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From: Christian Marangi <ansuelsmth@gmail.com>
To: Maxime Chevallier <maxime.chevallier@bootlin.com>,
	Andrew Lunn <andrew+netdev@lunn.ch>,
	"David S. Miller" <davem@davemloft.net>,
	Eric Dumazet <edumazet@google.com>,
	Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>, Paolo Abeni <pabeni@redhat.com>,
	Rob Herring <robh@kernel.org>,
	Krzysztof Kozlowski <krzk+dt@kernel.org>,
	Conor Dooley <conor+dt@kernel.org>,
	Simon Horman <horms@kernel.org>, Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>,
	Shuah Khan <skhan@linuxfoundation.org>,
	Christian Marangi <ansuelsmth@gmail.com>,
	Lorenzo Bianconi <lorenzo@kernel.org>,
	Heiner Kallweit <hkallweit1@gmail.com>,
	Russell King <linux@armlinux.org.uk>,
	Philipp Zabel <p.zabel@pengutronix.de>,
	Nathan Chancellor <nathan@kernel.org>,
	Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>,
	Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>,
	Justin Stitt <justinstitt@google.com>,
	netdev@vger.kernel.org, devicetree@vger.kernel.org,
	linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-doc@vger.kernel.org,
	linux-arm-kernel@lists.infradead.org,
	linux-mediatek@lists.infradead.org, llvm@lists.linux.dev
Subject: [PATCH net-next v12 07/12] net: Document PCS subsystem
Date: Sun,  9 Aug 2026 22:31:04 +0200	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260809203116.640271-8-ansuelsmth@gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20260809203116.640271-1-ansuelsmth@gmail.com>

Add extensive documentation of the new PCS subsystem and the fwnode
implementation with producer/consumer API.

Also update the sfp-phylink migration guide.

Signed-off-by: Christian Marangi <ansuelsmth@gmail.com>
---
 Documentation/networking/index.rst       |   1 +
 Documentation/networking/pcs.rst         | 234 +++++++++++++++++++++++
 Documentation/networking/sfp-phylink.rst |  35 ++--
 3 files changed, 246 insertions(+), 24 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/networking/pcs.rst

