phy_error(9)

💅 phy_error — like, the emergency panic button for your PHY, bestie

okay so this is a page straight out of the Kernel API Manual, and honestly? it's short, it's iconic, it's giving "one job and she does it." let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

phy_error — enter ERROR state for this PHY device

no cap, that's literally the whole vibe. something went wrong, and this is the function that says so out loud. 💀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void phy_error (struct phy_device *phydev );

she takes exactly one argument, returns nothing, and does not miss. periodt.

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• phydev — target phy_device struct. this is the PHY we're putting in timeout. the main character, if you will 👑

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so hear me out: phy_error moves the PHY to the ERROR state in response to a read or write error, and then it tells the controller the link is down. like, "bestie the link is done, pack it up." 😭

the one rule that is NOT optional: this must be called with phydev->lock held. not "should", not "ideally" — must. so hold that lock, or don't come crying to me. 🔥

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⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

the whole friend group, in the order the page says it, because I would never leave anyone out 💖 — all of these live in the Kernel file ./drivers/net/phy/phy.c:

• phy_print_status(9)
• phy_get_rate_matching(9)
• phy_config_interrupt(9)
• phy_restart_aneg(9)
• phy_aneg_done(9)
• phy_supported_speeds(9)
• phy_check_valid(9)
• phy_sanitize_settings(9)
• phy_mii_ioctl(9)
• phy_do_ioctl(9)
• phy_do_ioctl_running(9)
• __phy_hwtstamp_get(9)
• __phy_hwtstamp_set(9)
• phy_queue_state_machine(9)
• phy_trigger_machine(9)
• phy_ethtool_get_strings(9)
• phy_ethtool_get_sset_count(9)
• phy_ethtool_get_stats(9)
• __phy_ethtool_get_phy_stats(9)
• __phy_ethtool_get_link_ext_stats(9)
• phy_ethtool_get_plca_cfg(9)
• plca_check_valid(9)
• phy_ethtool_set_plca_cfg(9)
• phy_ethtool_get_plca_status(9)
• phy_start_cable_test(9)
• phy_start_cable_test_tdr(9)
• phy_check_link_status(9)
• phy_inband_caps(9)
• phy_config_inband(9)
• _phy_start_aneg(9)
• phy_start_aneg(9)
• phy_speed_down(9)
• phy_speed_up(9)
• phy_start_machine(9)
• phy_stop_machine(9)
• phy_write_barrier(9)
• phy_disable_interrupts(9)
• phy_interrupt(9)
• phy_enable_interrupts(9)
• phy_update_stats(9)
• phy_request_interrupt(9)
• phy_free_interrupt(9)
• phy_get_next_update_time(9)
• phy_state_machine(9)
• phy_stop(9)
• phy_start(9)
• phy_mac_interrupt(9)
• phy_loopback(9)
• phy_eee_tx_clock_stop_capable(9)
• phy_eee_rx_clock_stop(9)
• phy_init_eee(9)
• phy_get_eee_err(9)
• phy_ethtool_get_eee(9)
• phy_ethtool_set_eee_noneg(9)
• phy_ethtool_set_eee(9)
• phy_ethtool_set_wol(9)
• phy_ethtool_get_wol(9)
• phy_ethtool_nway_reset(9)

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✨ that's the whole page, nothing skipped, nothing invented, absolutely zero notes left behind ✨

okay love u, bye — this one shipped from ./drivers/net/phy, dated October 2026, and yes she's still serving phy_error(9) realness 🌈💜🍓