The ability to describe the physical ports of Ethernet devices is useful
to describe multi-port devices, as well as to remove any ambiguity with
regard to the nature of the port.
Moreover, describing ports allows for a better description of features
that are tied to connectors, such as PoE through the PSE-PD devices.
Introduce a binding to allow describing the ports, for now with 2
attributes :
- The number of lanes, which is a quite generic property that allows
differentating between multiple similar technologies such as BaseT1
and "regular" BaseT (which usually means BaseT4).
- The media that can be used on that port, such as BaseT for Twisted
Copper, BaseC for coax copper, BaseS/L for Fiber, BaseK for backplane
ethernet, etc. This allows defining the nature of the port, and
therefore avoids the need for vendor-specific properties such as
"micrel,fiber-mode" or "ti,fiber-mode".
The port description lives in its own file, as it is intended in the
future to allow describing the ports for phy-less devices.
Signed-off-by: Maxime Chevallier <maxime.chevallier@bootlin.com>
---
.../bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml | 53 +++++++++++++++++++
.../devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml | 18 +++++++
MAINTAINERS | 1 +
3 files changed, 72 insertions(+)
create mode 100644 Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
diff --git a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..2b67907582c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: (GPL-2.0-only OR BSD-2-Clause)
+%YAML 1.2
+---
+$id: http://devicetree.org/schemas/net/ethernet-connector.yaml#
+$schema: http://devicetree.org/meta-schemas/core.yaml#
+
+title: Generic Ethernet Connector
+
+maintainers:
+ - Maxime Chevallier <maxime.chevallier@bootlin.com>
+
+description:
+ An Ethernet Connector represents the output of a network component such as
+ a PHY, an Ethernet controller with no PHY, or an SFP module.
+
+properties:
+
+ pairs:
+ description:
+ Defines the number of BaseT pairs that are used on the connector.
+ $ref: /schemas/types.yaml#/definitions/uint32
+
+ media:
+ description:
+ The mediums, as defined in 802.3, that can be used on the port.
+ enum:
+ - BaseT
+ - BaseK
+ - BaseS
+ - BaseC
+ - BaseL
+ - BaseD
+ - BaseE
+ - BaseF
+ - BaseV
+ - BaseMLD
+
+required:
+ - media
+
+allOf:
+ - if:
+ properties:
+ media:
+ contains:
+ const: BaseT
+ then:
+ required:
+ - pairs
+
+additionalProperties: true
+
+...
diff --git a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
index 2ec2d9fda7e3..f434768d6bae 100644
--- a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
+++ b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
@@ -277,6 +277,17 @@ properties:
additionalProperties: false
+ mdi:
+ type: object
+
+ patternProperties:
+ '^connector-[a-f0-9]+$':
+ $ref: /schemas/net/ethernet-connector.yaml#
+
+ unevaluatedProperties: false
+
+ additionalProperties: false
+
required:
- reg
@@ -313,5 +324,12 @@ examples:
default-state = "keep";
};
};
+ /* Fast Ethernet port, with only 2 pairs wired */
+ mdi {
+ connector-0 {
+ pairs = <2>;
+ media = "BaseT";
+ };
+ };
};
};
diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
index 1ab7e8746299..19ba82b98616 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/MAINTAINERS
@@ -9276,6 +9276,7 @@ R: Russell King <linux@armlinux.org.uk>
L: netdev@vger.kernel.org
S: Maintained
F: Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-class-net-phydev
+F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/mdio*
F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/qca,ar803x.yaml
--
2.49.0On Thu, Nov 06, 2025 at 10:47:26AM +0100, Maxime Chevallier wrote:
> The ability to describe the physical ports of Ethernet devices is useful
> to describe multi-port devices, as well as to remove any ambiguity with
> regard to the nature of the port.
>
> Moreover, describing ports allows for a better description of features
> that are tied to connectors, such as PoE through the PSE-PD devices.
