Re: [dpdk-dev] random pkt generator PMD

[Bruce Richardson <bruce.richardson@intel.com>]

On Wed, Jun 15, 2016 at 04:03:59PM +0600, Yerden Zhumabekov wrote:
> On 15.06.2016 15:49, Bruce Richardson wrote:
> >On Wed, Jun 15, 2016 at 03:43:56PM +0600, Yerden Zhumabekov wrote:
> >>Hello everybody,
> >>
> >>DPDK already got a number of PMDs for various eth devices, it even has PMD
> >>emulations for backends such as pcap, sw rings etc.
> >>
> >>I've been thinking about the idea of having PMD which would generate mbufs
> >>on the fly in some randomized fashion. This would serve goals like, for
> >>example:
> >>
> >>1) running tests for applications with network processing capabilities
> >>without additional software packet generators;
> >>2) making performance measurements with no hw inteference;
> >>3) ability to run without root privileges, --no-pci, --no-huge, for CI
> >>build, so on.
> >>
> >>Maybe there's no such need, and these goals may be achieved by other means
> >>and this idea is flawed? Any thoughts?
> >Isn't some of this already covered by the NULL PMD? Perhaps it could be extended
> >or enhanced to meet some more of your requirements?
> >
> >/Bruce
> Right, but development of various features regarding L3/L4 etc requires more
> subtle approach, like live packets, different protocol versions, fields
> manipulation. In this case some packet mangling/randomizing capabilities
> would be quite useful. Something similar to what is done in Pktgen, but more
> lightweight approach, in a same app.
> 
> I've almost made my mind :) so the next question: is there any guide on PMD
> dev? I'm looking through rte_ether.h right now, but some doc would be very
> nice.

Unfortunately not. My suggestion is to take one of the simple vdev's e.g. ring,
pcap, null, and work off a copy of it.

/Bruce