netdev - RE: [PATCH] igb: Add support for firmware update

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Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2024 07:55:26 +0000
From: "Chien, Richard (Options Engineering)" <richard.chien@....com>
To: Jacob Keller <jacob.e.keller@...el.com>,
        Richard chien
	<m8809301@...il.com>,
        "davem@...emloft.net" <davem@...emloft.net>,
        "edumazet@...gle.com" <edumazet@...gle.com>,
        "kuba@...nel.org"
	<kuba@...nel.org>,
        "pabeni@...hat.com" <pabeni@...hat.com>
CC: "jesse.brandeburg@...el.com" <jesse.brandeburg@...el.com>,
        "anthony.l.nguyen@...el.com" <anthony.l.nguyen@...el.com>,
        "intel-wired-lan@...ts.osuosl.org" <intel-wired-lan@...ts.osuosl.org>,
        "netdev@...r.kernel.org" <netdev@...r.kernel.org>,
        "linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: RE: [PATCH] igb: Add support for firmware update

> However, this implementation is wrong. It is exposing the
> ETHTOOL_GEEPROM and ETHTOOL_SEEPROM interface and abusing it to
> implement a non-standard interface that is custom to the out-of-tree Intel
> drivers to support the flash update utility.
> 
> This implementation was widely rejected when discovered in i40e and in
> submissions for the  ice driver. It abuses the ETHTOOL_GEEPROM and
> ETHTOOL_SEEPROM interface in order to allow tools to access the hardware.
> The use violates the documented behavior of the ethtool interface and breaks
> the intended functionality of ETHTOOL_GEEPROM and ETHTOOL_SEEPROM.

Thank you for your detailed explanation.

> The correct way to implement flash update is via the devlink dev flash
> interface, using request_firmware, and implementing the entire update
> process in the driver. The common portions of this could be done in a shared
> module.

In that case, does Intel have a plan to implement this mechanism
in in-kernel drivers?

> Attempting to support the broken legacy update that is supported by the out-
> of-tree drivers is a non-starter for upstream. We (Intel) have known this for
> some time, and this is why the patches and support have never been
> published.

Although the utility in question has been enhanced to perform firmware
update against Intel 1G/10G NICs by using the /dev/mem, this method
would not work when the secure boot is enabled. Considering out-of-band
firmware update (via the BMC) is not supported for Intel 1G/10G NICs, it
would be desirable to have the support for the devlink dev flash interface
in in-kernel drivers (igb & ixgbe).

Thanks
Richard