Net driver module dependencies on PHY driver modules

Net driver module dependencies on PHY driver modules

[Ben Hutchings]

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I'm handling a bug report <http://bugs.debian.org/553024> relating to
tg3 using phylib and missing the broadcom module.

There seem to be two general problems here:
1. PHY drivers are not auto-loaded
2. An initramfs builder cannot statically determine that a net device
requires a PHY driver

It seems to me that PHY drivers should have aliases based on MDIO PHY
ids, and phylib should request_module() if no suitable driver is
registered.  This would solve (1) and go some way to solving (2).

Ben.

-- 
Ben Hutchings
The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.
                                                            - Robert Coveyou

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Re: Net driver module dependencies on PHY driver modules

[Tim Gardner]

Ben Hutchings wrote:
> I'm handling a bug report <http://bugs.debian.org/553024> relating to
> tg3 using phylib and missing the broadcom module.
> 
> There seem to be two general problems here:
> 1. PHY drivers are not auto-loaded
> 2. An initramfs builder cannot statically determine that a net device
> requires a PHY driver
> 
> It seems to me that PHY drivers should have aliases based on MDIO PHY
> ids, and phylib should request_module() if no suitable driver is
> registered.  This would solve (1) and go some way to solving (2).
> 
> Ben.
> 

I encountered the same issue with Karmic and worked around it by
building in all of the phylib modules, e.g., CONFIG_BROADCOM_PHY=y. I
agree that its not the best long term solution.

rtg
-- 
Tim Gardner tim.gardner@canonical.com