netdev - RE: [PATCH v1 net-next 0/7] net: dsa: microchip: Modify KSZ9477 DSA driver in preparation to add other KSZ switch drivers

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Date:   Sat, 18 Nov 2017 23:40:28 +0000
From:   <Tristram.Ha@...rochip.com>
To:     <andrew@...n.ch>
CC:     <f.fainelli@...il.com>, <pavel@....cz>,
        <UNGLinuxDriver@...rochip.com>, <netdev@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: RE: [PATCH v1 net-next 0/7] net: dsa: microchip: Modify KSZ9477 DSA
 driver in preparation to add other KSZ switch drivers

> > I really need to monitor the DSA discussion to better contribute to its
> success.
> > I just found out the DSA API set_addr was removed last month due to not
> > everybody is using it.  It cited the Marvell switch was the only switch using
> that
> > API and found a new way to program the MAC address.  But looking at that
> > driver I found it simply uses a randomized MAC address.
> >
> > For big switch with many ports where the main function is forwarding that
> MAC
> > address may not matter.  For small switch with 2 ports it acts more like an
> Ethernet
> > controller where the switch is mainly used for daisy chaining in a ring
> network the MAC
> > address can be used in feature like source address filtering.
> 
> Hi Tristram
> 
> The MAC address set by set_addr was only used for pause
> frames. Nothing else. So a random address is fine.
> 
> The switch itself should not be sending any other frames.
> 

Yes, generally that is the main purpose.

For new protocols like High-availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) and
Device Level Ring (DLR) that operate in a ring network, the switch needs
to know the MAC address of the host so that it can filter the frame it sends.

There is an experimental implementation of HSR in the kernel.