Re: [net-next][PATCH v4] dt-bindings: dsa: Add lan9303 yaml

[Vladimir Oltean]

On Mon, Oct 17, 2022 at 08:00:13PM +0000, Jerry.Ray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> >> ---
> >> v3->v4:
> >>  - Addressed v3 community feedback
> >
> >More specifically?
> >
> 
> - Old lan9303.txt file is totally removed rather than containing text that
>   redirects the user to the microchip,lan9303.yaml source file.
> - Drop "Tree Bindings" from title
> - Drop quotes from dsa.yaml reference line.
> - Modified the compatible second enum to include a second string.
> (( I now realize this is not what was being asked for and have made
>   it a single enum with 4 items, removing the oneOf. ))
> - Drop "gpio specifier for a" in reset-gpois description
> - added a default: property to the reset-duration item and set it to 200.
> - Drop "0" from the ethernet name.  Split the MDIO and I2C examples into
>   two so that the number is no longer needed.
> - Placed the reg property to be directly following the compatible string
>   in the mdio node.

Please carry the change log for v3->v4 also for future versions.

> >> +examples:
> >> +  - |
> >> +    #include <dt-bindings/gpio/gpio.h>
> >> +
> >> +    // Ethernet switch connected via mdio to the host
> >> +    ethernet {
> >> +        #address-cells = <1>;
> >> +        #size-cells = <0>;
> >> +        phy-handle = <&lan9303switch>;
> >> +        phy-mode = "rmii";
> >> +        fixed-link {
> >> +            speed = <100>;
> >> +            full-duplex;
> >> +        };
> >
> >I see the phy-handle to the switch is inherited from the .txt dt-binding,
> >but I don't understand it. The switch is an mdio_device, not a phy_device,
> >so what will this do?
> >
> >Also, any reasonable host driver will error out if it finds a phy-handle
> >and a fixed-link in its OF node. So one of phy-handle or fixed-link must
> >be dropped, they are bogus.
> >
> >Even better, just stick to the mdio node as root and drop the DSA master
> >OF node, like other DSA dt-binding examples do. You can have dangling
> >phandles, so "ethernet = <&ethernet>" below is not an issue.
> >
> 
> I can remove the phy-handle, but I'm trying to establish the link between
> this ethernet port and port0 (the CPU port) of the lan9303.  The lan9303
> acts as the phy for this ethernet port and I want to force the speed and
> duplex of the link to be 100 / full-duplex.

If the lan9303 acts as the PHY, then what do you need to force the speed
and duplex for? PHYs have a standard MDIO register set which gives you
that information.

I can understand a switch acting as a PHY towards Linux if you want to
hide the fact that it's a switch, and pretend it's just a regular port
going to the outside world (and maybe the switch is self-managed via a
microcontroller or something). But what purpose does this serve when
Linux is already in control of both ends of the link?

And furthermore, why would the MDIO-managed switch have a phy-handle
towards it, but the I2C managed switch not? If the host Ethernet
controller can tolerate not knowing the link state and being forced to a
given speed/duplex when the switch is I2C controlled, why can it not
also tolerate being forced when the switch has registers accessed in MDIO mode?

Lastly, when you have a phy-handle towards the switch, there will run 2
driver instances in parallel which will access the same hardware. What
PHY driver will phylib use for the RevMII/RevRMII emulated register map
of the CPU port? Will the registers accessed by the PHY driver collide
in any way with the registers accessed by the DSA driver? What if paged
MDIO access is used; how is synchronization between the 2 drivers handled?

> >> +    #include <dt-bindings/gpio/gpio.h>
> >> +
> >> +    // Ethernet switch connected via i2c to the host
> >> +    ethernet {
> >> +        #address-cells = <1>;
> >> +        #size-cells = <0>;
> >> +        phy-mode = "rmii";
> >> +            speed = <100>;
> >> +        fixed-link {
> >> +            full-duplex;
> >> +        };
> >> +    };
> >
> >No need for this node.
> >
> 
> Without this, what does the port0 entry below have to point to?
> How do you establish the device tree linkage between the ethenet
> MAC and the rev-rmii PHY it connects to?

To repeat myself, the ethernet = <&ethernet> phandle in port@0 can be
broken (not point to anything) in the dt-schema examples. Same as for
interrupt-parent, gpios, clocks, etc etc. Check out any .example.dts
generated by "make dt_binding_check", it has this at the top:

/plugin/; // silence any missing phandle references