phy_uses_state_machine(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 phy_uses_state_machine(9) — the "does ur driver even USE the state machine bestie" check ✨

okay so like, this is a kernel API manual page, and we're literally about to vibe check a PHY device to see if its consumer driver is running the PAL state machine 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

phy_uses_state_machine — test whether consumer driver uses PAL state machine

so like, it's a little tester function that tells u if the consumer driver is using the PAL state machine. periodt 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

bool phy_uses_state_machine (struct phy_device *phydev );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • phydev — the target PHY device structure 💖 like, this is the PHY device u wanna interrogate, bestie

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Ultimately, this aims to indirectly determine whether the PHY is attached to a consumer which uses the state machine by calling phy_start and phy_stop. no cap, that's the whole vibe 🔥

When the PHY driver consumer uses phylib, it must have previously called phy_connect_direct or one of its derivatives, so that phy_prepare_link has set up a hook for monitoring state changes. like, there's a whole setup process that had to happen first, and this function is checking if that happened 👑

When the PHY driver is used by the MAC driver consumer through phylink (the only other provider of a phy_link_change method), using the PHY state machine is not optional. so like, if it's going through phylink, the state machine is mandatory, not a choice bestie, it's giving main character energy and there's no escaping it 😭

🌈 RETURN 🌈

  • true if consumer calls phy_start and phy_stop
  • false otherwise

literally just a bool. slay 💅

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

Kernel file ./drivers/net/phy/phy_device.c — and omg the friend group is extensive, gather round:

like i said, big friend group. iykyk 🧚💜

okay that's the whole page bestie, go forth and vibe check ur PHYs 🔥💖

— with love from ./drivers/net/phy, October 2026, from ur favorite manual page phy_uses_state_machine(9) 🌸✨🎀

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