LIO TCM Virtual Remote Target Fabric
A software-only helper module for the kernel's LIO SCSI target stack that lets a node in a clustered storage setup represent the LUNs, access control lists, and target port groups belonging to its peer nodes. It exists so cluster software can advertise consistent multipath and ALUA information across all nodes, and is not tied to any physical hardware.
recommendation
Worth keeping but documenting its niche, because it is a relatively new (Linux 6.4, 2023) dummy target fabric contributed by Yadro for clustered SCSI target deployments rather than a piece of hardware support. There is no sign of removal pressure and very little churn, but its audience is narrow enough that distro packagers and admins benefit from a clear note that it only matters for multi-node LIO cluster configurations using ALUA-style reporting.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
Intro patch describes tcm_remote as a 'virtual remote target' used to reflect ACL/LUN/TPG configuration from peer nodes in a storage cluster, e.g. for ALUA/report target port groups.
- cateee.net
LKDDb identifies CONFIG_REMOTE_TARGET as 'TCM Virtual Remote target', a tristate module `tcm_remote`, present only since Linux 6.4 and described as a dummy fabric for peer-node cluster configuration.
- kernelconfig.io
Kernelconfig mirrors the Kconfig help: `tcm_remote` is a dummy TCM fabric for peer-node TPG/ACL/LUN state in clusters, indicating a software/cluster niche rather than discrete hardware support.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Evidence gathered from local shell inspection and `git show` of the sole substantive commit, which exposed the lore Link URL, plus web search hits for LKDDb and kernelconfig pages. The code and Kconfig describe a software-only dummy target fabric added in 2023 for clustered LIO visibility, not a hardware-enablement driver. Tree history shows only the 2023 add plus 2026 treewide allocator churn, with no sign of ongoing feature work or removal discussion in the gathered evidence. Because it is new, niche, and low-maintenance rather than hardware-obsolete, the best fit is to keep it upstream but annotate it as a narrow clustered-storage module.