[PATCH net v1 2/4] net: phy: smsc: Force predictable MDI-X state on LAN87xx

From: Oleksij Rempel
Date: Tue Jul 01 2025 - 08:22:35 EST


Override the hardware strap configuration for MDI-X mode to ensure a
predictable initial state for the driver. The initial mode of the LAN87xx
PHY is determined by the AUTOMDIX_EN strap pin, but the driver has no
documented way to read its latched status.

This unpredictability means the driver cannot know if the PHY has
initialized with Auto-MDIX enabled or disabled, preventing it from
providing a reliable interface to the user.

This patch introduces a `config_init` hook that forces the PHY into a
known state by explicitly enabling Auto-MDIX.

Fixes: 05b35e7eb9a1 ("smsc95xx: add phylib support")
Signed-off-by: Oleksij Rempel <o.rempel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Andre Edich <andre.edich@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/net/phy/smsc.c | 29 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
1 file changed, 28 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/phy/smsc.c b/drivers/net/phy/smsc.c
index adf12d7108b5..ad9a3d91bb8a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/phy/smsc.c
+++ b/drivers/net/phy/smsc.c
@@ -262,6 +262,33 @@ int lan87xx_read_status(struct phy_device *phydev)
}
EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(lan87xx_read_status);

+static int lan87xx_phy_config_init(struct phy_device *phydev)
+{
+ int rc;
+
+ /* The LAN87xx PHY's initial MDI-X mode is determined by the AUTOMDIX_EN
+ * hardware strap, but the driver cannot read the strap's status. This
+ * creates an unpredictable initial state.
+ *
+ * To ensure consistent and reliable behavior across all boards,
+ * override the strap configuration on initialization and force the PHY
+ * into a known state with Auto-MDIX enabled, which is the expected
+ * default for modern hardware.
+ */
+ rc = phy_modify(phydev, SPECIAL_CTRL_STS,
+ SPECIAL_CTRL_STS_OVRRD_AMDIX_ |
+ SPECIAL_CTRL_STS_AMDIX_ENABLE_ |
+ SPECIAL_CTRL_STS_AMDIX_STATE_,
+ SPECIAL_CTRL_STS_OVRRD_AMDIX_ |
+ SPECIAL_CTRL_STS_AMDIX_ENABLE_);
+ if (rc < 0)
+ return rc;
+
+ phydev->mdix_ctrl = ETH_TP_MDI_AUTO;
+
+ return smsc_phy_config_init(phydev);
+}
+
static int lan874x_phy_config_init(struct phy_device *phydev)
{
u16 val;
@@ -696,7 +723,7 @@ static struct phy_driver smsc_phy_driver[] = {

/* basic functions */
.read_status = lan87xx_read_status,
- .config_init = smsc_phy_config_init,
+ .config_init = lan87xx_phy_config_init,
.soft_reset = smsc_phy_reset,
.config_aneg = lan87xx_config_aneg,

--
2.39.5