netdev - Re: [PATCH net-next v3 2/2] net: maxlinear: Add support for MxL LGM SoC

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Message-ID: <398ad4b1-1bd3-4adc-8bda-5cc8f1b99716@lunn.ch>
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2025 15:11:08 +0200
From: Andrew Lunn <andrew@...n.ch>
To: Jack Ping Chng <jchng@...linear.com>
Cc: "netdev@...r.kernel.org" <netdev@...r.kernel.org>,
	"devicetree@...r.kernel.org" <devicetree@...r.kernel.org>,
	"davem@...emloft.net" <davem@...emloft.net>,
	"andrew+netdev@...n.ch" <andrew+netdev@...n.ch>,
	"edumazet@...gle.com" <edumazet@...gle.com>,
	"kuba@...nel.org" <kuba@...nel.org>,
	"pabeni@...hat.com" <pabeni@...hat.com>,
	"robh@...nel.org" <robh@...nel.org>,
	"krzk+dt@...nel.org" <krzk+dt@...nel.org>,
	"conor+dt@...nel.org" <conor+dt@...nel.org>,
	Yi xin Zhu <yzhu@...linear.com>,
	Suresh Nagaraj <sureshnagaraj@...linear.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH net-next v3 2/2] net: maxlinear: Add support for MxL LGM
 SoC

On Mon, Sep 01, 2025 at 09:38:44AM +0000, Jack Ping Chng wrote:
> Hi Andrew,
> 
> On Fri, 29 Aug 2025 22:24:06 +0200
> Andrew Lunn <andrew@...n.ch> wrote:
> 
> > > +This document describes the Linux driver for the MaxLinear Network Processor
> > > +(NP), a high-performance controller supporting multiple MACs and
> > > +advanced packet processing capabilities.
> > > +
> > > +The MaxLinear Network processor integrates programmable hardware accelerators
> > > +for tasks such as Layer 2, 3, 4 forwarding, flow steering, and traffic shaping.
> > 
> > By L2 and L3, do you mean this device can bridge and route frames
> > between ports? So it is actually a switch?
> 
> Yes, the SoC does support packet acceleration. 
> However, this patch series primarily focuses on the host interface to deliver packets to the CPU, 
> where bridging and routing are handled within the network stack.

Linux has two ways to support a switch. Pure switchdev, or switchdev +
DSA. Which to use depends on the architecture of the device. I would
like to check now, before you get too far, what the hardware
architecture is.

Are there any public available block diagrams of this device?

How does the host direct a frame out a specific port of the switch?
How does the host know which port a frame came in on?

	Andrew