>
> Introduce a binding to allow describing the ports, for now with 2
> attributes :
>
> - The number of lanes, which is a quite generic property that allows
> differentating between multiple similar technologies such as BaseT1
> and "regular" BaseT (which usually means BaseT4).
>
> - The media that can be used on that port, such as BaseT for Twisted
> Copper, BaseC for coax copper, BaseS/L for Fiber, BaseK for backplane
> ethernet, etc. This allows defining the nature of the port, and
> therefore avoids the need for vendor-specific properties such as
> "micrel,fiber-mode" or "ti,fiber-mode".
>
> The port description lives in its own file, as it is intended in the
> future to allow describing the ports for phy-less devices.
>
> Signed-off-by: Maxime Chevallier <maxime.chevallier@bootlin.com>
> ---
> .../bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml | 53 +++++++++++++++++++
> .../devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml | 18 +++++++
> MAINTAINERS | 1 +
> 3 files changed, 72 insertions(+)
> create mode 100644 Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..2b67907582c7
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
> @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
> +# SPDX-License-Identifier: (GPL-2.0-only OR BSD-2-Clause)
> +%YAML 1.2
> +---
> +$id: http://devicetree.org/schemas/net/ethernet-connector.yaml#
> +$schema: http://devicetree.org/meta-schemas/core.yaml#
> +
> +title: Generic Ethernet Connector
> +
> +maintainers:
> + - Maxime Chevallier <maxime.chevallier@bootlin.com>
> +
> +description:
> + An Ethernet Connector represents the output of a network component such as
> + a PHY, an Ethernet controller with no PHY, or an SFP module.
> +
> +properties:
> +
> + pairs:
> + description:
> + Defines the number of BaseT pairs that are used on the connector.
> + $ref: /schemas/types.yaml#/definitions/uint32
Constraints? Wouldn't 4 pairs be the max?
Is it possible you need to know which pairs are wired?
> +
> + media:
Both of these names are a bit generic though I don't have a better
suggestion.
> + description:
> + The mediums, as defined in 802.3, that can be used on the port.
> + enum:
> + - BaseT
> + - BaseK
> + - BaseS
> + - BaseC
> + - BaseL
> + - BaseD
> + - BaseE
> + - BaseF
> + - BaseV
> + - BaseMLD
> +
> +required:
> + - media
> +
> +allOf:
> + - if:
> + properties:
> + media:
> + contains:
> + const: BaseT
> + then:
> + required:
> + - pairs
else:
properties:
pairs: false
??
> +
> +additionalProperties: true
> +
> +...
> diff --git a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
> index 2ec2d9fda7e3..f434768d6bae 100644
> --- a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
> +++ b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
> @@ -277,6 +277,17 @@ properties:
>
> additionalProperties: false
>
> + mdi:
> + type: object
> +
> + patternProperties:
> + '^connector-[a-f0-9]+$':
Unit addresses are hex, index suffixes are decimal: connector-[0-9]+
> + $ref: /schemas/net/ethernet-connector.yaml#
> +
> + unevaluatedProperties: false
> +
> + additionalProperties: false
> +
> required:
> - reg
>
> @@ -313,5 +324,12 @@ examples:
> default-state = "keep";
> };
> };
> + /* Fast Ethernet port, with only 2 pairs wired */
> + mdi {
> + connector-0 {
> + pairs = <2>;
> + media = "BaseT";
> + };
> + };
> };
> };
> diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
> index 1ab7e8746299..19ba82b98616 100644
> --- a/MAINTAINERS
> +++ b/MAINTAINERS
> @@ -9276,6 +9276,7 @@ R: Russell King <linux@armlinux.org.uk>
> L: netdev@vger.kernel.org
> S: Maintained
> F: Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-class-net-phydev
> +F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
> F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
> F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/mdio*
> F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/qca,ar803x.yaml
> --
> 2.49.0
>
Hi Rob,
On 12/11/2025 13:43, Rob Herring wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 06, 2025 at 10:47:26AM +0100, Maxime Chevallier wrote:
>> The ability to describe the physical ports of Ethernet devices is useful
>> to describe multi-port devices, as well as to remove any ambiguity with
>> regard to the nature of the port.
