[RFC] [PATCH] Device Tree on ARM platform

[Jean-Christophe PLAGNIOL-VILLARD]

On 13:23 Wed 27 May     , David Miller wrote:
> From: Russell King <rmk+lkml at arm.linux.org.uk>
> Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 20:29:10 +0100
> 
> > To program them into the hardware registers, which is not what we in
> > the ARM community say, but it's what the _network_ guys tell people
> > they should be doing.
> > 
> > I've suggested in the past having a standard kernel parameter such
> > that you can specify a mac address on a per-device basis in a totally
> > platform independent way, but the network folk don't like that idea.
> 
> As a "network guy" I can tell you that when the system firmware
> provides a system-wide or device specific MAC address in it's device
> tree, that is what you should use.
> 
> And that's what I've been doing on sparc FOR 15 YEARS.
> 
> Device trees are the only systematic generic mechanism for
> describing device layouts on the myriad of embedded boards
> out there which you will ever find.
> 
> Two platforms, and now a third, have been using this scheme
> over a very proven period of time.  It's not a hack, there is
> infrastructure to get the boot loaders to do the right thing,
> and only ARM seems to resist it. :-)
The SH, avr32, mips, x86 does not support it too IIRC

Best Regards,
J.