1. Introduction

This document is a user guide for the testpmd example application that is shipped as part of the Data Plane Development Kit.

The testpmd application can be used to test the DPDK in a packet forwarding mode and also to access NIC hardware features such as Flow Director. It also serves as a example of how to build a more fully-featured application using the DPDK SDK.

1.1. DocumentationRoadmap

The following is a list of DPDK documents in the suggested reading order:

• Release Notes : Provides release-specific information, including supported features, limitations, fixed issues, known issues and so on. Also, provides the answers to frequently asked questions in FAQ format.

• Getting Started Guide (this document): Describes how to install and configure the DPDK; designed to get users up and running quickly with the software.

• Programmer’s Guide : Describes:

  • The software architecture and how to use it (through examples), specifically in a Linux* application (linuxapp) environment
  • The content of the DPDK, the build system (including the commands that can be used in the root DPDK Makefile to build the development kit and an application) and guidelines for porting an application
  • Optimizations used in the software and those that should be considered for new development

  A glossary of terms is also provided.

• API Reference : Provides detailed information about DPDK functions, data structures and other programming constructs.

• Sample Applications User Guide : Describes a set of sample applications. Each chapter describes a sample application that showcases specific functionality and provides instructions on how to compile, run and use the sample application.

Note

These documents are available for download as a separate documentation package at the same location as the DPDK code package.