[BPI-R3] Openwrt 24.10 : random Link is Up / Link is Down on sfp2

Banana Pi Router design BPI-R3/R3 Mini(MT7986)
1

Hello, since i upgraded my BP-R3 from openwrt 23.05 to 24.10 i regularly have disconnection problems between my PC and the router. My PC is connected to the router on the sfp2 port with an sfp/rj45 module.

root@OpenWrt:~# logread | grep "Link is"
Thu May 15 22:19:10 2025 kern.info kernel: [645973.812037] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Thu May 15 22:19:14 2025 kern.info kernel: [645978.112394] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Thu May 15 22:25:44 2025 kern.info kernel: [646367.418600] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Thu May 15 22:25:48 2025 kern.info kernel: [646371.849612] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Thu May 15 22:35:43 2025 kern.info kernel: [646965.981634] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Thu May 15 22:35:48 2025 kern.info kernel: [646971.288339] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Thu May 15 22:50:47 2025 kern.info kernel: [647868.835986] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Thu May 15 22:50:52 2025 kern.info kernel: [647874.078948] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Thu May 15 23:06:06 2025 kern.info kernel: [648787.316659] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Thu May 15 23:06:10 2025 kern.info kernel: [648790.375165] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Thu May 15 23:06:14 2025 kern.info kernel: [648794.847115] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 12:11:02 2025 kern.info kernel: [695832.120918] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 12:39:38 2025 kern.info kernel: [697546.122979] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 12:39:42 2025 kern.info kernel: [697550.436473] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 12:41:48 2025 kern.info kernel: [697676.425863] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 12:41:53 2025 kern.info kernel: [697681.345459] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 12:42:03 2025 kern.info kernel: [697691.701998] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 12:42:09 2025 kern.info kernel: [697696.919550] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 12:44:26 2025 kern.info kernel: [697834.311647] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 12:44:31 2025 kern.info kernel: [697839.246007] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 12:44:33 2025 kern.info kernel: [697841.012118] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 12:44:37 2025 kern.info kernel: [697845.479383] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 12:44:39 2025 kern.info kernel: [697847.524159] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 12:44:45 2025 kern.info kernel: [697852.752110] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 12:44:46 2025 kern.info kernel: [697854.289948] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 12:44:56 2025 kern.info kernel: [697864.179867] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 12:45:01 2025 kern.info kernel: [697868.860170] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 12:45:05 2025 kern.info kernel: [697873.529326] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 12:45:06 2025 kern.info kernel: [697874.274020] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 12:45:11 2025 kern.info kernel: [697878.723839] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 13:01:01 2025 kern.info kernel: [698828.486425] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 13:01:06 2025 kern.info kernel: [698833.459005] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 13:01:07 2025 kern.info kernel: [698834.030668] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 13:01:12 2025 kern.info kernel: [698838.664038] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 13:01:16 2025 kern.info kernel: [698843.079892] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Fri May 16 13:01:21 2025 kern.info kernel: [698848.003111] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Fri May 16 13:03:03 2025 kern.info kernel: [698950.128461] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down

Everything was working fine before, but now, at random, the connection cuts out for 5 sec and then comes back, it does this several times for a while, then it gets better and starts again. I replaced my module with another one, I bought the one recommended for BPI on Aliexpress, but in the end it didn’t change anything. my network cable is new. I saw a topic where there’s a similar problem, except that my cpu isn’t an MT7621. and I don’t have an EEE on SFP2 port anyway…so I can’t try anything in that direction.

@dangowrt do you have an idee ? i’m on the stable version of openwrt 24.10.1

2

Which sfp module do you have?

Does it happen if you change the module to sfp1?

3

i have 2 sfp module :

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006786478583.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009048215026.html

i tried both in sfp2, nothing changed.

I haven’t tried switching to sfp1 yet. if I do this, it will cut off the internet to the whole house, I have to find the right moment to do it. i have my ONU gpon in sfp1.

4

2 very different modules. The first, it should be the rtl8221b is recognized. You should see it in kernel log.

The second module, no phy is recognised.

If both have the same problems., then I suspect the mac side.

5

what does it mean then ?

Since yesterday i’m connected to LAN1 and i didn’t have any issue…i just switched back to sfp2 now… in the github issue reported in my link above, they speak about a faulty EEE management in MT7530. But if i’m not wrong there is no EEE in the sfp2 cage ? I’d like to avoid having to go back to openwrt 23.05, because the kernel doesn’t support my ONU gpon G-010S-P. My MA5671A running 23.05 heats up by about 10°c, and summer is coming…

6

Here we go again, just 10 minutes after plugging the cable into SFP2.

