netdev - PHY firmware update method

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Message-ID: <bf53b9b3660f992d53fe8d68ea29124a@walle.cc>
Date:   Wed, 28 Sep 2022 13:27:13 +0200
From:   Michael Walle <michael@...le.cc>
To:     Andrew Lunn <andrew@...n.ch>,
        Heiner Kallweit <hkallweit1@...il.com>,
        Russell King <linux@...linux.org.uk>
Cc:     netdev@...r.kernel.org
Subject: PHY firmware update method

Hi,

There are PHYs whose firmware can be updated. Usually, they have
an internal ROM and you can add patches on top of that, or there
might be an external flash device which can have a more recent
firmware version installed which can be programmed in-place
through the PHY.

The firmware update for a PHY is usually quite simple, but there
seems to be no infrastructure in the kernel for that. There is the
ETHTOOL_FLASHDEV ioctl for upgrading the firmware of a NIC it seems.
Other than that I haven't found anything. And before going in a wrong
directions I'd like to hear your thoughts on how to do it. I.e. how
should the interface to the userspace look like.

Also I think the PHY should be taken offline, similar to the cable
test.

-michael