.93 last_sold=2025 deploy=high replacement=none subsystem=net category=networking-ethernet
93%

recommendation

It should stay because this directory is not one driver but an umbrella for a whole portfolio of Broadcom Ethernet hardware that is still being designed, sold, and deployed in 2025. Broadcom is actively shipping 200 Gbps NetXtreme-E controllers, and upstream commit traffic through 2025 and into 2026 shows ongoing feature work and fixes from Broadcom, Cloudflare, and community contributors across bnxt, bcmgenet, tg3, and the newer bnge and bcmasp drivers.

repository signals

119 files
209,996 source lines
1,119 commits, 5y
+43,227 / −26,431 lines added / removed, 5y
204 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 1,119 total · active in 60/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 14 commits · +178 −92 2021-05: 9 commits · +150 −55 2021-06: 17 commits · +1,380 −92 2021-07: 21 commits · +537 −90 2021-08: 51 commits · +3,788 −2,828 2021-09: 26 commits · +356 −230 2021-10: 38 commits · +1,743 −850 2021-11: 12 commits · +89 −35 2021-12: 16 commits · +167 −70 2022-01: 15 commits · +782 −153 2022-02: 10 commits · +110 −36 2022-03: 23 commits · +581 −459 2022-04: 21 commits · +485 −149 2022-05: 13 commits · +480 −198 2022-06: 6 commits · +14 −22 2022-07: 10 commits · +127 −38 2022-08: 11 commits · +54 −43 2022-09: 11 commits · +198 −254 2022-10: 21 commits · +418 −157 2022-11: 22 commits · +270 −114 2022-12: 11 commits · +110 −209 2023-01: 6 commits · +19 −46 2023-02: 6 commits · +30 −18 2023-03: 18 commits · +207 −155 2023-04: 9 commits · +75 −70 2023-05: 5 commits · +22 −12 2023-06: 14 commits · +64 −29 2023-07: 22 commits · +4,454 −145 2023-08: 23 commits · +278 −742 2023-09: 13 commits · +809 −334 2023-10: 17 commits · +761 −389 2023-11: 31 commits · +1,240 −785 2023-12: 51 commits · +2,384 −721 2024-01: 15 commits · +132 −103 2024-02: 44 commits · +1,270 −712 2024-03: 17 commits · +611 −179 2024-04: 34 commits · +607 −279 2024-05: 10 commits · +163 −87 2024-06: 21 commits · +1,010 −377 2024-07: 18 commits · +242 −223 2024-08: 27 commits · +609 −378 2024-09: 6 commits · +44 −26 2024-10: 18 commits · +228 −172 2024-11: 32 commits · +1,047 −367 2024-12: 13 commits · +273 −117 2025-01: 22 commits · +331 −118 2025-02: 12 commits · +425 −155 2025-03: 38 commits · +1,075 −887 2025-04: 25 commits · +426 −380 2025-05: 9 commits · +272 −138 2025-06: 17 commits · +176 −131 2025-07: 20 commits · +4,210 −10,969 2025-08: 15 commits · +158 −57 2025-09: 26 commits · +3,323 −118 2025-10: 7 commits · +99 −117 2025-11: 20 commits · +618 −90 2025-12: 5 commits · +24 −14 2026-01: 25 commits · +3,067 −188 2026-02: 16 commits · +310 −346 2026-03: 13 commits · +116 −83 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    bnxt_en in this directory had an active net-next feature series in March 2026, indicating current upstream development rather than retirement.

  2. lore.kernel.org

    bcmgenet in this directory received non-trivial maintenance/statistics work in 2025, showing active support for deployed Broadcom SoC Ethernet.

  3. lore.kernel.org

    bcmgenet also saw Broadcom-authored power-management fixes in June 2025, further indicating active maintenance.

  4. lore.kernel.org

    tg3 in this directory still received net-next fixes in late 2025, so even older PCIe Broadcom NIC support is not abandoned upstream.

  5. cateee.net

    CONFIG_BNXT is current through 7.0-rc+HEAD and covers Broadcom NetXtreme-E adapters including modern 10/25/40/50/100Gb-class devices.

  6. docs.broadcom.com

    Broadcom was publishing current BCM57500 NetXtreme-E 200Gb Ethernet controller product material in 2026, showing at least part of this driver directory supports hardware still sold for new deployments.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Real driver directory, not a helper subtree. Local shell inspection of Kconfig and file list showed this is a vendor umbrella containing many live drivers (bnxt, bcmgenet, tg3, bcmasp, bnge, bnx2x, b44, etc.), so there is no single successor driver. Lore evidence was obtained via web search snippets that exposed exact message-IDs, then mapped to canonical lore URLs; those show active 2025-2026 patch traffic and no removal/deprecation series. Deployment remains high because the directory spans both current datacenter NICs (bnxt/NetXtreme-E, corroborated by Broadcom product brief found via web search) and still-common embedded SoC MACs (bcmgenet/systemport). Local git log also showed many 2024-2026 substantive commits across bnxt, tg3, bcmgenet, bcmasp, and bnge, consistent with keeping the directory.