Contents

Status of the Broadcom 63xx port of OpenWrt
How to help

This page covers the BCM63xx SoC specificities, but the BCM33xx SoC (excluding BCM3302 which is a CPU) are the exact same chip, except that the DSL core is replaced with a DOCSIS/EuroDOCSIS one.

Status of the Broadcom 63xx port of OpenWrt

The Broadcom BCM963xx currently only works with BCM6348/BCM6358 boards. Others expected soon.
We have GPL drivers for USB (OHCI and EHCI), Ethernet, DSL is still binary though.
Belkin has released "GPL code for the F5D7633", but it only has binary Broadcom drivers.
TP-link also has some code out for the platform --> see TP-link GPL code for many of their products (many are broadcom based).
D-Link GPL download center: D-Link GPL code for all of their products (DSL-2640B, DSL-2740B).

What is this Broadcom 63xx stuff?

Broadcom63xx SoCintegrates ADSL/ADSL2+ features, routing, and external Wireless NIC.

The ethernet SOC is similar to that used in the BCM7318 which is also used in the Tivo. Tivo has release complete sources of their ethernet driver tivo source which could be the basis of a working BCM63xx driver. See the files:

 linux-2.4/drivers/net/
   bcmemac7318.c
   bcmemac7318.h
   bcmenet.c
   bcmenet.h
   bcmenet_regs.h

What are 63xx variants?

There are six 63xx variants: bcm6345,bcm6338,bcm6348,bcm6358,bcm6368,bcm6816

Chip	CPU Mhz	USB Device	USB Host	WiFi	ADSL2	ADSL2+	VDSL	Fiber
bcm6345	75	1.1	-	-	Yes	No	No
bcm6335	???	?.?	-	-	?	?	?	No
bcm6338	240	1.1	-	-	Yes	Yes	No	No
bcm6348	240	1.1	1.1	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
bcm6358	300	2.0	2.0	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
bcm6368	300	2.0	2.0	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
bcm6816	300	2.0	2.0	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

There are also some other variants like bcm6341, which is a DSP used in VoIP products.

Known 63xx platforms

Netcomm NB8W (Re-branded Comtrend CT-536)

Netcomm NB9 (Re-branded Comtrend CT-638)

Netcomm NB9W (Re-branded Comtrend CT-638)

Netgear DG834GT

Netgear DG834PN

Pirelli Alice Gate 2+ Wi-Fi (See 6358 too)

Thomson Speedtouch ST585v6

Thomson Speedtouch ST716(g)

Thomson Speedtouch ST780(i)WL

Sagem F@ST 2504 (commonly shipped by Sky Broadband in UK)

Known 6358 platforms*:

Buffalo WBMR-G300N

D-Link DSL-2640B

D-Link DSL-2740B hw C2, C3

ALICE GATE VoIP 2 Plus Wi-Fi Business

US Robotics USR9113

Zhone 6228

* If no dedicated Openwrt page is found an external link is supplied

Finished tasks

The support for Broadcom 63xx is at this state :

Full linux-2.6.27 support with GPL drivers for Ethernet and USB, only DSL is binary

TODO

Talk with Broadcom related vendors to make them release some sources
- Pirelli Broadband Solutions relesed a GPL source code of its Alice Gate 2+ Wi-Fi at this link ans a group of people are adapting the USR9108 source code to better work on the same router at this link

Firmware/Bootloader

Some devices use RedBoot such as Inventel Liveboxes. Other run CFE with a built-in LZMA decompressor such as Siemens SE515, Free Freebox ... CFE is not using standard LZMA compression arguments, and most noticebly, changes the dictionnary size, so beware.

How to help

Port ATM/ADSL changes to kernel 2.6.27 and use the binary DSL for now
Test the currently merged kernel in order to see if it boots on CFE based boards.

CategoryOpenWrtPort

CategoryBCM63xx

BroadcomBCM63xxPort