Docs cleanup: stale-claim conflicts fixed (e810 stamps/probe.go, CX-5 candidate title, committed-path perf table now the X520 20G result with E810-era rows marked historical, ice-pair ring note), irdma/ice notes moved to e810, state.md halved (done-checklist, RX-steering and standing-goals duplication out; ECD suppression fact into modules/fs), changelog framing flattened to present tense

docs/nics/connectx-5/README.md

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# ConnectX-5 (mlx5) — the product NIC candidate
+# ConnectX-5 (mlx5) — retired
 
 ## Status: retired — the X520 smoothed-bucket plan removes the need for this card
 
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ The all-packet stamps were this card's only edge, and the smoothed-bucket rate p
 - Whether that quantum is fixable at all, and whether the 0.03 Gb/s gap closes with proper coalescing/ring tuning.
 - The MCIA `l` lock bit's real semantics (did nothing useful in testing); the two-master interleaving story is moot given the process-wide lock.
 
-Dual SFP28, PCIe x8 (MCX512A-ACU, firmware 16.35.4506; trains Gen3 ×8 in the box's slot, 63 Gb/s). mlx5 is the one driver meeting the full requirement set:
+Dual SFP28, PCIe x8 (MCX512A-ACU, firmware 16.35.4506; trains Gen3 ×8 in the box's slot, 63 Gb/s). mlx5 was the one driver meeting the old requirement set (all-packet stamps + module-I2C writes):
 
-- **CQE-stamps every RX packet** (`HWTSTAMP_FILTER_ALL`) — `ethtool -T` reports rx filter `all` on both ports; the committed bucketing and `probe.go` run unchanged.
+- **CQE-stamps every RX packet** (`HWTSTAMP_FILTER_ALL`) — `ethtool -T` reports rx filter `all` on both ports.
 - **One hardware oscillator across both ports, but two PHC devices** — see the measured PHC topology below; cross-port stamp comparison needs a startup offset calibration.
 - **Native ETHER_FLOW ntuple steering** — no driver patch, no encap needed.
 - Mature driver; SFP+ modules drop into SFP28 cages at 10G (proven — the Wiitek pair links at 10G over the long cable).
@@ -85,19 +85,19 @@ Attempts that do not break it: force 10G / autoneg toggles, port bounces, PRBS31
 
 **The deadlock is module-typed, not port-typed — confirmed by cage swap**: the Wiitek reaches Physical LinkUp in either cage, the FS in neither (same Polling FSM, same remote-fault relay from the far end).
 
-Paths forward, in escalation order:
+Paths forward if this card ever returns, in escalation order:
 
 1. **Fibergaga + Wiitek as the test pair.** Both are lying-EEPROM/TX-always modules; both populate IEEE per-pair SNR margins; the Fibergaga carries the length path in documented registers (1E.C884 length ±1 m, 1E.C800 TDR verdicts — [../../modules/fibergaga/README.md](../../modules/fibergaga/README.md)) with no ECD-style link blip. Costs the BCM ECD; frees the FS to the shelf (it is ixgbe-only anyway).
 2. **EEPROM surgery on the FS** (byte 36: 0x1C→0x00, plus checksum) to make it lie like the Wiitek — only worth it if the firmware's gate keys on the module's declared class rather than the LOS pin, which is unproven; writability unassessed; semi-permanent.
 
-## Arrival notes (resolved)
+## Arrival notes
 
 - Ports arrived in Ethernet mode (`enp1s0f*np*` netdevs from first boot); no `mlxconfig` LINK_TYPE change needed.
-- `mlx5_ib` autoloads; no channel-change interference observed so far (the irdma lesson, hardware.md) — re-verify when cabletest's channel setup first runs.
+- `mlx5_ib` autoloads; no channel-change interference observed so far (the irdma lesson, [../e810/README.md](../e810/README.md)) — re-verify when cabletest's channel setup first runs.
 - SFP28 autoneg does not settle with these modules; `ethtool -s <dev> speed 10000 autoneg off` is the working configuration on the module ports.
 - Mellanox is permissive with third-party modules, confirmed: the honest FS EEPROM that i40e rejects and stock ixgbe qualifies out probes and transacts cleanly ("Cable plugged", full EEPROM/DOM access). Link bring-up is a separate story (above).
 
-## Host-setup deltas from the ice/ixgbe path (`system.go`, `counters.go`)
+## Host-setup deltas from the ice/ixgbe path (the stashed implementation's `system.go`/`counters.go`)
 
 Runs at line rate on the Wiitek pair. What differs from the earlier NICs, all handled in the checks: