Re: [PATCH net-next 10/11] net: macb: use context swapping in .set_ringparam()

[Théo Lebrun]

On Wed Apr 1, 2026 at 10:17 PM CEST, Maxime Chevallier wrote:
> On 01/04/2026 18:39, Théo Lebrun wrote:
>> ethtool_ops.set_ringparam() is implemented using the primitive close /
>> update ring size / reopen sequence. Under memory pressure this does not
>> fly: we free our buffers at close and cannot reallocate new ones at
>> open. Also, it triggers a slow PHY reinit.
>> 
>> Instead, exploit the new context mechanism and improve our sequence to:
>>  - allocate a new context (including buffers) first
>>  - if it fails, early return without any impact to the interface
>>  - stop interface
>>  - update global state (bp, netdev, etc)
>>  - pass buffer pointers to the hardware
>>  - start interface
>>  - free old context.
>> 
>> The HW disable sequence is inspired by macb_reset_hw() but avoids
>> (1) setting NCR bit CLRSTAT and (2) clearing register PBUFRXCUT.
>> 
>> The HW re-enable sequence is inspired by macb_mac_link_up(), skipping
>> over register writes which would be redundant (because values have not
>> changed).
>> 
>> The generic context swapping parts are isolated into helper functions
>> macb_context_swap_start|end(), reusable by other operations (change_mtu,
>> set_channels, etc).
>> 
>> Signed-off-by: Théo Lebrun <theo.lebrun@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>> ---
>>  drivers/net/ethernet/cadence/macb_main.c | 89 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
>>  1 file changed, 82 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
>> 
>> diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/cadence/macb_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/cadence/macb_main.c
>> index 42b19b969f3e..543356554c11 100644
>> --- a/drivers/net/ethernet/cadence/macb_main.c
>> +++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/cadence/macb_main.c
>> @@ -2905,6 +2905,76 @@ static struct macb_context *macb_context_alloc(struct macb *bp,
>>  	return ctx;
>>  }
>>  
>> +static void macb_context_swap_start(struct macb *bp)
>> +{
>> +	struct macb_queue *queue;
>> +	unsigned int q;
>> +	u32 ctrl;
>> +
>> +	/* Disable software Tx, disable HW Tx/Rx and disable NAPI. */
>> +
>> +	netif_tx_disable(bp->netdev);
>> +
>> +	ctrl = macb_readl(bp, NCR);
>> +	macb_writel(bp, NCR, ctrl & ~(MACB_BIT(RE) | MACB_BIT(TE)));
>> +
>> +	macb_writel(bp, TSR, -1);
>> +	macb_writel(bp, RSR, -1);
>> +
>> +	for (q = 0, queue = bp->queues; q < bp->num_queues; ++q, ++queue) {
>> +		queue_writel(queue, IDR, -1);
>> +		queue_readl(queue, ISR);
>> +		if (bp->caps & MACB_CAPS_ISR_CLEAR_ON_WRITE)
>> +			queue_writel(queue, ISR, -1);
>> +	}
>
> These registers appear to be protected by bp->lock, any chance that this
> may race with an interrupt in the middle of them being configured here ?

The topic is complex! I dug deep this afternoon and replied to the
neighbour thread by Nicolai. It might be of interest to you.

https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/90f843aa3940bdbabadddce27314c1f1@xxxxxxxxxxx/
(will appear as a child to this email, it hasn't been indexed yet)

Thanks Maxime,

--
Théo Lebrun, Bootlin
Embedded Linux and Kernel engineering
https://bootlin.com