[dpdk-dev] Ethtool support in DPDK pmd

[Stephen Hemminger]

On Mon, 02 Jun 2014 23:35:12 +0200
Vincent JARDIN <vincent.jardin at 6wind.com> wrote:

> On 02/06/2014 22:37, Chris Wright wrote:
> > If drivers stayed in kernel and kernel drivers exposed a mechansim for
> > registering application dma buffers for dpdk apps, then ethtool would
> > simply work as-is.
> 
> Yes, that's the right way to go. Currently, the kernel does not provide 
> a generic framework for that and I am not aware of any projects in order 
> to define it. Could it be something to discuss on netdev@?
> 
> So, as a workaround, some proprietary solutions get implemented in order 
> to get ethtool running with any DPDK PMD.
> 
> Best regards,
>    Vincent

Ethtool has a number of problems. You can implement for KNI or TUN type
devices, but it really doesn't make sense for a generic type driver.
Also, it tends to get used for device specific things.