linux-kernel - r8169: MAC address programmed by coreboot to onboard RTL8111F does not persist

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <49df3c73-f253-4b48-b86d-fa8ec3a20d2c@molgen.mpg.de>
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2025 09:50:55 +0100
From: Paul Menzel <pmenzel@...gen.mpg.de>
To: Heiner Kallweit <hkallweit1@...il.com>, nic_swsd@...ltek.com
Cc: netdev@...r.kernel.org, LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
 Keith Hui <buurin@...il.com>
Subject: r8169: MAC address programmed by coreboot to onboard RTL8111F does
 not persist

Dear Linux folks,


Keith Hui reported the issue *MAC address programmed by coreboot to 
onboard RTL8111F does not persist* [1] below when using coreboot:

> I am producing a coreboot port on Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS on which this
> issue is observed. It has a RTL8111F ethernet controller without
> EEPROM for vital product data.
> 
> I enabled the rtl8168 driver in coreboot so I can configure the LEDs
> and MAC address. Lights work great, but the MAC address always
> revert to 00:00:00:00:00:05 by the Linux r8169 kernel module. I
> would then have to reassign its proper MAC address using ip link
> change eno0 address <mac>.
> 
> The device appears to be taking the address I programmed, but r8169
> reverts it both on init and teardown, insisting that
> 00:00:00:00:00:05 is its permanent MAC address.
> 
> Survival of coreboot programmed MAC address before r8169 driver is
> confirmed by a debug read back I inserted in the coreboot rtl81xx
> driver, as well as by temporarily blacklisting r8169.
> 
> Vendor firmware is unaffected.

Do you have an idea, where in the Linux driver that happens?


Kind regards,

Paul


[1]: https://ticket.coreboot.org/issues/579#change-2029