zFCP SCSI-over-Fibre Channel for Linux on IBM Z
zFCP is the storage stack that lets Linux running on IBM Z mainframes access SCSI disks and tape over Fibre Channel via the machine's FCP channel adapters. It is the standard way enterprise mainframe Linux guests attach to SAN storage arrays such as IBM's DS8000 family, and remains in active use on current IBM Z hardware including the z17 generation.
recommendation
It should stay because zFCP is the current and only path for Linux on IBM Z mainframes to talk to SCSI storage over Fibre Channel, and IBM still ships compatible FCP adapter features on hardware as recent as z17. The code is actively maintained by IBM, with fixes landing upstream as recently as late 2024, so despite the niche audience there is no replacement to migrate to.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
Recent subsystem-specific maintenance in late 2024 shows zfcp is still receiving upstream fixes/reviews from IBM maintainers, not abandoned.
- ibm.com
IBM documents zfcp as the SCSI-over-Fibre Channel driver for Linux on IBM Z, supporting virtual QDIO-based FCP devices and attached LUNs.
- ibm.com
IBM's current Linux on IBM Z documentation lists supported FCP/FICON adapter generations through IBM z17 and says these adapters can be ordered as hardware features, indicating new-sale relevance in 2025.
- ibm.com
IBM storage documentation still describes configuring Linux on z Systems hosts with zFCP attachment, indicating ongoing enterprise deployment use rather than purely historical support.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Real driver directory: all files are zfcp driver sources and local code inspection of zfcp_ccw.c shows a ccw_driver named zfcp for FCP devices. lore_file_timeline/lore_activity on drivers/s390/scsi/zfcp_fc.c showed ongoing upstream attention, including a functional zfcp patch in 2024 and multiple touches in the last 3 years; cited lore URL was obtained via lore_activity. IBM docs URLs were obtained via web search and show zfcp is the current Linux-on-IBM-Z FCP path and that supported adapter features extend through IBM z17, so hardware is still sold and deployed, but in a niche mainframe market. No natural upstream replacement driver exists for Linux-on-IBM-Z FCP access, so removal/deprecation is not justified; keep rather than keep-annotate because the hardware family is still current, not merely legacy.