linux-drivers/
drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana

Microsoft Azure Network Adapter (MANA) virtual NIC

MANA is Microsoft's next-generation virtual network adapter presented to Linux guests running on Azure. It provides the high-performance, SR-IOV-style accelerated networking path for Azure VMs on Azure Boost hardware, replacing the older Mellanox-based VF setup that Azure previously paired with the Hyper-V netvsc interface.

keep conf=0.95 deploy=high replacement=none subsystem=net category=networking-ethernet
95%

recommendation

It should stay in the kernel because MANA is the current accelerated networking interface Microsoft is rolling out across Azure VMs starting in February 2025 with Intel v6 VM families, and the driver is under heavy active development with frequent fixes and feature work landing through 2026. There is no equivalent replacement: the older netvsc path is only a fallback, not a substitute for the accelerated MANA data path that Linux guests on Azure rely on.

repository signals

7 files
8,068 source lines
164 commits, 5y
+4,947 / −2,982 lines added / removed, 5y
45 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 164 total · active in 54/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 1 commit · +2 −2 2021-05: 1 commit · +1 −2 2021-06: 1 commit · +4 −2 2021-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-08: 3 commits · +153 −160 2021-09: 1 commit · +1 −3 2021-10: 8 commits · +223 −114 2021-11: 3 commits · +237 −13 2021-12: 3 commits · +73 −10 2022-01: 4 commits · +80 −38 2022-02: 2 commits · +5 −5 2022-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-05: 2 commits · +2 −2 2022-06: 2 commits · +360 −6 2022-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-08: 1 commit · +0 −4 2022-09: 1 commit · +10 −0 2022-10: 1 commit · +8 −8 2022-11: 13 commits · +252 −1,610 2022-12: 1 commit · +19 −6 2023-01: 1 commit · +8 −1 2023-02: 2 commits · +13 −26 2023-03: 2 commits · +110 −6 2023-04: 6 commits · +352 −105 2023-05: 2 commits · +4 −13 2023-06: 2 commits · +18 −3 2023-07: 2 commits · +12 −3 2023-08: 6 commits · +216 −22 2023-09: 3 commits · +146 −65 2023-10: 1 commit · +3 −2 2023-11: 3 commits · +91 −5 2023-12: 3 commits · +60 −56 2024-01: 2 commits · +79 −11 2024-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-03: 1 commit · +1 −0 2024-04: 2 commits · +7 −9 2024-05: 2 commits · +3 −3 2024-06: 5 commits · +119 −47 2024-07: 2 commits · +20 −5 2024-08: 4 commits · +144 −49 2024-09: 3 commits · +42 −25 2024-10: 2 commits · +164 −39 2024-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-12: 4 commits · +16 −13 2025-01: 6 commits · +8 −3 2025-02: 2 commits · +99 −20 2025-03: 6 commits · +55 −55 2025-04: 1 commit · +1 −0 2025-05: 3 commits · +163 −14 2025-06: 13 commits · +859 −141 2025-07: 1 commit · +2 −2 2025-08: 1 commit · +146 −51 2025-09: 2 commits · +6 −11 2025-10: 1 commit · +62 −5 2025-11: 6 commits · +318 −105 2025-12: 1 commit · +1 −1 2026-01: 2 commits · +79 −11 2026-02: 7 commits · +75 −65 2026-03: 4 commits · +15 −5 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. git.kernel.org

    Upstream driver directory is actively maintained; the tree shows frequent 2025-2026 fixes and feature work rather than abandonment.

  2. git.kernel.org

    Kernel Kconfig names this as 'Microsoft Azure Network Adapter (MANA) support', confirming the hardware family and that this is a first-class supported driver.

  3. learn.microsoft.com

    Microsoft documents MANA as a current Azure Boost networking interface for Azure VMs and states it is a next-generation NIC with Linux support.

  4. learn.microsoft.com

    Microsoft states MANA was introduced in February 2025 with Intel v6 VM families and that many new and existing Azure VM sizes are eligible to run on MANA-capable hardware.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Recommendation is keep. Local `git -c safe.directory=... log -- drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/mana` showed substantial recent maintenance through 2026-03-24, with many bug fixes and feature updates, matching the provided high commit count. Local `rg` on `drivers/net/ethernet/microsoft/Kconfig` identified the family name as Microsoft Azure Network Adapter (MANA). Web search was used for Microsoft Learn pages, which indicate MANA is current Azure VM networking hardware in active rollout during 2025-2026. A web search against lore.kernel.org for MANA removal/deprecation discussion produced no useful hits here; combined with the active local history, that argues strongly against deprecation or removal. The use case is current Azure cloud deployment, not a legacy-only niche, and there is no clear upstream replacement driver for the same accelerated VF path; `netvsc` is fallback functionality, not an equivalent replacement.