STRUCT PHYLINK_CONFIG(9)

🦋 struct phylink_config — the PHYLINK configuration structure, bestie

okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual, and it's literally the whole personality of struct phylink_config. it's the little struct that tells PHYLINK how your MAC wants to be handled 💅 no cap, every field matters, so let's go through them one by one.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

here's the whole struct, exactly as it lives — don't touch, just vibe:

struct phylink_config {
    struct device *dev;
    enum phylink_op_type type;
    bool poll_fixed_state;
    bool mac_managed_pm;
    bool mac_requires_rxc;
    bool default_an_inband;
    bool eee_rx_clk_stop_enable;
    void (*get_fixed_state)(struct phylink_config *config, struct
phylink_link_state *state);
    unsigned long supported_interfaces[BITS_TO_LONGS(
PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_MAX)];
    unsigned long lpi_interfaces[BITS_TO_LONGS(
PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_MAX)];
    unsigned long mac_capabilities;
    unsigned long lpi_capabilities;
    u32 lpi_timer_default;
    bool eee_enabled_default;
    bool wol_phy_legacy;
    bool wol_phy_speed_ctrl;
    u32 wol_mac_support;
 };

🎀 Members 🎀

these are the members, bestie, all of them, in order. no skipping, that's the rule 🫶

• dev — a pointer to a struct device that's associated with the MAC.
• type — the operation type of the PHYLINK instance.
• poll_fixed_state — if true, it starts link_poll, but only if the MAC link is at MLO_AN_FIXED mode.
• mac_managed_pm — if true, this is you telling everyone the MAC driver is the one responsible for PHY PM. main character energy, honestly 👑
• mac_requires_rxc — if true, the MAC always requires a receive clock from the PHY. so the PHY driver should start that clock signal as soon as possible and avoid stopping it during suspend events. literally do not touch it 🙈
• default_an_inband — if true, it defaults to MLO_AN_INBAND rather than MLO_AN_PHY. and heads up: a fixed-link specification will override this.
• eee_rx_clk_stop_enable — if true, the PHY can stop the receive clock during LPI.
• get_fixed_state — callback to execute to determine the fixed link state, if the MAC link is at MLO_AN_FIXED mode.
• supported_interfaces — bitmap describing which PHY_INTERFACE_MODE_xxx are supported by the MAC/PCS.
• lpi_interfaces — bitmap describing which PHY interface modes can support LPI signalling.
• mac_capabilities — the MAC pause/speed/duplex capabilities.
• lpi_capabilities — the MAC speeds which can support LPI signalling.
• lpi_timer_default — the default EEE LPI timer setting.
• eee_enabled_default — if set, EEE will be enabled by phylink at creation time.
• wol_phy_legacy — use Wake-on-Lan with the PHY even if phy_can_wakeup is false.
• wol_phy_speed_ctrl — use phy speed control on suspend/resume.
• wol_mac_support — bitmask of MAC supported WAKE_* options.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

so much lore, iykyk. this all lives in the kernel file ./include/linux/phylink.h:

• struct phylink_link_state(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_get_state(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)

that's the whole page, periodt 💖 this one's from the path ./include/linux, and it's dated October 2026 — so yeah, it's giving future-kernel-girlie ✨ go forth and configure your PHYLINK, bestie, you've got this 🎀🦋