Current status

The platform is available upstream as a `MIPS_GENERIC` based MIPS architecture. This allows leveraging existing MIPS, DT,… kernel frameworks. Only some basic CPU peripherals are supported.

In OpenWrt, the platform is still a custom MIPS architecture. More features are supported, but most code needs to be cleaned up or reworked before it can be submitted upstream. Discussion at https://forum.openwrt.org/t/support-for-rtl838x-based-managed-switches/57875/.

Bugs can be reported on the OpenWrt GitHub

• base system: merged for 5.12-rc1
• IRQ driver: merged for 5.12-rc1
  • IRQ fixes in 5.17-rc2, 5.16.5, 5.15.19: map control data to virq, fix off-by-one in routing
  • IRQ handling improvement in 5.17-rc2, 5.16.7, 5.15.24: clear all pending interrupts
• SPI driver: merged for 5.12-rc1
• built-in GPIO driver: merged for 5.13 start of series
  • IRQ fix in 5.16. Backported to 5.15.3, 5.14
  • RTL930x and RTL931x merged for 5.19, starting at 06a6a774f6b8
  • I/O fixes merged for 6.0 and 5.19.8
• Watchdog, doubles as restart driver: merged for 5.17, v4, RTL9310 support merged for 6.0

• cpumask bug exposed by the GPIO driver: part 1 part 2

• Crypto driver: v1, v2, v3
• RTL8231 GPIO driver (stalled): RFC, MFD v1, v2, v3, v4, MFD v5 MDIO regmap interface merged for 5.14

• SOC/chipid driver (svanheule)
• sys-led driver (svanheule)
• port led driver (svanheule)

• Reset driver
  • Reset bits for various subsystems in the SoCs are available, in different places per series. Instead of drivers toggling these common registers, Linux reset subsystem driver would make sense.
• Network driver rework
  • Should probably be implemented as an MFD, with the MFD core driver unlocking the protected registers.
  • Need MDIO, DSA, phy driver etc.
  • Probably best to port bit by bit from OpenWrt to staging, to get extra exposure. After things mature enough, drivers can be moved to the relevant subsystems.

Note, that a lot of merged drivers need some love and some refactoring, both upstream and in the openwrt repositories …

• Get buildroot from https://buildroot.org
• Clone a kernel git repo from git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git
• Get devconfig.tgz, and move the config files there to `.config` in the two directories above. In the Linux .config file, change `CONFIG_INITRAMFS_SOURCE` to the appropriate path for your buildroot. Drop the `build` script in your Linux directory.
• Do a make in your buildroot directory, and ./build in your Linux directory. It drops the resulting image in /tftp/img, adjust as needed.

• Sander's switch core register browser
• Some datasheets are here

RX/TX by the Ethernet driver works, including QoS and prioritization queues, all L2 functionality is implemented, all PHYs are supported, complete support for SFP cages and LEDs available

RX/TX by the Ethernet driver works, including QoS and prioritization queues, all L2 functionality is implemented. Support for the 10Gig SFP+ modules of the 8396 is not available, LEDs only work when configured by u-boot. Some PHYs not supported (e.g.RTL8214QF is not supported, but GPL-dump is available).

RX/TX by the Ethernet driver works, all L2 functionality is implemented. QoS and Rate control is missing, there is no support for the SFP+ cages. PHY support: RTL8218D works and RTL8266 2.5-gig PHY. The Aquantia multi-gig phys are unsupported (upcoming Zyxel XGS1250-10), but GPL code available. GPIOs and LEDs are supported.

The Zyxel XS 1930 boots, but GIC irq is not working, only internal timer IRQs, TX/RX code ported but not tested, some L2 code ported, Aquantia PHYs are unsupported, but GPL code available