[U-Boot-Users] bootloader MAC

[Wolfgang Denk]

In message <200606081731.49365.ngustavson at emacinc.com> you wrote:
>
> > It's just that the *Linux* *driver* is responsible to initialize =A0it,
> > no matter which boot loader you use and what the boot loader is doing
> > or not doing.
> In some cases that would amount to dynamic reassignment, such as in the
> Coldfire fec, which does not provide the typical load from eeprom

So what? Is there any reason why the Linux ethernet driver could  not
perform the same actions that U-Boot can perform?

> functionality for it's MAC. It must be assigned by software somewhere, I am
> of the opinion that the bootloader should do it.

You are wrong. It is teh responsibility of the Linux driver to adjust
the settings it needs for correct operation.

> I look at the bootloader like the BIOS of a PC without the system calls. It
> initializes the hardware to a minimal point (you've at least got to turn on
> the DRAM, an IMHO make sure the MAC is valid) and loads the OS.

I agree with the RAM, but the MAC has nothing to do here. The BIOS on
a PC does not care about any MAC addresses either.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
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