Messages in this thread | | | Date | Sat, 23 Sep 2023 09:28:41 +0300 | Subject | Re: [PATCH net-next v2 00/10] define and enforce phylink bindings | From | Arınç ÜNAL <> |
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On 23.09.2023 01:36, Andrew Lunn wrote: >> I agree. My patch description here failed to explain the actual issue, >> which is missing hardware descriptions. Here's what I understand. An >> ethernet-controller is a MAC. For the MAC to work properly with its link >> partner, at least one of these must be described: >> - pointer to a PHY to retrieve link information from the PHY >> - pointer to a PCS to retrieve link information from the PCS >> - pointer to an SFP to retrieve link information from the SFP >> - static link information > > You are missing: > > - The MAC has firmware driving the PHY, nothing for linux to do. > > There are properties in ethernet-controller.yaml the MAC driver would > however like to use such as local-mac-address, max-frame-size, > nvmem-cell-names etc.
This is interesting. This is clearly a hardware difference of the ethernet controller.
I believe this fits case 1. There's still an MDIO bus the ethernet controller uses, there's still a PHY on the MDIO bus which the ethernet controller uses. The only difference is the firmware of the ethernet controller controls... What exactly does the firmware control that a Linux driver would have controlled instead? Just configuring the link settings of the MAC?
If it's just MAC link settings, I believe it would make sense to add a property on the ethernet controller dt-bindings to state that the hardware controls the MAC link settings on its own. This way, we would still describe the MDIO bus and PHY of the ethernet controller while also pointing out that the MAC link settings are not up to a driver to control.
Arınç
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