[dpdk-dev] [PATCH v10 26/26] doc: update doc for VFD

[Thomas Monjalon]

2017-01-16 13:51, Wenzhuo Lu:
> --- a/doc/guides/rel_notes/release_17_02.rst
> +++ b/doc/guides/rel_notes/release_17_02.rst
> @@ -66,6 +66,35 @@ New Features
>    Support for Mellanox ConnectX-5 family of 10/25/40/50/100 Gbps adapters
>    has been added to the existing mlx5 PMD.
>  
> +* **Added VF Daemon (VFD) on i40e. - EXPERIMENTAL**
> +
> +  This's an EXPERIMENTAL feature to enhance the capability of DPDK PF as many
> +  VF management features are not supported by kernel PF driver.
> +  Some new private APIs are implemented in PMD without abstrction layer.

Typo in abstrction

> +  They can be used directly by some users who have the need.
> +
> +  The new APIs to control VFs directly from PF include,
> +  1) set VF MAC anti-spoofing
> +  2) set VF VLAN anti-spoofing
> +  3) set TX loopback
> +  4) set VF unicast promiscuous mode
> +  5) set VF multicast promiscuous mode
> +  6) set VF MTU
> +  7) get/reset VF stats
> +  8) set VF MAC address
> +  9) set VF VLAN stripping
> +  10) VF VLAN insertion
> +  12) set VF broadcast mode
> +  13) set VF VLAN tag
> +  14) set VF VLAN filter
> +  VFD also includes VF to PF mailbox message management by APP.
> +  When PF receives mailbox messages from VF, PF should call the callback
> +  provided by APP to know if they're permitted to be processed.
> +
> +  As an EXPERIMENTAL feature, please aware it can be changed or even
> +  removed without prior notice.

It is good to explain things in the release notes, but not sufficient.
We must explain the DPDK position about PF/VF in the design doc:
	http://dpdk.org/doc/guides/contributing/design.html

It is important to explain that the primary goal of DPDK is to provide
a userland dataplane. Managing VF from a PF driver is a control plane
feature and we generally rely on the kernel for that.
So we continue adding some PF features in DPDK as experimental functions
but they must be implemented in the kernel with the same messaging interface.