netdev - RE: [PATCH] net: phy: marvell10g: add firmware load support

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Date:   Wed, 1 Apr 2020 16:09:50 +0000
From:   Ioana Ciornei <ioana.ciornei@....com>
To:     Andrew Lunn <andrew@...n.ch>
CC:     Baruch Siach <baruch@...s.co.il>,
        Russell King <linux@...linux.org.uk>,
        "netdev@...r.kernel.org" <netdev@...r.kernel.org>,
        Shmuel Hazan <sh@...s.co.il>,
        Florian Fainelli <f.fainelli@...il.com>,
        Heiner Kallweit <hkallweit1@...il.com>,
        Florin Laurentiu Chiculita <florinlaurentiu.chiculita@....com>
Subject: RE: [PATCH] net: phy: marvell10g: add firmware load support

> Subject: Re: [PATCH] net: phy: marvell10g: add firmware load support
> 
> Ioana
> 
> > This is typically the case for Aquantia PHYs.
> 
> The Aquantia is just odd. I would never use it as a generic example.
> If i remember correctly, its 'firmware' is actually made up of multiple parts, only
> part of which is actual firmware. It has provisioning, which can be used to set
> register values. This potentially invalidates the driver, which makes assumptions
> about reset values of registers. And is contains board specific data, like eye
> configuration.
> 
> As i understand it, Aquantia customises the firmware for the specific PHY on
> each board design.
> 
> For a general purpose OS like Linux, this will have to change before we support
> firmware upload. We need generic firmware, which is the same everywhere, and
> then PHY specific blobs for things like the eye configuration. This basic idea has
> been around a long time in the WiFi world. The Atheros WiFi chipsets needed a
> board specific blod which contains calibration data, path losses on the board, in
> order that the transmit power could be tuned to prevent it sending too much
> power out the aerial.
> 
>     Andrew

I am just trying to understand the message, are we throwing our hands in the air
and wait for the vendor to change its policy?

If we don't act on this, it doesn't mean that it's not a problem... it is, but it's the bootloader's.

Ioana