linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] ethernet: aquantia: Try MAC address from device tree

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Date:   Mon, 29 Nov 2021 02:08:28 +0900
From:   Hector Martin <marcan@...can.st>
To:     Andrew Lunn <andrew@...n.ch>, Tianhao Chai <cth451@...il.com>
Cc:     Igor Russkikh <irusskikh@...vell.com>,
        "David S. Miller" <davem@...emloft.net>,
        Jakub Kicinski <kuba@...nel.org>, netdev@...r.kernel.org,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, Sven Peter <sven@...npeter.dev>,
        Alyssa Rosenzweig <alyssa@...enzweig.io>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] ethernet: aquantia: Try MAC address from device tree

On 29/11/2021 01.33, Andrew Lunn wrote:
> On Sat, Nov 27, 2021 at 08:37:33PM -0600, Tianhao Chai wrote:
>> Apple M1 Mac minis (2020) with 10GE NICs do not have MAC address in the
>> card, but instead need to obtain MAC addresses from the device tree. In
>> this case the hardware will report an invalid MAC.
>>
>> Currently atlantic driver does not query the DT for MAC address and will
>> randomly assign a MAC if the NIC doesn't have a permanent MAC burnt in.
>> This patch causes the driver to perfer a valid MAC address from OF (if
>> present) over HW self-reported MAC and only fall back to a random MAC
>> address when neither of them is valid.
> 
> This is a change in behaviour, and could cause regressions. It would
> be better to keep with the current flow. Call
> aq_fw_ops->get_mac_permanent() first. If that does not give a valid
> MAC address, then try DT, and lastly use a random MAC address.

On DT platforms, it is expected that the device tree MAC will override 
whatever the device thinks is its MAC address. See tg3, igb, igc, r8169, 
for examples where eth_platform_get_mac_address takes precedence over 
everything else.

I would not expect any other existing platform to have a MAC assigned to 
the device in this way using these cards; if any platforms do, chances 
are they intended it for it to be used and this patch will fix a current 
bug. If some platforms out there really have bogus MACs assigned in this 
way, that's a firmware bug, and we'd have to find out and add explicit, 
targeted workaround code. Are you aware of any such platforms? :)

-- 
Hector Martin (marcan@...can.st)
Public Key: https://mrcn.st/pub