Can we call it a pseudo PHY to use a similar terminology as what is done through drivers/net/dsa/{bcm_sf2,b53}*?
This is not a real PHY as in it has no actual transceiver/digital signal processing logic, this is a piece of logic that snoops for MDIO transactions at that specific address and lets you access the switch's internal register as if it was a MDIO device.
I can get behind calling the switch a psuedo-PHY in the context of MDIO.
However, as described on "22.2.4.5.5 PHYAD (PHY Address)" of "22.2.4.5
Management frame structure" of the active standard IEEE Std 802.3™‐2022,
the field is called "PHY Address". The patch log doesn't give an identifier
as to what a switch is in the context of MDIO. Only that it listens on a
certain PHY address which the term complies with IEEE Std 802.3™‐2022.
So I don't see an improvement to be made on the patch log. Feel free to
elaborate further.
I would just s/PHY/MDIO bus address/ since that is simply more generic, but if it is not written as-is in the spec, then I won't fight it much more than I already did.