The AMD-XGBE Linux network driver has seen a set of patches published for it in enabling the “new” AMD Ethernet Device codenamed Crater.
Hitting the Linux kernel mailing list today is a set of patches for the AMD-XGBE driver in enabling a new Crater device:
“Add support for a new AMD Ethernet device called “Crater”.”
AMD-XGBE is the AMD network driver in the Linux kernel that was originally started for enabling 10Gb Ethernet support for the AMD Seattle ARM board. The AMD-XGBE driver has since found use by other AMD x86_64 platforms like Yellow Carp and Raven Ridge.
As for this “new” Crater Ethernet device, it’s not immediately clear what it correlates to. AMD does have a Crater development board they used during the Renoir enablement days. The AMD Crater board was added to Coreboot just recently and there have been “Crater-RN” motherboard listings on various websites. The Crater-RN listings point to the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2A46 and again based on Renoir.
If this AMD-XGBE addition now is for Renoir, it’s not clear why it took so long for this network driver support work to materialize. Or why the patches don’t more clearly spell it out and refer to it as “a new AMD Ethernet device.” So it’s possible the Crater codename is being re-used by some new AMD Ethernet device and not referencing the reference motherboard for Renoir.
In any event this patch series is working through that AMD Ethernet Crater device support on its way to the mainline Linux kernel.
