Re: [PATCH net-next] net/mlx5e: Report link down on administrative close

[manjunath.b.patil@oracle.com]

On 6/10/26 5:06 AM, Tariq Toukan wrote:
> 
> 
> On 09/06/2026 2:42, Manjunath Patil wrote:
>> mlx5e_update_carrier() reports both link-up and link-down carrier
>> changes, but an administrative down does not reach it in practice. The
>> close path first changes the port admin state and then clears
>> MLX5E_STATE_OPENED and drops carrier silently in mlx5e_close_locked().
>> Any queued carrier worker will skip update_carrier() once the device is
>> no longer opened.
>>
>> This leaves "ip link set dev <dev> down" without a matching netdev
>> "Link down" message, while reopening the device still reports "Link up".
>>
>> Report the link-down transition in mlx5e_close() before the common close
>> helper clears the opened state and drops carrier. Guard the message with
>> the current opened and carrier state to avoid duplicates when the netdev
>> is already closed or carrier is already down.
>>
>> Assisted-by: Codex:gpt-5
>> Signed-off-by: Manjunath Patil <manjunath.b.patil@oracle.com>
>> ---
>> Validation:
>> - Built an OL8 mainline test kernel from this change.
>> - Booted 7.1.0-rc6.bug123456.el8.v1.x86_64 on an mlx5-backed VM.
>> - Confirmed `ip link set dev re0 down/up` and `re1 down/up` now emit
>>    netdev `Link down` and `Link up` messages, alongside the existing RDMA
>>    port state notifications.
>>
>>   drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c | 3 +++
>>   1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)
>>
>> diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c b/ 
>> drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c
>> index 8f2b3abe0092..a04a89f0eddf 100644
>> --- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c
>> +++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_main.c
>> @@ -3628,6 +3628,9 @@ int mlx5e_close(struct net_device *netdev)
>>       mutex_lock(&priv->state_lock);
>>       mlx5e_modify_admin_state(priv->mdev, MLX5_PORT_DOWN);
>> +    if (test_bit(MLX5E_STATE_OPENED, &priv->state) &&
>> +        netif_carrier_ok(netdev))
>> +        netdev_info(netdev, "Link down\n");
>>       err = mlx5e_close_locked(netdev);
>>       mutex_unlock(&priv->state_lock);
>>
>> base-commit: e43ffb69e0438cddd72aaa30898b4dc446f664f8
> 
> Thanks for your patch.
> 
> I wouldn't print "Link down" as part of the "close" callback. I'd rather 
> get it printed in the event handler. Currently there is a print there, 
> but the callback is masked by the OPENED bit.
> 
> This made me revisit this area, and it surely needs some more 
> interesting enhancements.
> I'll probably come up with some changes soon.

thank for you taking a look at this patch.
I will hold on and wait for your changes.

-Manjunath