Re: [PATCH net-deletions v2] net: remove unused ATM protocols and legacy ATM device drivers

Nikolay Aleksandrov
2026-04-22T13:17:41Z

On 22/04/2026 07:18, Jakub Kicinski wrote:
> Remove the ATM protocol modules and PCI/SBUS ATM device drivers
> that are no longer in active use.
>
> The ATM core protocol stack, PPPoATM, BR2684, and USB DSL modem
> drivers (drivers/usb/atm/) are retained in-tree to maintain PPP
> over ATM (PPPoA) and PPPoE-over-BR2684 support for DSL connections.
>
> Removed ATM protocol modules:
> - net/atm/clip.c - Classical IP over ATM (RFC 2225)
> - net/atm/lec.c - LAN Emulation Client (LANE)
> - net/atm/mpc.c, mpoa_caches.c, mpoa_proc.c - Multi-Protocol Over ATM
>
> Removed PCI/SBUS ATM device drivers (drivers/atm/):
> - adummy, atmtcp - software/testing ATM devices
> - eni - Efficient Networks ENI155P (OC-3, ~1995)
> - fore200e - FORE Systems 200E PCI/SBUS (OC-3, ~1999)
> - he - ForeRunner HE (OC-3/OC-12, ~2000)
> - idt77105 - IDT 77105 25 Mbps ATM PHY
> - idt77252 - IDT 77252 NICStAR II (OC-3, ~2000)
> - iphase - Interphase ATM PCI (OC-3/DS3/E3)
> - lanai - Efficient Networks Speedstream 3010
> - nicstar - IDT 77201 NICStAR (155/25 Mbps, ~1999)
> - solos-pci - Traverse Technologies ADSL2+ PCI
> - suni - PMC S/UNI SONET PHY library
>
> Also clean up references in:
> - net/bridge/ - remove ATM LANE hook (br_fdb_test_addr_hook,
> br_fdb_test_addr)
> - net/core/dev.c - remove br_fdb_test_addr_hook export
> - defconfig files - remove ATM driver config options
>
> The removed code is moved to an out-of-tree module package (mod-orphan).
>
> Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>
> ---
> v2:
> - keep BR2684
> - correct the claim that Traverse Technologies is defunct,
> I'm still deleting the solos driver, chances are nobody uses it.
> Easy enough to revert back in since core is still around.
> The guiding principle is to keep USB modems and delete
> the rest as USB ADSL2+ CPEs were most popular historically.
> v1: https://lore.kernel.org/20260421021943.1295109-1-kuba@kernel.org
>
> CC: corbet@lwn.net
> CC: skhan@linuxfoundation.org
> CC: linux@armlinux.org.uk
> CC: tsbogend@alpha.franken.de
> CC: maddy@linux.ibm.com
> CC: mpe@ellerman.id.au
> CC: npiggin@gmail.com
> CC: chleroy@kernel.org
> CC: 3chas3@gmail.com
> CC: razor@blackwall.org
> CC: idosch@nvidia.com
> CC: jani.nikula@intel.com
> CC: mchehab+huawei@kernel.org
> CC: tytso@mit.edu
> CC: herbert@gondor.apana.org.au
> CC: geert@linux-m68k.org
> CC: ebiggers@kernel.org
> CC: johannes.berg@intel.com
> CC: jonathan.cameron@huawei.com
> CC: kees@kernel.org
> CC: kuniyu@google.com
> CC: fourier.thomas@gmail.com
> CC: andriy.shevchenko@intel.com
> CC: rdunlap@infradead.org
> CC: akpm@linux-foundation.org
> CC: linux-doc@vger.kernel.org
> CC: linux-mips@vger.kernel.org
> CC: linuxppc-dev@lists.ozlabs.org
> CC: bridge@lists.linux.dev
> CC: dwmw2@infradead.org
> CC: herbert@gondor.apana.org.au
> ---
> MAINTAINERS | 3 +-
> Documentation/.renames.txt | 2 -
> .../device_drivers/atm/fore200e.rst | 66 -
> .../networking/device_drivers/atm/index.rst | 2 -
> .../networking/device_drivers/atm/iphase.rst | 193 -
> drivers/atm/Kconfig | 325 --
> drivers/net/Kconfig | 2 -
> net/atm/Kconfig | 37 -
> drivers/Makefile | 1 -
> drivers/atm/Makefile | 32 -
> net/atm/Makefile | 4 -
> drivers/atm/eni.h | 136 -
> drivers/atm/fore200e.h | 973 -----
> drivers/atm/he.h | 845 ----
> drivers/atm/idt77105.h | 92 -
> drivers/atm/idt77252.h | 816 ----
> drivers/atm/idt77252_tables.h | 781 ----
> drivers/atm/iphase.h | 1452 -------
> drivers/atm/midway.h | 266 --
> drivers/atm/nicstar.h | 759 ----
> drivers/atm/suni.h | 242 --
> drivers/atm/tonga.h | 21 -
