Re: [RFC net-next PATCH 06/16] net: phylink: Add function for optionally adding a PCS

[Andrew Lunn]

On Tue, Oct 05, 2021 at 10:51:38AM +0100, Russell King (Oracle) wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 04, 2021 at 03:15:17PM -0400, Sean Anderson wrote:
> > This adds a function to set the PCS only if there is not one currently
> > set. The intention here is to allow MAC drivers to have a "default" PCS
> > (such as an internal one) which may be used when one has not been set
> > via the device tree. This allows for backwards compatibility for cases
> > where a PCS was automatically attached if necessary.
> 
> I'm not sure I entirely like this approach. Why can't the network
> driver check for the pcs-handle property and avoid using its
> "default" if present?

And that would also be in line with

ethernet/freescale/dpaa2/dpaa2-mac.c:	node = fwnode_find_reference(dpmac_node, "pcs-handle", 0);

We need a uniform meaning of pcs-handle. And dpaa2-mac.c has set the
precedent that the MAC uses it, not phylink. That can however be
changed, if it make sense, but both users should do the same.

	 Andrew