1 .. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
10 phylink is a mechanism to support hot-pluggable networking modules
11 without needing to re-initialise the adapter on hot-plug events.
13 phylink supports conventional phylib-based setups, fixed link setups
14 and SFP (Small Formfactor Pluggable) modules at present.
19 phylink has several modes of operation, which depend on the firmware
24 In PHY mode, we use phylib to read the current link settings from
25 the PHY, and pass them to the MAC driver. We expect the MAC driver
26 to configure exactly the modes that are specified without any
27 negotiation being enabled on the link.
31 Fixed mode is the same as PHY mode as far as the MAC driver is
36 In-band mode is used with 802.3z, SGMII and similar interface modes,
37 and we are expecting to use and honor the in-band negotiation or
38 control word sent across the serdes channel.
40 By example, what this means is that:
49 does not use in-band SGMII signalling. The PHY is expected to follow
50 exactly the settings given to it in its :c:func:`mac_config` function.
51 The link should be forced up or down appropriately in the
52 :c:func:`mac_link_up` and :c:func:`mac_link_down` functions.
57 managed = "in-band-status";
62 uses in-band mode, where results from the PHY's negotiation are passed
63 to the MAC through the SGMII control word, and the MAC is expected to
64 acknowledge the control word. The :c:func:`mac_link_up` and
65 :c:func:`mac_link_down` functions must not force the MAC side link
68 Rough guide to converting a network driver to sfp/phylink
69 =========================================================
71 This guide briefly describes how to convert a network driver from
72 phylib to the sfp/phylink support. Please send patches to improve
75 1. Optionally split the network driver's phylib update function into
76 three parts dealing with link-down, link-up and reconfiguring the
77 MAC settings. This can be done as a separate preparation commit.
79 An example of this preparation can be found in git commit fc548b991fb0.
90 in the driver's Kconfig stanza.
94 #include <linux/phylink.h>
96 to the driver's list of header files.
100 struct phylink *phylink;
102 to the driver's private data structure. We shall refer to the
103 driver's private data pointer as ``priv`` below, and the driver's
104 private data structure as ``struct foo_priv``.
106 5. Replace the following functions:
113 * - Original function
114 - Replacement function
115 * - phy_start(phydev)
116 - phylink_start(priv->phylink)
118 - phylink_stop(priv->phylink)
119 * - phy_mii_ioctl(phydev, ifr, cmd)
120 - phylink_mii_ioctl(priv->phylink, ifr, cmd)
121 * - phy_ethtool_get_wol(phydev, wol)
122 - phylink_ethtool_get_wol(priv->phylink, wol)
123 * - phy_ethtool_set_wol(phydev, wol)
124 - phylink_ethtool_set_wol(priv->phylink, wol)
125 * - phy_disconnect(phydev)
126 - phylink_disconnect_phy(priv->phylink)
128 Please note that some of these functions must be called under the
129 rtnl lock, and will warn if not. This will normally be the case,
130 except if these are called from the driver suspend/resume paths.
132 6. Add/replace ksettings get/set methods with:
136 static int foo_ethtool_set_link_ksettings(struct net_device *dev,
137 const struct ethtool_link_ksettings *cmd)
139 struct foo_priv *priv = netdev_priv(dev);
141 return phylink_ethtool_ksettings_set(priv->phylink, cmd);
144 static int foo_ethtool_get_link_ksettings(struct net_device *dev,
145 struct ethtool_link_ksettings *cmd)
147 struct foo_priv *priv = netdev_priv(dev);
149 return phylink_ethtool_ksettings_get(priv->phylink, cmd);
152 7. Replace the call to:
154 phy_dev = of_phy_connect(dev, node, link_func, flags, phy_interface);
156 and associated code with a call to:
158 err = phylink_of_phy_connect(priv->phylink, node, flags);
160 For the most part, ``flags`` can be zero; these flags are passed to
161 the of_phy_attach() inside this function call if a PHY is specified
162 in the DT node ``node``.
164 ``node`` should be the DT node which contains the network phy property,
165 fixed link properties, and will also contain the sfp property.
167 The setup of fixed links should also be removed; these are handled
168 internally by phylink.
170 of_phy_connect() was also passed a function pointer for link updates.
171 This function is replaced by a different form of MAC updates
172 described below in (8).
174 Manipulation of the PHY's supported/advertised happens within phylink
175 based on the validate callback, see below in (8).
177 Note that the driver no longer needs to store the ``phy_interface``,
178 and also note that ``phy_interface`` becomes a dynamic property,
179 just like the speed, duplex etc. settings.
181 Finally, note that the MAC driver has no direct access to the PHY
182 anymore; that is because in the phylink model, the PHY can be
185 8. Add a :c:type:`struct phylink_mac_ops <phylink_mac_ops>` instance to
186 the driver, which is a table of function pointers, and implement
187 these functions. The old link update function for
188 :c:func:`of_phy_connect` becomes three methods: :c:func:`mac_link_up`,
189 :c:func:`mac_link_down`, and :c:func:`mac_config`. If step 1 was
190 performed, then the functionality will have been split there.
192 It is important that if in-band negotiation is used,
193 :c:func:`mac_link_up` and :c:func:`mac_link_down` do not prevent the
194 in-band negotiation from completing, since these functions are called
195 when the in-band link state changes - otherwise the link will never
198 The :c:func:`validate` method should mask the supplied supported mask,
199 and ``state->advertising`` with the supported ethtool link modes.
200 These are the new ethtool link modes, so bitmask operations must be
201 used. For an example, see drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/mvneta.c.
203 The :c:func:`mac_link_state` method is used to read the link state
204 from the MAC, and report back the settings that the MAC is currently
205 using. This is particularly important for in-band negotiation
206 methods such as 1000base-X and SGMII.
208 The :c:func:`mac_config` method is used to update the MAC with the
209 requested state, and must avoid unnecessarily taking the link down
210 when making changes to the MAC configuration. This means the
211 function should modify the state and only take the link down when
212 absolutely necessary to change the MAC configuration. An example
213 of how to do this can be found in :c:func:`mvneta_mac_config` in
214 drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/mvneta.c.
216 For further information on these methods, please see the inline
217 documentation in :c:type:`struct phylink_mac_ops <phylink_mac_ops>`.
219 9. Remove calls to of_parse_phandle() for the PHY,
220 of_phy_register_fixed_link() for fixed links etc. from the probe
221 function, and replace with:
225 struct phylink *phylink;
227 phylink = phylink_create(dev, node, phy_mode, &phylink_ops);
228 if (IS_ERR(phylink)) {
229 err = PTR_ERR(phylink);
233 priv->phylink = phylink;
235 and arrange to destroy the phylink in the probe failure path as
236 appropriate and the removal path too by calling:
240 phylink_destroy(priv->phylink);
242 10. Arrange for MAC link state interrupts to be forwarded into
247 phylink_mac_change(priv->phylink, link_is_up);
249 where ``link_is_up`` is true if the link is currently up or false
252 11. Verify that the driver does not call::
257 as these will interfere with phylink's tracking of the link state,
258 and cause phylink to omit calls via the :c:func:`mac_link_up` and
259 :c:func:`mac_link_down` methods.
261 Network drivers should call phylink_stop() and phylink_start() via their
262 suspend/resume paths, which ensures that the appropriate
263 :c:type:`struct phylink_mac_ops <phylink_mac_ops>` methods are called
266 For information describing the SFP cage in DT, please see the binding
267 documentation in the kernel source tree
268 ``Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/sff,sfp.txt``