netdev - Re: r8169 misleading firmware error messages

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Message-ID: <20110417143839.GA18316@electric-eye.fr.zoreil.com>
Date:	Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:38:39 +0200
From:	François Romieu 
	<romieufr.zoreil.com@...zoreil.com>
To:	Fejes József <fejes@...o.name>
Cc:	netdev@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: r8169 misleading firmware error messages

On Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 02:06:38PM +0200, Fejes József wrote:
[...]
> I meant this:
> 
> 2233         if ((rtl_readphy(tp, 0x06) != 0xbf00) ||
> 2234             (rtl_apply_firmware(tp, FIRMWARE_8168D_1) < 0)) {
> 2235                 netif_warn(tp, probe, tp->dev, "unable to apply
> firmware patch\n");
> 2236         }

Ok.

This part is about to be reworked in Linus's tree.

[...]
> I took a deeper look. It seems to me that the firmware files are not
> the usual microcode type that the device can't function without, it
> just sets up some registers, which supposedly already contain some
> sensible values, so it's more like patching. That explains why this
> device still works without the firmware. So my actual question is
> this: what do I gain if I use the firmware, what do I lose if I
> don't ?

As Ben stated, if everything seems ok with your link partner and you
do not use the firmware, using the firmware will not make things work
better.

-- 
Ueimor
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