diff --git a/Documentation/networking/index.rst b/Documentation/networking/index.rst
index 44a422ad3b05..3fce8f6ac089 100644
--- a/Documentation/networking/index.rst
+++ b/Documentation/networking/index.rst
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ Contents:
    net_failover
    page_pool
    phy
+   pcs
    sfp-phylink
    alias
    bridge
diff --git a/Documentation/networking/pcs.rst b/Documentation/networking/pcs.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..2cae70231948
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/networking/pcs.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,234 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+=============
+PCS Subsystem
+=============
+
+The PCS (Physical Coding Sublayer) subsystem handles the registration and lookup
+of PCS devices. These devices contain the upper sublayers of the Ethernet
+physical layer, generally handling framing, scrambling, and encoding tasks. PCS
+devices may also include PMA (Physical Medium Attachment) components. PCS
+devices transfer data between the Link-layer MAC device, and the rest of the
+physical layer, typically via a serdes. The output of the serdes may be
+connected more-or-less directly to the medium when using fiber-optic or
+backplane connections (1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-KX, etc). It may also communicate
+with a separate PHY (such as over SGMII) which handles the connection to the
+medium (such as 1000BASE-T).
+
+Remark on usage of .mac_select_pcs and fw_node PCS
+--------------------------------------------------
+
+There are generally two ways to look up a PCS device.
+
+1. MAC OP struct .mac_select_pcs (considered deprecated)
+2. Internal PCS handling with ``num_possible_pcs`` and ``fill_available_pcs``
+
+Implementation 1 leaves the entire handling of the PCS to the MAC
+driver with the selection of the PCS driven by .mac_select_pcs.
+Custom implementations are required if the PCS is external to the MAC
+and needs to be handled by a separate driver.
+
+Implementation 2 makes the phylink core code to select the PCS
+provided by ``num_possible_pcs`` and ``fill_available_pcs`` either
+via internal MAC handling or firmware node (fwnode)
+
+Implementation 1 is considered deprecated and it's suggested to
+switch to implementation 2 and where possible switch to firmware
+node design.
+
+.. _pcs_fwnode:
+
+Looking up PCS Devices (fwnode implementation)
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+The lookup of a PCS device follows the common producer/consumer implementation
+used by similar subsystems with a ``#pcs-cells`` on the producer and a
+``pcs-handle`` property on the consumer::
+
+    pcs: pcs {
+        // ...
+        #pcs-cells = <0>;
+    };
+
+    ethernet-controller {
+        // ...
+        pcs-handle = <&pcs>;
+    };
+
+On :c:func:`phylink_create`, phylink will use the ``num_possible_pcs``
+value and ``fill_available_pcs`` helper function in
+:c:struct:`phylink_config` to compose the list of available PCS that can be
+used for the phylink instance.
+
+Phylink will then internally handle the selection of the correct PCS for
+the requested interface mode based on the interface modes configured in
+``pcs_interfaces`` in :c:struct:`phylink_config` struct and
+``supported_interfaces`` in :c:struct:`phylink_pcs` struct.
+
+A PCS is considered eligible when the requested interface mode is present
+in both ``pcs_interfaces`` in :c:struct:`phylink_config` struct and
+``supported_interfaces`` in :c:struct:`phylink_pcs` struct.
+
+``supported_interfaces`` describes all interface modes supported by the MAC,
+whereas ``pcs_interfaces`` identifies the subset that require PCS selection.
+
+For the special implementation where the PCS is internal or part of the MAC
+and a dedicated driver is not needed, it's possible to leave the implementation
+of the PCS to the MAC driver and just implement the ``num_possible_pcs``
+value and ``fill_available_pcs`` helper  function in
+:c:struct:`phylink_config` referencing the local :c:struct:`phylink_pcs`
+struct allocated from the MAC driver.
+
+.. _pcs_consumer:
+
+Using PCS Devices
+-----------------
+
+It's mandatory to either implement the ``mac_select_pcs`` callback
+of :c:struct:`phylink_mac_ops` or ``num_possible_pcs`` and ``fill_available_pcs``
+of :c:struct:`phylink_config` to use a PCS for a MAC.
+
+The fwnode implementation exposes simple helpers to parse the PCS from
+the fwnode :c:func:`fwnode_phylink_pcs_count` and
+:c:func:`fwnode_phylink_pcs_parse`. The :c:func:`fwnode_phylink_pcs_count` helper
+takes the fwnode where the ``pcs-handle`` should be parsed and return the
+number of PCS entries described in the fwnode.
+The :c:func:`fwnode_phylink_pcs_parse` helper takes three arguments,
+the fwnode where the ``pcs-handle`` should be parsed, an allocated array
+of :c:struct:`phylink_pcs` pointer where to put the parsed PCS from the fwnode
+and the maximum number of PCS to parse.
+Contrary to :c:func:`fwnode_phylink_pcs_count`, :c:func:`fwnode_phylink_pcs_parse`
+helper fills the allocated array with ONLY the available PCS and return the
+number of available PCS found. PCS that returns -ENODEV will be skipped and
+won't be inserted in the allocated array.
+
+A phylink instance may use multiple PCS devices. The maximum number is reported
+through ``num_possible_pcs``.
+
+It's mandatory to specify for what interface a PCS is needed. This can be done
