[PATCH] net: ethernet: rnpgbe: mark nonfunctional incomplete driver as BROKEN

[PATCH] net: ethernet: rnpgbe: mark nonfunctional incomplete driver as BROKEN

[Ethan Nelson-Moore]

The rnpgbe driver as currently shipped in the kernel is incomplete and
has no useful functionality. It will bind to a PCI device and create a
network device, but that device does not function (its .ndo_start_xmit
callback, rnpgbe_xmit_frame, just drops all packets). This situation
means that users could enable this driver and have it load and attach
to their device but not transfer any data. To remove the potential for
user confusion, mark the driver as broken until it is completed and
explain why this was done.

Fixes: ee61c10cd482 ("net: rnpgbe: Add build support for rnpgbe")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org # 7.0+
Signed-off-by: Ethan Nelson-Moore <enelsonmoore@gmail.com>
---
 drivers/net/ethernet/mucse/Kconfig | 9 +++++++--
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mucse/Kconfig b/drivers/net/ethernet/mucse/Kconfig
index 0b3e853d625f..c37a90a6c808 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mucse/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mucse/Kconfig
@@ -3,9 +3,12 @@
 # Mucse network device configuration
 #
 
+# This section depends on BROKEN because its only child item also does;
+# see the explanation below.
 config NET_VENDOR_MUCSE
 	bool "Mucse devices"
 	default y
+	depends on BROKEN
 	help
 	  If you have a network (Ethernet) card from Mucse(R), say Y.
 
@@ -16,12 +19,14 @@ config NET_VENDOR_MUCSE
 
 if NET_VENDOR_MUCSE
 
+# This driver is marked as broken because it is incomplete; this avoids users
+# enabling it and expecting it to work.
 config MGBE
 	tristate "Mucse(R) 1GbE PCI Express adapters support"
-	depends on PCI
+	depends on PCI && BROKEN
 	help
 	  This driver supports Mucse(R) 1GbE PCI Express family of
-	  adapters.
+	  adapters. It is incomplete and currently has no useful functionality.
 
 	  More specific information on configuring the driver is in
 	  <file:Documentation/networking/device_drivers/ethernet/mucse/rnpgbe.rst>.
-- 
2.43.0

Re: [PATCH] net: ethernet: rnpgbe: mark nonfunctional incomplete driver as BROKEN

[Yibo Dong]

On Fri, Apr 24, 2026 at 09:18:15PM -0700, Ethan Nelson-Moore wrote:
> The rnpgbe driver as currently shipped in the kernel is incomplete and
> has no useful functionality. It will bind to a PCI device and create a
> network device, but that device does not function (its .ndo_start_xmit
> callback, rnpgbe_xmit_frame, just drops all packets). This situation
> means that users could enable this driver and have it load and attach
> to their device but not transfer any data. To remove the potential for
> user confusion, mark the driver as broken until it is completed and
> explain why this was done.
> 
Thank you for the patch.

The TX/RX functionality patches for this driver are still under submission, 
and I agree to mark the driver as BROKEN for now. I will revise this part
and remove the BROKEN dependency in the subsequent patches that add full 
TX/RX functionality.

> Fixes: ee61c10cd482 ("net: rnpgbe: Add build support for rnpgbe")
> Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org # 7.0+
> Signed-off-by: Ethan Nelson-Moore <enelsonmoore@gmail.com>
> ---
>  drivers/net/ethernet/mucse/Kconfig | 9 +++++++--
>  1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/mucse/Kconfig b/drivers/net/ethernet/mucse/Kconfig
> index 0b3e853d625f..c37a90a6c808 100644
> --- a/drivers/net/ethernet/mucse/Kconfig
> +++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/mucse/Kconfig
> @@ -3,9 +3,12 @@
>  # Mucse network device configuration
>  #
>  
> +# This section depends on BROKEN because its only child item also does;
> +# see the explanation below.
>  config NET_VENDOR_MUCSE
>  	bool "Mucse devices"
>  	default y
> +	depends on BROKEN
>  	help
>  	  If you have a network (Ethernet) card from Mucse(R), say Y.
>  
> @@ -16,12 +19,14 @@ config NET_VENDOR_MUCSE
>  
>  if NET_VENDOR_MUCSE
>  
> +# This driver is marked as broken because it is incomplete; this avoids users
> +# enabling it and expecting it to work.
>  config MGBE
>  	tristate "Mucse(R) 1GbE PCI Express adapters support"
> -	depends on PCI
> +	depends on PCI && BROKEN
>  	help
>  	  This driver supports Mucse(R) 1GbE PCI Express family of
> -	  adapters.
> +	  adapters. It is incomplete and currently has no useful functionality.
>  
>  	  More specific information on configuring the driver is in
>  	  <file:Documentation/networking/device_drivers/ethernet/mucse/rnpgbe.rst>.
> -- 
> 2.43.0
> 
> 

Re: [PATCH] net: ethernet: rnpgbe: mark nonfunctional incomplete driver as BROKEN

[Jakub Kicinski]

On Fri, 24 Apr 2026 21:18:15 -0700 Ethan Nelson-Moore wrote:
> +# This section depends on BROKEN because its only child item also does;
> +# see the explanation below.
>  config NET_VENDOR_MUCSE
>  	bool "Mucse devices"
>  	default y
> +	depends on BROKEN
>  	help
>  	  If you have a network (Ethernet) card from Mucse(R), say Y.

We can keep the vendor as is, this doesn't enable any code compilation
-- 
pw-bot: cr

Re: [PATCH] net: ethernet: rnpgbe: mark nonfunctional incomplete driver as BROKEN

[Ethan Nelson-Moore]

Hi, Jakub,

On Mon, Apr 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org> wrote:
> We can keep the vendor as is, this doesn't enable any code compilation

I disabled it because otherwise an option for Mucse devices which
cannot be opened appears in menuconfig, which is confusing.

Ethan

Re: [PATCH] net: ethernet: rnpgbe: mark nonfunctional incomplete driver as BROKEN

[Jakub Kicinski]

On Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:09:24 -0700 Ethan Nelson-Moore wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org> wrote:
> > We can keep the vendor as is, this doesn't enable any code compilation  
> 
> I disabled it because otherwise an option for Mucse devices which
> cannot be opened appears in menuconfig, which is confusing.

it's fine