netdev - Re: [PATCH net-next] net: usb: introduce usbnet_mii

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Message-ID: <0a082885-5506-40d6-8871-056ef6cf3502@lunn.ch>
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:12:46 +0100
From: Andrew Lunn <andrew@...n.ch>
To: Ethan Nelson-Moore <enelsonmoore@...il.com>
Cc: netdev@...r.kernel.org, linux-usb@...r.kernel.org,
	Andrew Lunn <andrew+netdev@...n.ch>,
	"David S. Miller" <davem@...emloft.net>,
	Eric Dumazet <edumazet@...gle.com>,
	Jakub Kicinski <kuba@...nel.org>, Paolo Abeni <pabeni@...hat.com>,
	Peter Korsgaard <peter@...sgaard.com>,
	Steve Glendinning <steve.glendinning@...well.net>,
	Oliver Neukum <oneukum@...e.com>,
	Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
	Oleksij Rempel <o.rempel@...gutronix.de>,
	Max Schulze <max.schulze@...ine.de>,
	Krzysztof Hałasa <khalasa@...p.pl>
Subject: Re: [PATCH net-next] net: usb: introduce usbnet_mii_ioctl helper
 function

On Sat, Jan 24, 2026 at 06:53:57PM -0800, Ethan Nelson-Moore wrote:
> On Sat, Jan 24, 2026 at 10:48 AM Andrew Lunn <andrew@...n.ch> wrote:
> > You are doing the same as phy_do_ioctl(), but for the old mii
> > code. However, we also have phy_do_ioctl_running(). It might make
> > sense to add usbnet_mii_ioctl_running()?
> 
> Hi, Andrew,
> 
> It makes sense in principle, but after applying my patch to smsc95xx
> to use phy_do_ioctl_running, smsc75xx is the only driver that would
> use such a function, so it would add complexity rather than removing
> it.

It is not always about complexity. The mii subsystem is in Maintenance
mode only. Has been for a decade or more. All development work is done
in phylink and phylib. Ideally, drivers using mii should move over to
phylib.

I don't actually expect many will, it requires a driver Maintainer who
cares to do the work. It might however be an good "intro to kernel
hacking" for newbies, since such USB dongles are cheap. And anybody
doing such a conversion would likely learn a lot more than mindlessly
fixing checkpatch and other tools warnings.

usbnet_mii_ioctl_running() would be a hint to use
phy_do_ioctl_running() with such a conversion.

   Andrew