[dpdk-dev] [RFC v2] Flow classification library

[Ferruh Yigit]

DPDK works with packets, but some network administration tools works based on
flow information.

This library is suggested to provide helper API to convert packet based
information to the flow records.

Basically the library consist of a single API that gets packets, flow definition
and action as parameter and provides flow stats based on action. Application
should call the API for all received packets.

Library header file has more comments on how library works and provided APIs.

Packets to flow conversion will cause performance drop, that is why conversion
done on demand by an API call provided by this library.

Initial implementation in mind is to provide support for IPFIX metering process
but library planned to be as generic as possible. And flow information provided
by this library is missing to implement full IPFIX features, but this is planned
to be initial step.

Flows are defined using rte_flow, also measurements (actions) are provided by
rte_flow. To support more IPFIX measurements, the implementation may require
extending rte_flow addition to implementing this library.

Since both flows and action defined by rte_flow, it is possible to consider this
library as rte_flow software fallback.

And in case the underlying hardware supports the provided flow and action, in
implementation details this library may prefer to use hardware support to get
the requested stats, for the actions that are not supported by hardware this
library will implement the ways to get the stats.

It will be more beneficial to shape this library to cover more use cases, please
feel free to comment on possible other use case and desired functionalities.


Changes to previous version of the RFC:
v2:
* library uses rte_flow to define flows and action.
* no more callbacks used, user should call API in poll mode for flow stats.
* library no more maintain any flow data, all flow related stats returned
  by API call and forgotten.

Thanks,
ferruh

cc: John McNamara <john.mcnamara at intel.com>
cc: Maryam Tahhan <maryam.tahhan at intel.com>

Ferruh Yigit (1):
  flow_classify: add librte_flow_classify library

 config/common_base                                 |   5 +
 doc/api/doxy-api-index.md                          |   1 +
 doc/api/doxy-api.conf                              |   1 +
 doc/guides/rel_notes/release_17_08.rst             |   1 +
 lib/Makefile                                       |   2 +
 lib/librte_flow_classify/Makefile                  |  50 ++++++++
 lib/librte_flow_classify/rte_flow_classify.c       |  72 ++++++++++++
 lib/librte_flow_classify/rte_flow_classify.h       | 129 +++++++++++++++++++++
 .../rte_flow_classify_version.map                  |   7 ++
 mk/rte.app.mk                                      |   1 +
 10 files changed, 269 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 lib/librte_flow_classify/Makefile
 create mode 100644 lib/librte_flow_classify/rte_flow_classify.c
 create mode 100644 lib/librte_flow_classify/rte_flow_classify.h
 create mode 100644 lib/librte_flow_classify/rte_flow_classify_version.map

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2.9.3