pcs_get_state(9)

💖 pcs_get_state(9) — the Kernel API Manual, but make it make sense 💖

okay so bestie, we're deep in phylink territory today and this one is literally the vibe check for your MAC PCS 💅 it's the call that goes "hey hardware, what's your deal right now?" and reports back. no cap, it's giving main character energy in the inband link state department.

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✨ NAME ✨

pcs_get_state — read the current inband link state straight from the hardware 🫶

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

void pcs_get_state (struct phylink_pcs *pcs , unsigned int neg_mode ,
struct phylink_link_state *state );

three args, one void return, zero drama. slay.

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• pcs — a pointer to a struct phylink_pcs. yes, the PCS itself. the whole point 🪞
• neg_mode — the link negotiation mode, and it's one of the PHYLINK_PCS_NEG_xxx values. remember that, it comes back later 👀
• state — a pointer to a struct phylink_link_state. this is the lil report card you're filling in 📝

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

So what does it actually do? It reads the current inband link state from the MAC PCS and fills in your state struct like the world's most responsible bestie 💖 specifically:

• current speed goes in state->speed
• duplex mode goes in state->duplex
• pause mode goes in state->pause, using the MLO_PAUSE_RX and MLO_PAUSE_TX bits
• negotiation completion state goes in state->an_complete
• link up state goes in state->link

and if it's possible? you should also populate state->lp_advertising. like, if you can. it's the polite thing to do ✨

⚠️ okay important heads up bestie: the neg_mode parameter is always the PHYLINK_PCS_NEG_xxx state, not MLO_AN_xxx. do not mix those up, i'm literally begging 😭 it's a whole different enum, iykyk.

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• Kernel file ./include/linux/phylink.h
• struct phylink_link_state(9)
• struct phylink_config(9)
• struct phylink_mac_ops(9)
• mac_get_caps(9)
• mac_select_pcs(9)
• mac_prepare(9)
• mac_config(9)
• mac_finish(9)
• mac_link_down(9)
• mac_link_up(9)
• mac_disable_tx_lpi(9)
• mac_enable_tx_lpi(9)
• mac_wol_set(9)
• struct phylink_pcs(9)
• struct phylink_pcs_ops(9)
• pcs_validate(9)
• pcs_inband_caps(9)
• pcs_enable(9)
• pcs_disable(9)
• pcs_config(9)
• pcs_an_restart(9)
• pcs_link_up(9)
• pcs_disable_eee(9)
• pcs_enable_eee(9)
• pcs_pre_init(9)
• phylink_get_link_timer_ns(9)
• phylink_mac_implements_lpi(9)

like, that's the whole friend group right there 👑 go read them, they all ate 💅

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aaaand that's the page!! this one lives under ./include/linux, dated October 2026, and it's pcs_get_state(9) — go forth and read your link state, queen 🧚💜