Sat May 17 11:20:31 2025 kern.info kernel: [779112.365180] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Sat May 17 11:20:36 2025 kern.info kernel: [779117.442171] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Sat May 17 11:32:58 2025 kern.info kernel: [779857.705484] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Sat May 17 11:33:02 2025 kern.info kernel: [779862.323641] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Sat May 17 11:33:04 2025 kern.info kernel: [779863.683540] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Sat May 17 11:33:08 2025 kern.info kernel: [779868.557390] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Sat May 17 11:33:09 2025 kern.info kernel: [779869.655154] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Sat May 17 11:33:15 2025 kern.info kernel: [779874.791145] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Sat May 17 11:33:16 2025 kern.info kernel: [779876.200529] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Sat May 17 11:33:25 2025 kern.info kernel: [779885.179038] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Sat May 17 11:33:26 2025 kern.info kernel: [779886.166797] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Sat May 17 11:33:31 2025 kern.info kernel: [779891.412311] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Sat May 17 11:33:37 2025 kern.info kernel: [779897.465594] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Sat May 17 11:33:43 2025 kern.info kernel: [779902.840833] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Sat May 17 11:33:43 2025 kern.info kernel: [779903.064174] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Sat May 17 11:33:48 2025 kern.info kernel: [779908.035504] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
Sat May 17 11:33:49 2025 kern.info kernel: [779908.822822] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Down
Sat May 17 11:33:53 2025 kern.info kernel: [779913.229303] mt7530-mdio mdio-bus:1f sfp2: Link is Up - 2.5Gbps/Full - flow control off
7

Sfp2 on R3 is connected to mt7530 so maybe it is affected by EEE issue. Have you tried this command on your port?

ethtool --set-eee sfp2 eee off tx-lpi off

But last comment tells that it happens also when eee disabled.

Just check settings with

ethtool --show-eee sfp2
8

yes, I get an error message

root@OpenWrt:~# ethtool --set-eee sfp2 eee off tx-lpi off
netlink error: No such device

root@OpenWrt:~# ethtool --show-eee sfp2
netlink error: No such device

The result for all lan/wan ports :

root@OpenWrt:~# ethtool --show-eee lan1
EEE settings for lan1:
        EEE status: disabled
        Tx LPI: 30 (us)
        Supported EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                   1000baseT/Full
        Advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
        Link partner advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
root@OpenWrt:~# ethtool --show-eee lan2
EEE settings for lan2:
        EEE status: disabled
        Tx LPI: 30 (us)
        Supported EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                   1000baseT/Full
        Advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
        Link partner advertised EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                                 1000baseT/Full
root@OpenWrt:~# ethtool --show-eee lan3
EEE settings for lan3:
        EEE status: disabled
        Tx LPI: 30 (us)
        Supported EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                   1000baseT/Full
        Advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
        Link partner advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
root@OpenWrt:~# ethtool --show-eee lan4
EEE settings for lan4:
        EEE status: disabled
        Tx LPI: 30 (us)
        Supported EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                   1000baseT/Full
        Advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
        Link partner advertised EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                                 1000baseT/Full
root@OpenWrt:~# ethtool --show-eee wan
EEE settings for wan:
        EEE status: disabled
        Tx LPI: 30 (us)
        Supported EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                   1000baseT/Full
        Advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
        Link partner advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
9

i’m runing actualy the latest snapshot, and for some reason it doesn’t support my Nokia G-010S-P ONU, so i’m back with my Huawei MA5671A.

edit: This is actualy 2 hours that i’ve installed the latest snapshot, and ZERO connection issue…

10

i can see a “known issue” here : https://openwrt.org/releases/24.10/notes-24.10.1

  • Ethernet link instability on some MT7530 switches. Users experiencing unstable Ethernet connections should disable Energy-Efficient Ethernet (EEE) as a workaround. See issue #17351 for more information.

But the workaround command doesn’t work with sfp2, as EEE is already disabled on all my RJ45 ports, that’s probably why i don’t have the issue on these ports. Now i’d like to know how we can disable it for SFP ports.

11 
root@OpenWrt:~# ethtool --show-eee *

EEE settings for wan:
        EEE status: disabled
        Tx LPI: 30 (us)
        Supported EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                   1000baseT/Full
        Advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
        Link partner advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported

EEE settings for lan1:
        EEE status: disabled
        Tx LPI: 30 (us)
        Supported EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                   1000baseT/Full
        Advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
        Link partner advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported

EEE settings for lan2:
        EEE status: disabled
        Tx LPI: 30 (us)
        Supported EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                   1000baseT/Full
        Advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
        Link partner advertised EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                                 1000baseT/Full

EEE settings for lan3:
        EEE status: disabled
        Tx LPI: 30 (us)
        Supported EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                   1000baseT/Full
        Advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
        Link partner advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported

EEE settings for lan4:
        EEE status: disabled
        Tx LPI: 30 (us)
        Supported EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                   1000baseT/Full
        Advertised EEE link modes:  Not reported
        Link partner advertised EEE link modes:  100baseT/Full
                                                 1000baseT/Full
root@OpenWrt:~#

If you run the command ethtool --show-eee *, all the ports connected to the switch display the status of the eee, but as you can see, there’s no sfp2 in the list, as if it wasn’t connected to the switch.

12

after 3 days without any problem, here it is again… this noon, disconnections without stop, as before, then it stopped after 30 minutes of madness… this evening, i come back from work and i have no internet connection. i reboot and still nothing, i remove and put back my ONU and finally it starts again…