diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/rocker/rocker.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/rocker/rocker.c
index c0051673c9fa..932428314b80 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/rocker/rocker.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/rocker/rocker.c
@@ -4015,7 +4015,8 @@ static int rocker_port_open(struct net_device *dev)
 
 	napi_enable(&rocker_port->napi_tx);
 	napi_enable(&rocker_port->napi_rx);
-	rocker_port_set_enable(rocker_port, true);
+	if (!dev->proto_down)
+		rocker_port_set_enable(rocker_port, true);
 	netif_start_queue(dev);
 	return 0;
 
@@ -4227,6 +4228,17 @@ static int rocker_port_get_phys_port_name(struct net_device *dev,
 	return err ? -EOPNOTSUPP : 0;
 }
 
+static int rocker_port_change_proto_down(struct net_device *dev,
+					 bool proto_down)
+{
+	struct rocker_port *rocker_port = netdev_priv(dev);
+
+	if (rocker_port->dev->flags & IFF_UP)
+		rocker_port_set_enable(rocker_port, !proto_down);
+	rocker_port->dev->proto_down = proto_down;
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static const struct net_device_ops rocker_port_netdev_ops = {
 	.ndo_open			= rocker_port_open,
 	.ndo_stop			= rocker_port_stop,
@@ -4240,6 +4252,7 @@ static const struct net_device_ops rocker_port_netdev_ops = {
 	.ndo_fdb_del			= switchdev_port_fdb_del,
 	.ndo_fdb_dump			= switchdev_port_fdb_dump,
 	.ndo_get_phys_port_name		= rocker_port_get_phys_port_name,
+	.ndo_change_proto_down		= rocker_port_change_proto_down,
 };
 
 /********************
diff --git a/include/linux/netdevice.h b/include/linux/netdevice.h
index e20979dfd6a9..45cfd797eb77 100644
--- a/include/linux/netdevice.h
+++ b/include/linux/netdevice.h
@@ -1041,6 +1041,12 @@ typedef u16 (*select_queue_fallback_t)(struct net_device *dev,
  *	TX queue.
  * int (*ndo_get_iflink)(const struct net_device *dev);
  *	Called to get the iflink value of this device.
+ * void (*ndo_change_proto_down)(struct net_device *dev,
+ *				  bool proto_down);
+ *	This function is used to pass protocol port error state information
+ *	to the switch driver. The switch driver can react to the proto_down
+ *      by doing a phys down on the associated switch port.
+ *
  */
 struct net_device_ops {
 	int			(*ndo_init)(struct net_device *dev);
@@ -1211,6 +1217,8 @@ struct net_device_ops {
 						      int queue_index,
 						      u32 maxrate);
 	int			(*ndo_get_iflink)(const struct net_device *dev);
+	int			(*ndo_change_proto_down)(struct net_device *dev,
+							 bool proto_down);
 };
 
 /**
@@ -1502,6 +1510,10 @@ enum netdev_priv_flags {
  *
  *	@qdisc_tx_busylock:	XXX: need comments on this one
  *
+ *	@proto_down:	protocol port state information can be sent to the
+ *			switch driver and used to set the phys state of the
+ *			switch port.
+ *
  *	FIXME: cleanup struct net_device such that network protocol info
  *	moves out.
  */
@@ -1762,6 +1774,7 @@ struct net_device {
 #endif
 	struct phy_device *phydev;
 	struct lock_class_key *qdisc_tx_busylock;
+	bool proto_down;
 };
 #define to_net_dev(d) container_of(d, struct net_device, dev)
 
@@ -2982,6 +2995,7 @@ int dev_get_phys_port_id(struct net_device *dev,
 			 struct netdev_phys_item_id *ppid);
 int dev_get_phys_port_name(struct net_device *dev,
 			   char *name, size_t len);
+int dev_change_proto_down(struct net_device *dev, bool proto_down);
 struct sk_buff *validate_xmit_skb_list(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev);
 struct sk_buff *dev_hard_start_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev,
 				    struct netdev_queue *txq, int *ret);
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/if_link.h b/include/uapi/linux/if_link.h
index 2c7e8e3d3981..24d68b797c59 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/if_link.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/if_link.h
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ enum {
 	IFLA_PHYS_SWITCH_ID,
 	IFLA_LINK_NETNSID,
 	IFLA_PHYS_PORT_NAME,
+	IFLA_PROTO_DOWN,
 	__IFLA_MAX
 };
 
diff --git a/net/core/dev.c b/net/core/dev.c
index 69445a33ace6..8810b6bbebfe 100644
--- a/net/core/dev.c
+++ b/net/core/dev.c
@@ -6074,6 +6074,26 @@ int dev_get_phys_port_name(struct net_device *dev,
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(dev_get_phys_port_name);
 
