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Date: Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:37:41 -0500
From: Anthony Liguori <anthony@codemonkey.ws>
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Subject: Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH 00/16] Add a -netdev option
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	<4ACE4B99.2010606@mail.berlios.de>
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To: Stefan Weil <weil@mail.berlios.de>
Cc: Mark McLoughlin <markmc@redhat.com>, qemu-devel@nongnu.org

Stefan Weil wrote:
> Hi Mark,
>
> today, qemu's ethernet devices are a fixed combination of
> MAC (Media Access Controller) and PHY (Physical Layer).
>
> Real hardware is different: the controllers provide a MAC,
> and many provide a PHY, too, but all controllers allow
> one or even several external PHY(s).
>
> Most (or all?) controllers use the same standard interface
> to address their PHY (internal or external), something
> which is completely missing today in qemu.
>
> A better solution would use separate code for MAC and
> PHY, so the controllers could share common code for the
> PHY.
>
> Configuration of a different PHY should be possible,
> so users can run a system emulation of different
> MAC-PHY combinations.
>
> In addition to the PHY type, a PHY needs attributes
> (link speed and link status).
>   

But PHY doesn't really exist in the context of QEMU because virtualizing 
at the ethernet level.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori