Re: [PATCH net-next 00/11] mlxsw: extend line card model by devices and info

[Andrew Lunn <andrew@lunn.ch>]

> >> The idea (implemented in the next patchset) is to let these devices
> >> expose their own "component name", which can then be plugged into the
> >> existing flash command:
> >> 
> >>     $ devlink lc show pci/0000:01:00.0 lc 8
> >>     pci/0000:01:00.0:
> >>       lc 8 state active type 16x100G
> >>         supported_types:
> >>            16x100G
> >>         devices:
> >>           device 0 flashable true component lc8_dev0
> >>           device 1 flashable false
> >>           device 2 flashable false
> >>           device 3 flashable false
> >>     $ devlink dev flash pci/0000:01:00.0 file some_file.mfa2 component lc8_dev0
> >
> >IDK if it's just me or this assumes deep knowledge of the system.
> >I don't understand why we need to list devices 1-3 at all. And they
> >don't even have names. No information is exposed. 
> 
> There are 4 gearboxes on the line card. They share the same flash. So if
> you flash gearbox 0, the rest will use the same FW.

Is the flash big enough to hold four copies of the firmware? Listing
all four devices gives you a path forward to allowing each device to
have its own firmware.

On the flip side, flashable false is not really true. I don't know
this API at all, but are there any flags? Can you at least indicate it
is shared? You could then have an output something like:

           device 0 flashable true shared component lc8_dev0
           device 1 flashable true shared component lc8_dev0
           device 2 flashable true shared component lc8_dev0
           device 3 flashable true shared component lc8_dev0

so you get to see the sharing relationship.

   Andrew