[PATCH v5 0/5] pci: Work around ASMedia ASM2824 PCIe link training failures

From: Maciej W. Rozycki
Date: Sat Sep 17 2022 - 08:03:27 EST


Hi,

This is v5 of the change to work around a PCIe link training phenomenon
where a pair of devices both capable of operating at a link speed above
2.5GT/s seems unable to negotiate the link speed and continues training
indefinitely with the Link Training bit switching on and off repeatedly
and the data link layer never reaching the active state.

This was originally observed in a configuration featuring a downstream
port of the ASMedia ASM2824 Gen 3 switch wired to the upstream port of the
Pericom PI7C9X2G304 Gen 2 switch. However in the course of review I have
come to the conclusion that similarly to the earlier similar change to
U-Boot it is indeed expected to be safe to apply this workaround to any
downstream port that has failed link negotiation provided that:

1. the port is capable of reporting the data link layer link active
status (because unlike U-Boot we cannot busy-loop continuously polling
the link training bit),

and:

2. we don't attempt to lift the 2.5GT/s speed restriction, imposed as the
basis of the workaround, for devices not explicitly known to continue
working in that case.

It is expected to be safe because the workaround is applied to a failed
link, that is one that does not (at the time this code is executed) work
anyway, so trying to bring it up cannot make the situation worse. So this
version of the workaround is attempted for all PCIe devices discovered,
and only the lifting of the 2.5GT/s speed restriction is qualified by the
vendor:device ID, currently one of the ASMedia ASM2824 device only.

Broadening the scope of the quirk has in turn made it necessary to make
some adjustments to code elsewhere and consequently what was originally a
single patch has now become a small series instead.

This has been verified with a SiFive HiFive unmatched board, booting with
or without the workaround activated in U-Boot, which covered both the link
retraining part of the quirk and the lifting of speed restriction already
imposed by U-Boot.

Please see individual change descriptions for further details.

Questions or comments? Otherwise please apply.

Maciej