>>
>> Moreover, describing ports allows for a better description of features
>> that are tied to connectors, such as PoE through the PSE-PD devices.
>>
>> Introduce a binding to allow describing the ports, for now with 2
>> attributes :
>>
>> - The number of lanes, which is a quite generic property that allows
>> differentating between multiple similar technologies such as BaseT1
>> and "regular" BaseT (which usually means BaseT4).
>>
>> - The media that can be used on that port, such as BaseT for Twisted
>> Copper, BaseC for coax copper, BaseS/L for Fiber, BaseK for backplane
>> ethernet, etc. This allows defining the nature of the port, and
>> therefore avoids the need for vendor-specific properties such as
>> "micrel,fiber-mode" or "ti,fiber-mode".
>>
>> The port description lives in its own file, as it is intended in the
>> future to allow describing the ports for phy-less devices.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Maxime Chevallier <maxime.chevallier@bootlin.com>
>> ---
>> .../bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml | 53 +++++++++++++++++++
>> .../devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml | 18 +++++++
>> MAINTAINERS | 1 +
>> 3 files changed, 72 insertions(+)
>> create mode 100644 Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
>>
>> diff --git a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
>> new file mode 100644
>> index 000000000000..2b67907582c7
>> --- /dev/null
>> +++ b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
>> @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
>> +# SPDX-License-Identifier: (GPL-2.0-only OR BSD-2-Clause)
>> +%YAML 1.2
>> +---
>> +$id: http://devicetree.org/schemas/net/ethernet-connector.yaml#
>> +$schema: http://devicetree.org/meta-schemas/core.yaml#
>> +
>> +title: Generic Ethernet Connector
>> +
>> +maintainers:
>> + - Maxime Chevallier <maxime.chevallier@bootlin.com>
>> +
>> +description:
>> + An Ethernet Connector represents the output of a network component such as
>> + a PHY, an Ethernet controller with no PHY, or an SFP module.
>> +
>> +properties:
>> +
>> + pairs:
>> + description:
>> + Defines the number of BaseT pairs that are used on the connector.
>> + $ref: /schemas/types.yaml#/definitions/uint32
>
> Constraints? Wouldn't 4 pairs be the max?
Andrew also made that remark on the code, I'll add a constraint on
1, 2 or 4 pairs.
>
> Is it possible you need to know which pairs are wired?
For now I don't think so, except maybe for when 2 pairs are wired
when 4 are supported on the PHY and connector, but even then I don't
think HW designers have a choice about which one to use. It's unclear
to me wether this would be useful.
>
>> +
>> + media:
>
> Both of these names are a bit generic though I don't have a better
> suggestion.
>
>> + description:
>> + The mediums, as defined in 802.3, that can be used on the port.
>> + enum:
>> + - BaseT
>> + - BaseK
>> + - BaseS
>> + - BaseC
>> + - BaseL
>> + - BaseD
>> + - BaseE
>> + - BaseF
>> + - BaseV
>> + - BaseMLD
>> +
>> +required:
>> + - media
>> +
>> +allOf:
>> + - if:
>> + properties:
>> + media:
>> + contains:
>> + const: BaseT
>> + then:
>> + required:
>> + - pairs
>
> else:
> properties:
> pairs: false
>
> ??
Ah I didn't know this was necessary, I'll add that, thanks !
>
>> +
>> +additionalProperties: true
>> +
>> +...
>> diff --git a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
>> index 2ec2d9fda7e3..f434768d6bae 100644
>> --- a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
>> +++ b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
>> @@ -277,6 +277,17 @@ properties:
>>
>> additionalProperties: false
>>
>> + mdi:
>> + type: object
>> +
>> + patternProperties:
>> + '^connector-[a-f0-9]+$':
>
> Unit addresses are hex, index suffixes are decimal: connector-[0-9]+
Ah right, indeed. I'll address that.
