allocating a mempool w/ rte_pktmbuf_pool_create()

[fwefew 4t4tg <7532yahoo@gmail.com>]

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The API rte_pktmbuf_pool_create()

https://doc.dpdk.org/api/rte__mbuf_8h.html#a593921f13307803b94bbb4e0932db962

at first glance seems minimal, complete. It's not. It's really not.

The doc's link to `rte_mempool_create()` helps a little but not much. It
lacks at least the following important facets.

I would appreciate answers from whomever knows how DPDK thinks here:

1. Does cache_size include or exclude data_room_size?
2. Does cache_size include or exclude sizeof(struct rtre_mbuf)?
3. Does cache size include or exclude RTE_PKTMBUF_HEADROOM?
4. What lcore is the allocated memory pinned to? The lcore of the caller
when this method is run? The answer here is important. If it's the lcore of
the caller when called, this routine should be called in the lcore's entry
point so it's on the right lcore the memory is intended. Calling it on the
lcore that happens to be running main, for example, could have a bad side
effect if it's different from where the memory will be ultimately used.
5. Which one of the formal arguments represents tail room indicated in
https://doc.dpdk.org/guides/prog_guide/mbuf_lib.html#figure-mbuf1

My answers best I can tell follow:

1. Excludes
2. Excludes
3. Excludes
4. Caller does not enter into this situation; see below
5. Unknown. Perhaps if you want private data which corresponds to tail room
in the diagram above one has to call rte_mempool_create() instead and focus
on private_data_size.

Discussion:

Mempool creation is like malloc: you request the total number of absolute
bytes required. The API will not add or remove bytes to the number you
specify. Therefore the number you give must be inclusive of all needs
including your payload, any DPDK overheader, headroom, tailroom, and so on.
DPDK is not adding to the number you give for its own purposes. Clearer?
Perhaps ... but what needs? Read on ...

Unlike malloc rte_pktmbuf_pool_create() takes *n* the number of objects
that memory will hold. Therefore the cache_size mod n should be 0. Indeed,
some DPDK code like that of https://github.com/erpc-io/eRPC the author
allocates one mempool per RXQ or TXQ where the memory requested and number
of objects in that memory pool are appropriate for exactly one RXQ or
exactly one TXQ. Clearly then the total amount of memory in a specific
mempool divided by the number of objects it's intended to hold should
mod to zero.

This then begs the question, ok, if DPDK can do this what lcore is the
memory pinned or cached for? The caller's lcore? If so it depends on what
lcore one allocates the memory which can depend on where/when in the
program's history the call is made. Note the API does not take a lcore
argument.

A *careful reading, however, suggests the eRPC code is misguided*. DPDK
does not support creating a mempool for usage on one lcore. The doc reads
the formal argument *cache_size* gives the *size of the per-core object
cache. See rte_mempool_create() for details.* Also the doc reads: *the
optimum size (in terms of memory usage) for a mempool is when n is a power
of two minus one: n = (2^q - 1) *also contradicts a mod 0 scenario.

Now I'm a little but not totally surprised here. Yes, in some applications
TXQs and RXQs are bouncing around uniform packets. So telling DPDK I need X
bytes and letting DPDK do the spade work of breaking up the memory for
efficient per core access ultimately per RXQ or per TXQ is a real benefit.
DPDK will give nice per lcore cache, lockless memory access. Gotta like
that. Right?

No. I might not. I might have half my TXQ and RXQs dealing with tiny
mbufs/packets, and the other half dealing with completely different traffic
of a completely different size and structure. So I might want memory pool
allocation to be done on a smaller scale e.g. per RXQ/TXQ/lcore. DPDK
doesn't seem to permit this. DPDK seems to require me to allocate for the
largest possible application mbuf size possible for all cases and, then
upon allocating a mbuf from the pool, *use as much or as few bytes of
allocation as needed for the particular purpose at hand. *If that's what
DPDK wants, fine. But I think it ought to be a hell of lot easy to see
that's so.

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