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

[Bing Zhao <bingz@nvidia.com>]

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.

> 
> 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