4. DPDK Release 18.02

4.1. New Features

  • Added function to allow releasing internal EAL resources on exit.

    During rte_eal_init() EAL allocates memory from hugepages to enable its core libraries to perform their tasks. The rte_eal_cleanup() function releases these resources, ensuring that no hugepage memory is leaked. It is expected that all DPDK applications call rte_eal_cleanup() before exiting. Not calling this function could result in leaking hugepages, leading to failure during initialization of secondary processes.

  • Added igb, ixgbe and i40e ethernet driver to support RSS with flow API.

    Added support for igb, ixgbe and i40e NICs with existing RSS configuration using the rte_flow API.

    Also enabled queue region configuration using the rte_flow API for i40e.

  • Updated i40e driver to support PPPoE/PPPoL2TP.

    Updated i40e PMD to support PPPoE/PPPoL2TP with PPPoE/PPPoL2TP supporting profiles which can be programmed by dynamic device personalization (DDP) process.

  • Added MAC loopback support for i40e.

    Added MAC loopback support for i40e in order to support test tasks requested by users. It will setup Tx -> Rx loopback link according to the device configuration.

  • Added support of run time determination of number of queues per i40e VF.

    The number of queue per VF is determined by its host PF. If the PCI address of an i40e PF is aaaa:bb.cc, the number of queues per VF can be configured with EAL parameter like -w aaaa:bb.cc,queue-num-per-vf=n. The value n can be 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16. If no such parameter is configured, the number of queues per VF is 4 by default.

  • Updated mlx5 driver.

    Updated the mlx5 driver including the following changes:

    • Enabled compilation as a plugin, thus removed the mandatory dependency with rdma-core. With the special compilation, the rdma-core libraries will be loaded only in case Mellanox device is being used. For binaries creation the PMD can be enabled, still not requiring from every end user to install rdma-core.
    • Improved multi-segment packet performance.
    • Changed driver name to use the PCI address to be compatible with OVS-DPDK APIs.
    • Extended statistics for physical port packet/byte counters.
    • Converted to the new offloads API.
    • Supported device removal check operation.

  • Updated mlx4 driver.

    Updated the mlx4 driver including the following changes:

    • Enabled compilation as a plugin, thus removed the mandatory dependency with rdma-core. With the special compilation, the rdma-core libraries will be loaded only in case Mellanox device is being used. For binaries creation the PMD can be enabled, still not requiring from every end user to install rdma-core.
    • Improved data path performance.
    • Converted to the new offloads API.
    • Supported device removal check operation.

  • Added NVGRE and UDP tunnels support in Solarflare network PMD.

    Added support for NVGRE, VXLAN and GENEVE tunnels.

    • Added support for UDP tunnel ports configuration.
    • Added tunneled packets classification.
    • Added inner checksum offload.

  • Added AVF (Adaptive Virtual Function) net PMD.

    Added a new net PMD called AVF (Adaptive Virtual Function), which supports Intel® Ethernet Adaptive Virtual Function (AVF) with features such as:

    • Basic Rx/Tx burst
    • SSE vectorized Rx/Tx burst
    • Promiscuous mode
    • MAC/VLAN offload
    • Checksum offload
    • TSO offload
    • Jumbo frame and MTU setting
    • RSS configuration
    • stats
    • Rx/Tx descriptor status
    • Link status update/event

  • Added feature supports for live migration from vhost-net to vhost-user.

    Added feature supports for vhost-user to make live migration from vhost-net to vhost-user possible. The features include:

    • VIRTIO_F_ANY_LAYOUT
    • VIRTIO_F_EVENT_IDX
    • VIRTIO_NET_F_GUEST_ECN, VIRTIO_NET_F_HOST_ECN
    • VIRTIO_NET_F_GUEST_UFO, VIRTIO_NET_F_HOST_UFO
    • VIRTIO_NET_F_GSO

    Also added VIRTIO_NET_F_GUEST_ANNOUNCE feature support in virtio pmd. In a scenario where the vhost backend doesn’t have the ability to generate RARP packets, the VM running virtio pmd can still be live migrated if VIRTIO_NET_F_GUEST_ANNOUNCE feature is negotiated.

  • Updated the AESNI-MB PMD.

    The AESNI-MB PMD has been updated with additional support for:

    • AES-CCM algorithm.

  • Updated the DPAA_SEC crypto driver to support rte_security.

    Updated the dpaa_sec crypto PMD to support rte_security lookaside protocol offload for IPsec.

  • Added Wireless Base Band Device (bbdev) abstraction.

    The Wireless Baseband Device library is an acceleration abstraction framework for 3gpp Layer 1 processing functions that provides a common programming interface for seamless operation on integrated or discrete hardware accelerators or using optimized software libraries for signal processing.

    The current release only supports 3GPP CRC, Turbo Coding and Rate Matching operations, as specified in 3GPP TS 36.212.

    See the Wireless Baseband Device Library programmer’s guide for more details.

  • Added New eventdev Ordered Packet Distribution Library (OPDL) PMD.

