Re: [PATCH v1] smsc911x: add second read of EEPROM mac when possible corruption seen

On Tue, 2 Sep 2025 07:31:13 -0500 Colin Foster wrote:

quoted

quoted

+	 * The first mac_read always returns 0. Re-read it to get the
+	 * full MAC  

Always? Strange, why did nobody notice until now?  

For me it is 100% reproduceable. The first read is always 0. I've added
delays in case timing was the issue. I've swapped ADDRH and ADDRL and
the opposite effect happened (where the first four MAC octets were
zero). Re-reads always succeed.

Without the patch, the last two MAC octets are always zero.

We didn't notice it until we started hooking multiple devices on the
same network.

If there is anyone else running this hardware, I'd love verification.
Its an SMSC9221.

That's a long way of saying "I don't know" unfortunately.

Right, I think we should avoid saying "always" in the comment then.
Let's weasel word it a little bit given the uncertainty..