+by filling the ``pcs_interfaces`` in :c:struct:`phylink_config` struct.
+If the requested interface mode is not present in this bitmask, phylink does
+not search for a PCS for  that specific mode. (example MAC doesn't need a PCS
+for SGMII but require one for USXGMII)
+
+With the use of the :c:func:`fwnode_phylink_pcs_parse` a common implementation
+is the following::
+
+   static int mac_fill_available_pcs(struct phylink_config *config,
+   				                      struct phylink_pcs **available_pcs,
+					                      unsigned int num_possible_pcs)
+   {
+   	struct device *dev = config->dev;
+
+   	return fwnode_phylink_pcs_parse(dev_fwnode(dev), available_pcs,
+						                    num_possible_pcs);
+   }
+
+   static int mac_setup_phylink(struct net_device *netdev)
+   {
+      struct phylink_config *config;
+
+      // ...
+
+      config->dev = &netdev->dev;
+
+      // ...
+
+      // Parse possible PCS and fill num_possible_pcs.
+      config->num_possible_pcs = fwnode_phylink_pcs_count(dev_fwnode(&netdev->dev));
+      config->fill_available_pcs = mac_fill_available_pcs;
+
+      __set_bit(PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_INTERNAL, config->supported_interfaces);
+      __set_bit(PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_SGMII, config->supported_interfaces);
+      __set_bit(PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_1000BASEX, config->supported_interfaces);
+      __set_bit(PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_USXGMII, config->supported_interfaces);
+
+      // PCS required only for USXGMII
+      __set_bit(PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_USXGMII, config->pcs_interfaces);
+
+      phylink = phylink_create(config, //...
+
+It's worth to mention that it's phylink code that takes care of allocating
+the array of :c:struct:`phylink_pcs` pointer for ``fill_available_pcs``
+callback based on the value set in ``num_possible_pcs`` for
+:c:struct:`phylink_config` struct.
+
+The ``fill_available_pcs`` callback must not write more than
+``num_possible_pcs`` entries. The third argument may be used to validate
+that there is enough space to fill all the available PCS in the passed array
+of :c:struct:`phylink_pcs` pointer.
+
+The ``fill_available_pcs`` callback is called only on :c:func:`phylink_create`
+and is used only to compose the initial available PCS list. Ownership of PCS
+is held by phylink.
+
+.. _pcs_producer:
+
+Writing PCS Drivers
+-------------------
+
+To write a PCS driver, first implement :c:struct:`phylink_pcs_ops`. Then,
+register your PCS in your probe function using :c:func:`fwnode_pcs_add_provider`.
+The :c:func:`fwnode_pcs_add_provider` takes three arguments, the fwnode where
+the PCS provider should be registered to, a xlate function to return the requested
+PCS based on ``#pcs-cells`` and a pointer to reference private data for the xlate
+function.
+
+The PCS will then be registered to a global list of PCS provider that the
+PCS fwnode implementation will use to parse it.
+
+For the simple case where the PCS driver expose a single PCS,
+:c:func:`fwnode_pcs_simple_xlate` can be used as the xlate function.
+
+You must call :c:func:`fwnode_pcs_del_provider` from your remove function
+on driver detach.
+
+A devm variant, :c:func:`devm_fwnode_pcs_add_provider`, is available to
+automatically release the PCS provider on driver detach.
+
+It's worth to mention that xlate function MUST reference already allocated
+:c:struct:`phylink_pcs` pointer and MUST NOT dynamically allocate new PCS.
+The returned pointer is used to identify the PCS across provider lookup and
+removal notifications.
+
+Late PCS registration handling
+------------------------------
+
+It's possible that a PCS becomes available after the MAC finished probing.
+Contrary to the usual producer/consumer implementation, when a PCS is not
+registered and can't be found, the fwnode parser helper returns ``-ENODEV``
+instead of ``-EPROBE_DEFER``.
+
+This is to prevent race condition with particular devices that register
+MAC and PCS with USB or PCIe and require the MAC to be registered before
+the PCS.
+
+The phylink logic correctly handle this special case and keep the phylink
+instance in a fail condition.
+
+The PCS fwnode implementation provides a notifier to which each phylink
+instance with a non-empty ``pcs_interfaces`` in :c:type:`phylink_config`
+registers. When a new PCS provider is registered, the notifier is called
+triggering the :c:func:`pcs_provider_notify` function.
+
+Function :c:func:`pcs_provider_notify` will check if the just added PCS
+should be used by the phylink instance. If it should be used then,
+it's added to the internal list of available PCS and a phylink major
+config is forced.
+
+If a phylink instance was in a failure state, with the just added PCS
+now part of the available PCS internal phylink list, provided all other
+conditions are satisfied, the configuration is retried and the failure
+condition is cleared.
+
+API Reference
+-------------
+
+.. kernel-doc:: include/linux/phylink.h
+   :identifiers: phylink_pcs
+
+.. kernel-doc:: include/linux/pcs/pcs.h
+   :internal:
+
+.. kernel-doc:: include/linux/pcs/pcs-provider.h
+   :internal:
diff --git a/Documentation/networking/sfp-phylink.rst b/Documentation/networking/sfp-phylink.rst
index 5bf285d73e8a..306505118eba 100644
--- a/Documentation/networking/sfp-phylink.rst
+++ b/Documentation/networking/sfp-phylink.rst
@@ -311,33 +311,20 @@ this documentation.
 