    The OPDL (Ordered Packet Distribution Library) eventdev is a specific implementation of the eventdev API. It is particularly suited to packet processing workloads that have high throughput and low latency requirements. All packets follow the same path through the device. The order in which packets follow is determined by the order in which queues are set up. Events are left on the ring until they are transmitted. As a result packets do not go out of order.

    With this change, applications can use the OPDL PMD via the eventdev api.

  • Added new pipeline use case for dpdk-test-eventdev application.

    Added a new “pipeline” use case for the dpdk-test-eventdev application. The pipeline case can be used to simulate various stages in a real world application from packet receive to transmit while maintaining the packet ordering. It can also be used to measure the performance of the event device across the stages of the pipeline.

    The pipeline use case has been made generic to work with all the event devices based on the capabilities.

  • Updated Eventdev sample application to support event devices based on capability.

    Updated the Eventdev pipeline sample application to support various types of pipelines based on the capabilities of the attached event and ethernet devices. Also, renamed the application from software PMD specific eventdev_pipeline_sw_pmd to the more generic eventdev_pipeline.

  • Added Rawdev, a generic device support library.

    The Rawdev library provides support for integrating any generic device type with the DPDK framework. Generic devices are those which do not have a pre-defined type within DPDK, for example, ethernet, crypto, event etc.

    A set of northbound APIs have been defined which encompass a generic set of operations by allowing applications to interact with device using opaque structures/buffers. Also, southbound APIs provide a means of integrating devices either as as part of a physical bus (PCI, FSLMC etc) or through vdev.

    See the Rawdevice Library programmer’s guide for more details.

  • Added new multi-process communication channel.

    Added a generic channel in EAL for multi-process (primary/secondary) communication. Consumers of this channel need to register an action with an action name to response a message received; the actions will be identified by the action name and executed in the context of a new dedicated thread for this channel. The list of new APIs:

    • rte_mp_register and rte_mp_unregister are for action (un)registration.
    • rte_mp_sendmsg is for sending a message without blocking for a response.
    • rte_mp_request is for sending a request message and will block until it gets a reply message which is sent from the peer by rte_mp_reply.

  • Added GRO support for VxLAN-tunneled packets.

    Added GRO support for VxLAN-tunneled packets. Supported VxLAN packets must contain an outer IPv4 header and inner TCP/IPv4 headers. VxLAN GRO doesn’t check if input packets have correct checksums and doesn’t update checksums for output packets. Additionally, it assumes the packets are complete (i.e., MF==0 && frag_off==0), when IP fragmentation is possible (i.e., DF==0).

  • Increased default Rx and Tx ring size in sample applications.

    Increased the default RX_RING_SIZE and TX_RING_SIZE to 1024 entries in testpmd and the sample applications to give better performance in the general case. The user should experiment with various Rx and Tx ring sizes for their specific application to get best performance.

  • Added new DPDK build system using the tools “meson” and “ninja” [EXPERIMENTAL].

    Added support for building DPDK using meson and ninja, which gives additional features, such as automatic build-time configuration, over the current build system using make. For instructions on how to do a DPDK build using the new system, see the instructions in doc/build-sdk-meson.txt.

    Note

    This new build system support is incomplete at this point and is added as experimental in this release. The existing build system using make is unaffected by these changes, and can continue to be used for this and subsequent releases until such time as it’s deprecation is announced.

4.2. Shared Library Versions

The libraries prepended with a plus sign were incremented in this version.

  librte_acl.so.2
+ librte_bbdev.so.1
  librte_bitratestats.so.2
  librte_bus_dpaa.so.1
  librte_bus_fslmc.so.1
  librte_bus_pci.so.1
  librte_bus_vdev.so.1
  librte_cfgfile.so.2
  librte_cmdline.so.2
  librte_cryptodev.so.4
  librte_distributor.so.1
  librte_eal.so.6
  librte_ethdev.so.8
  librte_eventdev.so.3
  librte_flow_classify.so.1
  librte_gro.so.1
  librte_gso.so.1
  librte_hash.so.2
  librte_ip_frag.so.1
  librte_jobstats.so.1
  librte_kni.so.2
  librte_kvargs.so.1
  librte_latencystats.so.1
  librte_lpm.so.2
  librte_mbuf.so.3
  librte_mempool.so.3
  librte_meter.so.1
  librte_metrics.so.1
  librte_net.so.1
  librte_pci.so.1
  librte_pdump.so.2
  librte_pipeline.so.3
  librte_pmd_bnxt.so.2
  librte_pmd_bond.so.2
  librte_pmd_i40e.so.2
  librte_pmd_ixgbe.so.2
  librte_pmd_ring.so.2
  librte_pmd_softnic.so.1
  librte_pmd_vhost.so.2
  librte_port.so.3
  librte_power.so.1
+ librte_rawdev.so.1
  librte_reorder.so.1
  librte_ring.so.1
  librte_sched.so.1
  librte_security.so.1
  librte_table.so.3
  librte_timer.so.1
  librte_vhost.so.3