> drivers/atm/zeprom.h | 35 -
> net/atm/lec.h | 155 -
> net/atm/lec_arpc.h | 97 -
> net/atm/mpc.h | 65 -
> net/atm/mpoa_caches.h | 99 -
> net/bridge/br_private.h | 4 -
> drivers/atm/adummy.c | 202 -
> drivers/atm/atmtcp.c | 513 ---
> drivers/atm/eni.c | 2321 ----------
> drivers/atm/fore200e.c | 3012 -------------
> drivers/atm/he.c | 2861 -------------
> drivers/atm/idt77105.c | 376 --
> drivers/atm/idt77252.c | 3797 -----------------
> drivers/atm/iphase.c | 3283 --------------
> drivers/atm/lanai.c | 2603 -----------
> drivers/atm/nicstar.c | 2759 ------------
> drivers/atm/nicstarmac.c | 244 --
> drivers/atm/solos-attrlist.c | 83 -
> drivers/atm/solos-pci.c | 1496 -------
> drivers/atm/suni.c | 391 --
> net/atm/clip.c | 960 -----
> net/atm/lec.c | 2274 ----------
> net/atm/mpc.c | 1538 -------
> net/atm/mpoa_caches.c | 565 ---
> net/atm/mpoa_proc.c | 307 --
> net/bridge/br.c | 7 -
> net/bridge/br_fdb.c | 29 -
> net/core/dev.c | 7 -
> arch/arm/configs/ixp4xx_defconfig | 5 -
> arch/mips/configs/gpr_defconfig | 13 -
> arch/mips/configs/mtx1_defconfig | 13 -
> arch/powerpc/configs/ppc6xx_defconfig | 9 -
> drivers/atm/.gitignore | 5 -
> drivers/atm/nicstarmac.copyright | 61 -
> 56 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 37237 deletions(-)
> delete mode 100644 Documentation/networking/device_drivers/atm/fore200e.rst
> delete mode 100644 Documentation/networking/device_drivers/atm/iphase.rst
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/Kconfig
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/Makefile
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/eni.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/fore200e.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/he.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/idt77105.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/idt77252.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/idt77252_tables.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/iphase.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/midway.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/nicstar.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/suni.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/tonga.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/zeprom.h
> delete mode 100644 net/atm/lec.h
> delete mode 100644 net/atm/lec_arpc.h
> delete mode 100644 net/atm/mpc.h
> delete mode 100644 net/atm/mpoa_caches.h
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/adummy.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/atmtcp.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/eni.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/fore200e.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/he.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/idt77105.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/idt77252.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/iphase.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/lanai.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/nicstar.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/nicstarmac.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/solos-attrlist.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/solos-pci.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/suni.c
> delete mode 100644 net/atm/clip.c
> delete mode 100644 net/atm/lec.c
> delete mode 100644 net/atm/mpc.c
> delete mode 100644 net/atm/mpoa_caches.c
> delete mode 100644 net/atm/mpoa_proc.c
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/.gitignore
> delete mode 100644 drivers/atm/nicstarmac.copyright
>

FWIW,
Reviewed-by: Nikolay Aleksandrov <razor@blackwall.org>