[PATCH 0/3] net/intel: make link state configurable on device start

[Roman Khromenok]

On Sat, 3 Oct 2026, Stephen Hemminger wrote:
> If you want something done better it must done at ethdev layer
> and you must coordinate across all existing devices.

Thanks, understood. I withdraw this series.

The problem behind it: a firewall starts its ports at boot but must keep
the ports that are disabled in its configuration down, so that the link
partner never sees them. Today rte_eth_dev_start() brings the link up
on most drivers, and the application can only bring it down afterwards.

Would an RFC along these lines be acceptable?
- ethdev keeps the administrative link state (RFC 2863 ifAdminStatus)
  set by rte_eth_dev_set_link_down()/up(), including before the port
  is started;
- rte_eth_dev_start() honors it: drivers that support it keep the link
  down on start, and for the others ethdev calls dev_set_link_down()
  right after dev_start(), so the semantics are the same for all devices;
- a new feature in the features matrix to track driver support.

Or would you prefer a separate API for the administrative state instead
of changing the behavior of rte_eth_dev_set_link_down()?

Roman