4.3. Tested Platforms

  • Intel(R) platforms with Intel(R) NICs combinations

    • CPU
      • Intel(R) Atom(TM) CPU C2758 @ 2.40GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU D-1540 @ 2.00GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU D-1541 @ 2.10GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-4667 v3 @ 2.00GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2680 v2 @ 2.80GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2699 v4 @ 2.20GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2695 v4 @ 2.10GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2658 v2 @ 2.40GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2658 v3 @ 2.20GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) Platinum 8180 CPU @ 2.50GHz
    • OS:
      • CentOS 7.2
      • Fedora 25
      • Fedora 26
      • Fedora 27
      • FreeBSD 11
      • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 7.3
      • SUSE Enterprise Linux 12
      • Wind River Linux 8
      • Ubuntu 14.04
      • Ubuntu 16.04
      • Ubuntu 16.10
      • Ubuntu 17.10
    • NICs:
      • Intel(R) 82599ES 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
        • Firmware version: 0x61bf0001
        • Device id (pf/vf): 8086:10fb / 8086:10ed
        • Driver version: 5.2.3 (ixgbe)
      • Intel(R) Corporation Ethernet Connection X552/X557-AT 10GBASE-T
        • Firmware version: 0x800003e7
        • Device id (pf/vf): 8086:15ad / 8086:15a8
        • Driver version: 4.4.6 (ixgbe)
      • Intel(R) Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-DA4 (4x10G)
        • Firmware version: 6.01 0x80003221
        • Device id (pf/vf): 8086:1572 / 8086:154c
        • Driver version: 2.4.3 (i40e)
      • Intel Corporation Ethernet Connection X722 for 10GBASE-T
        • firmware-version: 6.01 0x80003221
        • Device id: 8086:37d2 / 8086:154c
        • Driver version: 2.4.3 (i40e)
      • Intel(R) Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XXV710-DA2 (2x25G)
        • Firmware version: 6.01 0x80003221
        • Device id (pf/vf): 8086:158b / 8086:154c
        • Driver version: 2.4.3 (i40e)
      • Intel(R) Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XL710-QDA2 (2X40G)
        • Firmware version: 6.01 0x8000321c
        • Device id (pf/vf): 8086:1583 / 8086:154c
        • Driver version: 2.4.3 (i40e)
      • Intel(R) Corporation I350 Gigabit Network Connection
        • Firmware version: 1.63, 0x80000dda
        • Device id (pf/vf): 8086:1521 / 8086:1520
        • Driver version: 5.3.0-k (igb)

  • Intel(R) platforms with Mellanox(R) NICs combinations

    • CPU:
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2697A v4 @ 2.60GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2697 v3 @ 2.60GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2680 v2 @ 2.80GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2650 v4 @ 2.20GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2640 @ 2.50GHz
      • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2620 v4 @ 2.10GHz
    • OS:
      • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 7.5 Beta (Maipo)
      • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 7.4 (Maipo)
      • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 7.3 (Maipo)
      • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 7.2 (Maipo)
      • Ubuntu 17.10
      • Ubuntu 16.10
      • Ubuntu 16.04
    • MLNX_OFED: 4.2-1.0.0.0
    • MLNX_OFED: 4.3-0.1.6.0
    • NICs:
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-3 Pro 40G MCX354A-FCC_Ax (2x40G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1007
        • Firmware version: 2.42.5000
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 10G MCX4111A-XCAT (1x10G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 10G MCX4121A-XCAT (2x10G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 25G MCX4111A-ACAT (1x25G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 25G MCX4121A-ACAT (2x25G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 40G MCX4131A-BCAT/MCX413A-BCAT (1x40G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 40G MCX415A-BCAT (1x40G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 50G MCX4131A-GCAT/MCX413A-GCAT (1x50G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 50G MCX414A-BCAT (2x50G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 50G MCX415A-GCAT/MCX416A-BCAT/MCX416A-GCAT (2x50G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 50G MCX415A-CCAT (1x100G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 100G MCX416A-CCAT (2x100G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16
        • Device ID: 15b3:1013
        • Firmware version: 12.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 Lx 10G MCX4121A-XCAT (2x10G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1015
        • Firmware version: 14.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 Lx 25G MCX4121A-ACAT (2x25G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1015
        • Firmware version: 14.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-5 100G MCX556A-ECAT (2x100G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16
        • Device ID: 15b3:1017
        • Firmware version: 16.21.1000 and above
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX-5 Ex EN 100G MCX516A-CDAT (2x100G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 4.0 x16
        • Device ID: 15b3:1019
        • Firmware version: 16.21.1000 and above

  • ARM platforms with Mellanox(R) NICs combinations

    • CPU:
      • Qualcomm ARM 1.1 2500MHz
    • OS:
      • Ubuntu 16.04
    • MLNX_OFED: 4.2-1.0.0.0
    • NICs:
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-4 Lx 25G MCX4121A-ACAT (2x25G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8
        • Device ID: 15b3:1015
        • Firmware version: 14.21.1000
      • Mellanox(R) ConnectX(R)-5 100G MCX556A-ECAT (2x100G)
        • Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16
        • Device ID: 15b3:1017
        • Firmware version: 16.21.1000