+/**
+ *	dev_change_proto_down - update protocol port state information
+ *	@dev: device
+ *	@proto_down: new value
+ *
+ *	This info can be used by switch drivers to set the phys state of the
+ *	port.
+ */
+int dev_change_proto_down(struct net_device *dev, bool proto_down)
+{
+	const struct net_device_ops *ops = dev->netdev_ops;
+
+	if (!ops->ndo_change_proto_down)
+		return -EOPNOTSUPP;
+	if (!netif_device_present(dev))
+		return -ENODEV;
+	return ops->ndo_change_proto_down(dev, proto_down);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(dev_change_proto_down);
+
 /**
  *	dev_new_index	-	allocate an ifindex
  *	@net: the applicable net namespace
diff --git a/net/core/net-sysfs.c b/net/core/net-sysfs.c
index 18b34d771ed4..194c1d03b2b3 100644
--- a/net/core/net-sysfs.c
+++ b/net/core/net-sysfs.c
@@ -404,6 +404,19 @@ static ssize_t group_store(struct device *dev, struct device_attribute *attr,
 NETDEVICE_SHOW(group, fmt_dec);
 static DEVICE_ATTR(netdev_group, S_IRUGO | S_IWUSR, group_show, group_store);
 
+static int change_proto_down(struct net_device *dev, unsigned long proto_down)
+{
+	return dev_change_proto_down(dev, (bool) proto_down);
+}
+
+static ssize_t proto_down_store(struct device *dev,
+				struct device_attribute *attr,
+				const char *buf, size_t len)
+{
+	return netdev_store(dev, attr, buf, len, change_proto_down);
+}
+NETDEVICE_SHOW_RW(proto_down, fmt_dec);
+
 static ssize_t phys_port_id_show(struct device *dev,
 				 struct device_attribute *attr, char *buf)
 {
@@ -501,6 +514,7 @@ static struct attribute *net_class_attrs[] = {
 	&dev_attr_phys_port_id.attr,
 	&dev_attr_phys_port_name.attr,
 	&dev_attr_phys_switch_id.attr,
+	&dev_attr_proto_down.attr,
 	NULL,
 };
 ATTRIBUTE_GROUPS(net_class);
diff --git a/net/core/rtnetlink.c b/net/core/rtnetlink.c
index 9e433d58d265..03d61b54aac0 100644
--- a/net/core/rtnetlink.c
+++ b/net/core/rtnetlink.c
@@ -896,7 +896,9 @@ static noinline size_t if_nlmsg_size(const struct net_device *dev,
 	       + rtnl_link_get_size(dev) /* IFLA_LINKINFO */
 	       + rtnl_link_get_af_size(dev) /* IFLA_AF_SPEC */
 	       + nla_total_size(MAX_PHYS_ITEM_ID_LEN) /* IFLA_PHYS_PORT_ID */
-	       + nla_total_size(MAX_PHYS_ITEM_ID_LEN); /* IFLA_PHYS_SWITCH_ID */
+	       + nla_total_size(MAX_PHYS_ITEM_ID_LEN) /* IFLA_PHYS_SWITCH_ID */
+	       + nla_total_size(1); /* IFLA_PROTO_DOWN */
+
 }
 
 static int rtnl_vf_ports_fill(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev)
@@ -1082,7 +1084,8 @@ static int rtnl_fill_ifinfo(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev,
 	    (dev->ifalias &&
 	     nla_put_string(skb, IFLA_IFALIAS, dev->ifalias)) ||
 	    nla_put_u32(skb, IFLA_CARRIER_CHANGES,
-			atomic_read(&dev->carrier_changes)))
+			atomic_read(&dev->carrier_changes)) ||
+	    nla_put_u8(skb, IFLA_PROTO_DOWN, dev->proto_down))
 		goto nla_put_failure;
 
 	if (1) {
@@ -1319,6 +1322,7 @@ static const struct nla_policy ifla_policy[IFLA_MAX+1] = {
 	[IFLA_CARRIER_CHANGES]	= { .type = NLA_U32 },  /* ignored */
 	[IFLA_PHYS_SWITCH_ID]	= { .type = NLA_BINARY, .len = MAX_PHYS_ITEM_ID_LEN },
 	[IFLA_LINK_NETNSID]	= { .type = NLA_S32 },
+	[IFLA_PROTO_DOWN]	= { .type = NLA_U8 },
 };
 
 static const struct nla_policy ifla_info_policy[IFLA_INFO_MAX+1] = {
@@ -1858,6 +1862,14 @@ static int do_setlink(const struct sk_buff *skb,
 	}
 	err = 0;
 
+	if (tb[IFLA_PROTO_DOWN]) {
+		err = dev_change_proto_down(dev,
+					    nla_get_u8(tb[IFLA_PROTO_DOWN]));
+		if (err)
+			goto errout;
+		status |= DO_SETLINK_NOTIFY;
+	}
+
 errout:
 	if (status & DO_SETLINK_MODIFIED) {
 		if (status & DO_SETLINK_NOTIFY)