Re: [net PATCH 1/2] net: phy: Cleanup handling of recent changes to phy_lookup_setting

[Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>]

On Fri, 4 Apr 2025 09:18:30 -0700 Alexander Duyck wrote:
> > > Yep, this is pretty typical of SOHO switches, you use strapping to set
> > > the port, and it never changes, at least not without a soldering iron
> > > to take off/add resistors. There are also some SOHO switches which
> > > have a dedicated 'cpu port' and there is no configuration options at
> > > all. The CPU MAC must conform to what the switch MAC is doing.  
> 
> I don't think you guys understand my case well either. You seem to
> think I am more flexible than I actually am in this setup. While I do
> have the firmware I can ask about settings all it provides me with is
> fixed link info. I can't talk to the link partner on the other end as
> it is just configured for whatever the one mode is it has and there is
> no changing it. Now yes, it isn't physically locked down. However most
> of the silicon in the "fixed-link" configs likely aren't either until
> they are put in their embedded setups.

I understand this code the least of all of you, obviously, but FWIW
in my mind the datacenter use case is more like trying to feed
set_link_ksettings() from the EEPROM. Rather than a OS config script.
Maybe call it "stored link" ? Not sure how fruitful arguing whether 
the term "fixed-link" can be extended to cover this is going to be :S