         priv->pcs = lynx_pcs_create_mdiodev(bus, 0);
 
-    Some PCS can be recovered based on firmware information:
+    PCS that should be recovered based on firmware information should implement
+    the external PCS as a :ref:`PCS provider <pcs_producer>` and reference it
+    with the use of PCS fwnode helper :ref:`PCS fwnode helper <pcs_fwnode>`.
 
-    .. code-block:: c
-
-        priv->pcs = lynx_pcs_create_fwnode(of_fwnode_handle(node));
-
-12. Populate the :c:func:`mac_select_pcs` callback and add it to your
-    :c:type:`struct phylink_mac_ops <phylink_mac_ops>` set of ops. This function
-    must return a pointer to the relevant :c:type:`struct phylink_pcs <phylink_pcs>`
-    that will be used for the requested link configuration:
-
-    .. code-block:: c
-
-        static struct phylink_pcs *foo_select_pcs(struct phylink_config *config,
-                                                  phy_interface_t interface)
-        {
-                struct foo_priv *priv = container_of(config, struct foo_priv,
-                                                     phylink_config);
-
-                if ( /* 'interface' needs a PCS to function */ )
-                        return priv->pcs;
+12. Populate the :c:var:`num_possible_pcs` value and
+    :c:func:`fill_available_pcs` callback and add it to your
+    :c:type:`struct phylink_config <phylink_config>`.
 
-                return NULL;
-        }
+    Refer to :ref:`Documentation/networking/pcs.rst <pcs_consumer>` for
+    further details and examples.
 
-    See :c:func:`mvpp2_select_pcs` for an example of a driver that has multiple
-    internal PCS.
+    Notice that the previous implementation of populating
+    :c:func:`mac_select_pcs` is considered deprecated in favor of the new
+    described above.
 
 13. Fill-in all the :c:type:`phy_interface_t <phy_interface_t>` (i.e. all MAC to
     PHY link modes) that your MAC can output. The following example shows a
-- 
2.53.0



  parent reply	other threads:[~2026-08-09 20:31 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 16+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2026-08-09 20:30 [PATCH net-next v12 00/12] net: pcs: Introduce support for fwnode PCS Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:30 ` [PATCH net-next v12 01/12] net: phylink: keep and use MAC supported_interfaces in phylink struct Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:30 ` [PATCH net-next v12 02/12] net: phylink: introduce internal phylink PCS handling Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:31 ` [PATCH net-next v12 03/12] net: pcs: implement Firmware node support for PCS driver Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:31 ` [PATCH net-next v12 04/12] net: phylink: save phylink instance fwnode on phylink_create Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:31 ` [PATCH net-next v12 05/12] net: phylink: support PCS provider release Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:31 ` [PATCH net-next v12 06/12] net: phylink: support late PCS provider attach Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:31 ` Christian Marangi [this message]
2026-08-09 20:31 ` [PATCH net-next v12 08/12] MAINTAINERS: add myself as PCS subsystem maintainer Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:31 ` [PATCH net-next v12 09/12] net: phylink: add .pcs_link_down PCS OP Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:31 ` [PATCH net-next v12 10/12] dt-bindings: net: pcs: Document support for Airoha Ethernet PCS Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:31 ` [PATCH net-next v12 11/12] net: pcs: airoha: add PCS driver for Airoha AN7581 SoC Christian Marangi
2026-08-09 20:31 ` [PATCH net-next v12 12/12] net: airoha: add phylink support Christian Marangi
2026-08-10 14:53   ` win847
2026-08-10 14:57     ` Christian Marangi
2026-08-10 15:32       ` win847

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