Chelsio Terminator 6 inline kernel TLS crypto offload
Hardware-accelerated TLS/SSL encryption and decryption built into Chelsio's Terminator 6 (T6) family of 40/50/100 GbE server NICs, such as the T62100-LP-CR. It lets the kernel hand TLS record processing directly to the adapter, offloading the CPU on busy storage and web-front-end servers.
recommendation
It should stay because Chelsio still sells T6 adapters new in 2025 and the code is actively maintained upstream — netdev and linux-crypto patches were touching it as recently as 2026, including an update to the kernel's new AES library API. Deployments are niche, but the hardware is current and the driver is not abandoned.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
Recent netdev patch traffic in 2026 still touches ch_ktls, indicating active upstream maintenance rather than abandonment.
- lore.kernel.org
linux-crypto changes in January 2026 updated the Chelsio code to a new AES library API, another sign of current upkeep.
- chelsio.com
A 2025-published Chelsio T62100-LP-CR product brief advertises T6 adapters with TLS/SSL and related crypto offload features.
- store.chelsio.com
Chelsio's online store still listed a T6-based adapter for sale, supporting the view that T6 hardware was still sold new in 2025/2026.
- kernel.org
Canonical kernel.org reference for the upstream kernel tree; local Kconfig/source inspection shows CONFIG_CHELSIO_TLS_DEVICE is specifically for Chelsio T6 kernel TLS offload.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Local shell inspection showed this is a real module-backed driver directory (`chcr_ktls.c`, `module_init`, MODULE_DESCRIPTION) and Kconfig says `CONFIG_CHELSIO_TLS_DEVICE` is for Chelsio T6 kernel TLS offload. `lore_file_timeline` on `drivers/net/ethernet/chelsio/inline_crypto/ch_ktls/chcr_ktls.c` returned active 2026 maintenance URLs on netdev and linux-crypto. A removal-focused `lore_regex` query timed out once and was not retried; timeline evidence showed no removal pattern. Web search found Chelsio's 2025 PDF brief and current store listing for T6 adapters with TLS/SSL crypto offload. Conclusion: niche but still-sold, still-maintained hardware/driver; keep. Source acquisition: lore URLs via `lore_file_timeline`, Chelsio URLs via `web.search`, kernel.org URL by canonical recall from local tree path context.