Broadcom STB BMIPS suspend and resume support
Suspend-to-RAM and deep-sleep power management for Broadcom's older MIPS-based set-top-box system-on-chips, the BMIPS generation that powered cable, satellite, and IPTV boxes from operators worldwide through the 2000s and into the mid-2010s before Broadcom's lineup shifted to ARM-based STB silicon.
recommendation
Worth keeping but documenting as legacy, because the MIPS-side power management code is still built into current kernels and likely runs in the large installed base of operator-deployed set-top boxes, even though new Broadcom STB designs have moved to ARM parts (such as the BCM7445 HEVC family from 2014 onward). Maintainers already pruned the matching ARM bare-metal suspend code in 2023 but deliberately left the MIPS path in place, and the directory still saw a routine treewide touch-up in 2025, so removal would be premature.
repository signals
sources
- cateee.net
CONFIG_BRCMSTB_PM still exists in current kernels, and the BMIPS MIPS-side `pm-mips.c` support is still present through current HEAD data.
- cateee.net
The broader Broadcom STB SoC support remains in-tree, with `pm-mips.c` bindings still listed while the ARM PM path is gone.
- git.kernel.org
Upstream removed the bare-metal ARM suspend/resume code in 2023, indicating maintainers are willing to prune dead BRCMSTB PM code, but they did not remove the MIPS PM path in this directory.
- git.kernel.org
This directory was still touched in 2025, though the latest change affecting it was a treewide MIPS assembler-header rename rather than feature work.
- prnewswire.com
Broadcom's newer widely marketed STB generation by 2014 centered on ARM-based BCM7445/HEVC parts, implying the BMIPS generation targeted by this driver is older legacy hardware.
- sercomm.com
Broadcom-based STB products are still being launched in 2025, but on much newer Broadcom STB SoCs, not the older BMIPS family handled by this MIPS PM driver.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Local inspection via `exec_command` showed real hardware-facing suspend/resume code plus MIPS assembly entry paths (`pm-mips.c`, `s2-mips.S`, `s3-mips.S`), so this is a true driver directory. Maintenance signal came from local `git -c safe.directory=... log` output, then mapped to canonical git.kernel.org commit URLs by stable URL recall: 2023 ARM PM removal and a 2025 treewide MIPS header update. Deployment evidence came from `web.search_query`: LKDDb confirms the BMIPS PM path is still built at HEAD, while Broadcom/Sercomm market pages show current STB sales have moved to newer Broadcom STB silicon. Conclusion: legacy but still deployed in field on operator boxes, no natural replacement driver, and not inactive enough for removal; annotate as legacy rather than deprecate immediately.