Re: [dpdk-dev] [PATCH v2 1/4] ethdev: introduce indirect action APIs

[Ori Kam <orika@nvidia.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bing Zhao <bingz@nvidia.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2021 4:27 AM
> Subject: RE: [PATCH v2 1/4] ethdev: introduce indirect action APIs
> 
> Hi Ferruh,
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ferruh Yigit <ferruh.yigit@intel.com>
> > Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2021 3:42 AM
> > To: Bing Zhao <bingz@nvidia.com>; Ori Kam <orika@nvidia.com>; NBU-
> > Contact-Thomas Monjalon <thomas@monjalon.net>;
> > andrew.rybchenko@oktetlabs.ru; Matan Azrad <matan@nvidia.com>; Slava
> > Ovsiienko <viacheslavo@nvidia.com>
> > Cc: dev@dpdk.org; ajit.khaparde@broadcom.com; Gregory Etelson
> > <getelson@nvidia.com>; Andrey Vesnovaty <andreyv@nvidia.com>
> > Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 1/4] ethdev: introduce indirect action APIs
> >
> > External email: Use caution opening links or attachments
> >
> >
> > On 4/10/2021 3:03 PM, Bing Zhao wrote:
> > > Right now, rte_flow_shared_action_* APIs are used for some shared
> > > actions, like RSS, count. The shared action should be created
> > before
> > > using it inside a flow. These shared actions sometimes are not
> > really
> > > shared but just some indirect actions decoupled from a flow.
> > >
> > > The new functions rte_flow_action_handle_* are added to replace
> > the
> > > current shared functions rte_flow_shared_action_*.
> > >
> > > There are two types of flow actions:
> > > 1. the direct (normal) actions that could be created and stored
> > >     within a flow rule. Such action is tied to its flow rule and
> > >     cannot be reused.
> > > 2. the indirect action, in the past, named shared_action. It is
> > >     created from a direct actioni, like count or rss, and then
> > used
> > >     in the flow rules with an object handle. The PMD will take
> > care
> > >     of the retrieve from indirect action to the direct action
> > >     when it is referenced.
> > >
> > > The indirect action is accessed (update / query) w/o any flow rule,
> > > just via the action object handle. For example, when querying or
> > > resetting a counter, it could be done out of any flow using this
> > > counter, but only the handle of the counter action object is
> > required.
> > > The indirect action object could be shared by different flows or
> > used
> > > by a single flow, depending on the direct action type and the
> > > real-life requirements.
> > > The handle of an indirect action object is opaque and defined in
> > each
> > > driver and possibly different per direct action type.
> > >
> > > The old name "shared" is improper in a sense and should be
> > replaced.
> > >
> > > All the command lines in testpmd application with "shared_action*"
> > > are replaced with "indirect_action*".
> > >
> > > The parameter of "update" interface is also changed. A general
> > pointer
> > > will replace the rte_flow_action struct pointer due to the
> > > facts:
> > > 1. Some action may not support fields updating. In the example of
> > a
> > >     counter, the only "update" supported should be the reset. So
> > >     passing a rte_flow_action struct pointer is meaningless and
> > >     there is even no such corresponding action struct. What's more,
> > >     if more than one operations should be supported, for some
> > other
> > >     action, such pointer parameter may not meet the need.
> > > 2. Some action may need conditional or partial update, the current
> > >     parameter will not provide the ability to indicate which
> > part(s)
> > >     to update.
> > >     For different types of indirect action objects, the pointer
> > could
> > >     either be the same of rte_flow_action* struct - in order not
> > to
> > >     break the current driver implementation, or some wrapper
> > >     structures with bits as masks to indicate which part to be
> > >     updated, depending on real needs of the corresponding direct
> > >     action. For different direct actions, the structures of
> > indirect
> > >     action objects updating will be different.
> > >
> > > All the underlayer PMD callbacks will be moved to these new APIs.
> > >
> > > The RTE_FLOW_ACTION_TYPE_SHARED is kept for now in order not to
> > break
> > > the ABI. All the implementations are changed by using
> > > RTE_FLOW_ACTION_TYPE_INDIRECT.
> > >
> > > Signed-off-by: Bing Zhao <bingz@nvidia.com>
> > > ---
> > >   doc/guides/rel_notes/release_21_05.rst |   3 +
> > >   lib/librte_ethdev/rte_flow.c           |  56 ++++++++--------
> > >   lib/librte_ethdev/rte_flow.h           | 118
> > +++++++++++++++++++--------------
> > >   lib/librte_ethdev/rte_flow_driver.h    |  26 ++++----
> > >   lib/librte_ethdev/version.map          |   8 +--
> >
> > Isn't there any documentation to update with this change?
> 
> Do you mean the release note? I only updated the 20_01 release note part.
> 
You also need to update the prog/guid/rte_flow.rst

> >
> > If the shared action API is not documented at all, can you please
> > add documentation for the action handle API?
> 
> In the testpmd usage guide, I found some description and update it together
> with the testpmd update.
> I will check if there is another place to update or add.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> BR. Bing