linux-drivers/
drivers/net/vmxnet3

VMware VMXNET3 paravirtual network adapter

VMXNET3 is the high-performance paravirtual network card that VMware presents to guest operating systems running on ESXi and vSphere. It is not a physical NIC but a virtual device optimized for low overhead and high throughput between VMs and the hypervisor, and is the recommended adapter type for modern Linux guests on VMware.

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

recommendation

It should stay because VMXNET3 is the standard NIC for Linux guests running on VMware/Broadcom vSphere, which remains a major enterprise virtualization platform. Upstream activity is healthy, with new feature patches and bug fixes landing as recently as 2026, and Broadcom continues to document and support the adapter for current ESXi 8.x deployments.

repository signals

8 files
8,016 source lines
60 commits, 5y
+1,986 / −448 lines added / removed, 5y
22 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 60 total · active in 28/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-05: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-06: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-07: 8 commits · +255 −84 2021-08: 2 commits · +28 −31 2021-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2021-10: 4 commits · +6 −13 2021-11: 1 commit · +6 −4 2021-12: 1 commit · +7 −6 2022-01: 1 commit · +7 −15 2022-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-05: 2 commits · +6 −0 2022-06: 9 commits · +472 −60 2022-07: 3 commits · +30 −9 2022-08: 1 commit · +3 −3 2022-09: 1 commit · +2 −2 2022-10: 0 commits · +0 −0 2022-11: 2 commits · +23 −4 2022-12: 1 commit · +8 −0 2023-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-02: 1 commit · +25 −25 2023-03: 1 commit · +3 −1 2023-04: 1 commit · +1 −1 2023-05: 1 commit · +1 −3 2023-06: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-08: 1 commit · +728 −42 2023-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-10: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2023-12: 2 commits · +16 −16 2024-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-03: 1 commit · +3 −3 2024-04: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-05: 6 commits · +268 −51 2024-06: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-08: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-10: 2 commits · +9 −1 2024-11: 0 commits · +0 −0 2024-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-01: 1 commit · +12 −2 2025-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-03: 1 commit · +5 −5 2025-04: 1 commit · +1 −1 2025-05: 3 commits · +33 −2 2025-06: 1 commit · +25 −49 2025-07: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-08: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-09: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-10: 0 commits · +0 −0 2025-11: 1 commit · +3 −15 2025-12: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-01: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-02: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    Upstream development is active: a 2026 net-next patch adds ndo_set_rx_mode_async support to vmxnet3.

  2. lore.kernel.org

    The driver is still receiving bug-fix traffic in 2026, including fixes for Rx ring/page-allocation behavior.

  3. knowledge.broadcom.com

    Broadcom/VMware documents VMXNET3 as a paravirtualized NIC designed for performance for virtual machines, not a legacy physical adapter.

  4. knowledge.broadcom.com

    Broadcom support still documents VMXNET3 troubleshooting for vSphere ESXi 8.0.x guest VMs, indicating current production deployments.

  5. knowledge.broadcom.com

    Broadcom documents VMXNET3 configuration on vSphere 8.0.2 and later, showing ongoing supported use in current VMware stacks.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Keep: this is an actively maintained paravirtual VMware guest NIC driver, not obsolete hardware. lore_file_timeline on vmxnet3_drv.c showed substantial 2025-2026 traffic and yielded the cited lore URLs; lore_regex over body_prose for deprecation/removal terms returned no hits in the last 5 years, so there is no evident upstream removal push. Web search found current Broadcom/VMware KBs showing VMXNET3 remains a supported, recommended virtual adapter in modern vSphere deployments. `hardware_still_sold_new_in_2025=false` because VMXNET3 is a virtual device family rather than retail hardware; deployments remain high in VMware guest niches, so no deprecation signal.