ARSWITCH(4)

📦 version 15.1, in freebsd 14.5, freebsd 15.1, nixpkgs unstable

💖 ARSWITCH(4) — arswitch, from the Kernel Interfaces Manual 💖

🌸 NAME 🌸

arswitch — Atheros AR8000 series Ethernet switch driver. That's the whole name-and-purpose moment, bestie.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

Drop these into your kernel config, no cap:

device mdio
device etherswitch
device arswitch

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

Okay so the arswitch driver gives you a management interface to Atheros AR8000 series Ethernet switch controllers. It uses an mdio(4) or miibus(4) interface to configure the ethernet interface — literally the little bridge between your switch brain and the rest of the setup.

This driver supports port based vlan and IEEE 802.1Q (QinQ). You configure those options with the etherswitchcfg(8) command. arswitch supports addtag, striptag, and doubletag. Important: addtag and striptag are mutually exclusive — pick one, bestie, you cannot have both.

Setting the switch MAC address is not supported. Like, at all. Don't come for it. 🙈

🎀 HARDWARE 🎀

The arswitch driver supports these Ethernet switch controllers. Slay list:

  • Atheros AR8327 Seven-port Gigabit Ethernet Switch
  • Atheros AR8316 Six-port Gigabit Ethernet Switch
  • Atheros AR8236 Six-port Fast Ethernet Switch
  • Atheros AR8226 Six-port Fast Ethernet Switch
  • Atheros AR8216 Six-port Fast Ethernet Switch

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

etherswitch(4), etherswitchcfg(8) — go read these next, iykyk.

⭐ HISTORY ⭐

The arswitch device driver first appeared in FreeBSD 12.0. So it's been iconic since FreeBSD 12.0, periodt.

👑 AUTHORS 👑

The arswitch manual was written by Felix Johnson. Ty bestie Felix Johnson 💖

🫶 Final sign-off, bestie: this page is from Debian, dated May 11, 2025, and it's the ARSWITCH(4) manual. Mwah! 💋
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