>
>
>> + $ref: /schemas/net/ethernet-connector.yaml#
>> +
>> + unevaluatedProperties: false
>> +
>> + additionalProperties: false
>> +
>> required:
>> - reg
>>
>> @@ -313,5 +324,12 @@ examples:
>> default-state = "keep";
>> };
>> };
>> + /* Fast Ethernet port, with only 2 pairs wired */
>> + mdi {
>> + connector-0 {
>> + pairs = <2>;
>> + media = "BaseT";
>> + };
>> + };
>> };
>> };
>> diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
>> index 1ab7e8746299..19ba82b98616 100644
>> --- a/MAINTAINERS
>> +++ b/MAINTAINERS
>> @@ -9276,6 +9276,7 @@ R: Russell King <linux@armlinux.org.uk>
>> L: netdev@vger.kernel.org
>> S: Maintained
>> F: Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-class-net-phydev
>> +F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-connector.yaml
>> F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/ethernet-phy.yaml
>> F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/mdio*
>> F: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/net/qca,ar803x.yaml
>> --
>> 2.49.0
>>
Thanks for reviewing !
Maxime
> > + pairs: > > + description: > > + Defines the number of BaseT pairs that are used on the connector. > > + $ref: /schemas/types.yaml#/definitions/uint32 > > Constraints? Wouldn't 4 pairs be the max? [1, 2, 4]; Andrew
On Thu, Nov 06, 2025 at 10:47:26AM +0100, Maxime Chevallier wrote: > The ability to describe the physical ports of Ethernet devices is useful > to describe multi-port devices, as well as to remove any ambiguity with > regard to the nature of the port. > > Moreover, describing ports allows for a better description of features > that are tied to connectors, such as PoE through the PSE-PD devices. > > Introduce a binding to allow describing the ports, for now with 2 > attributes : > > - The number of lanes, which is a quite generic property that allows > differentating between multiple similar technologies such as BaseT1 > and "regular" BaseT (which usually means BaseT4). You still use lanes here, but the implementation has moved on to pairs. Please add my Reviewed-by when you fix this. Andrew
Hi Andrew, On 11/11/2025 04:34, Andrew Lunn wrote: > On Thu, Nov 06, 2025 at 10:47:26AM +0100, Maxime Chevallier wrote: >> The ability to describe the physical ports of Ethernet devices is useful >> to describe multi-port devices, as well as to remove any ambiguity with >> regard to the nature of the port. >> >> Moreover, describing ports allows for a better description of features >> that are tied to connectors, such as PoE through the PSE-PD devices. >> >> Introduce a binding to allow describing the ports, for now with 2 >> attributes : >> >> - The number of lanes, which is a quite generic property that allows >> differentating between multiple similar technologies such as BaseT1 >> and "regular" BaseT (which usually means BaseT4). > > You still use lanes here, but the implementation has moved on to > pairs. > > Please add my Reviewed-by when you fix this. I'm about to send v16, but I have also taken Rob's comments into account so I'm going to err on the safe side and not include your review tag, in case I mess this up :( again, thanks a lot for the round of reviews on v15 ! Maxime > > Andrew
On 11/11/2025 04:34, Andrew Lunn wrote: > On Thu, Nov 06, 2025 at 10:47:26AM +0100, Maxime Chevallier wrote: >> The ability to describe the physical ports of Ethernet devices is useful >> to describe multi-port devices, as well as to remove any ambiguity with >> regard to the nature of the port. >> >> Moreover, describing ports allows for a better description of features >> that are tied to connectors, such as PoE through the PSE-PD devices. >> >> Introduce a binding to allow describing the ports, for now with 2 >> attributes : >> >> - The number of lanes, which is a quite generic property that allows >> differentating between multiple similar technologies such as BaseT1 >> and "regular" BaseT (which usually means BaseT4). > > You still use lanes here, but the implementation has moved on to > pairs. > > Please add my Reviewed-by when you fix this. Arg, I've made updates on lanes -> pairs, but as you point out I have missed a few :( thanks for spotting this, Maxime > > Andrew
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