Re: [net-next RFC PATCH v3 4/4] dt-bindings: Document bindings for Marvell Aquantia PHY

From: Conor Dooley
Date: Fri Nov 03 2023 - 09:08:58 EST


Yo,

On Thu, Nov 02, 2023 at 04:00:32PM +0100, Christian Marangi wrote:
> Document bindings for Marvell Aquantia PHY.
>
> The Marvell Aquantia PHY require a firmware to work correctly and there
> at least 3 way to load this firmware.
>
> Describe all the different way and document the binding "firmware-name"
> to load the PHY firmware from userspace.
>
> Signed-off-by: Christian Marangi <ansuelsmth@xxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> Changes v3:
> - Make DT description more OS agnostic
> - Use custom select to fix dtbs checks
> Changes v2:
> - Add DT patch
>
> .../bindings/net/marvell,aquantia.yaml | 126 ++++++++++++++++++
> 1 file changed, 126 insertions(+)
> create mode 100644 Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/marvell,aquantia.yaml
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/marvell,aquantia.yaml b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/marvell,aquantia.yaml
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..d43cf28a4d61
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/marvell,aquantia.yaml
> @@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
> +# SPDX-License-Identifier: (GPL-2.0-only OR BSD-2-Clause)
> +%YAML 1.2
> +---
> +$id: http://devicetree.org/schemas/net/marvell,aquantia.yaml#
> +$schema: http://devicetree.org/meta-schemas/core.yaml#
> +
> +title: Marvell Aquantia Ethernet PHY
> +
> +maintainers:
> + - Christian Marangi <ansuelsmth@xxxxxxxxx>
> +
> +description: |
> + Marvell Aquantia Ethernet PHY require a firmware to be loaded to actually
> + work.
> +
> + This can be done and is implemented by OEM in 3 different way:
> + - Attached SPI directly to the PHY with the firmware. The PHY will

You a word here? Should that not be "SPI flash"?

> + self load the firmware in the presence of this configuration.

> + - Dedicated partition on system NAND with firmware in it. NVMEM
> + subsystem will be used and the declared NVMEM cell will load
> + the firmware to the PHY using the PHY mailbox interface.
> + - Manually provided firmware loaded from a file in the filesystem.
> +
> + If declared, NVMEM will always take priority over filesystem provided
> + firmware.

This section here reads entirely like "software policy". The first
bullet in your list is fine - as that is what the PHY will do itself.
The second and third bullets here seem like two different ways that
someone could integrate their system, and I am not objecting to either
of those ways of doing things.
The priority system that you mention however I don't think is suitable
for a description of the hardware - the PHY itself doesn't require that
an external-to-it flash device take priority over something in the
filesystem, right?

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