Hi all,

It is great that we have rte_flow async/template api integrated to mlx5 
driver code and it is being established as the new standard rte_flow API.

I have the following raw_encap problem when using the rte_flow async/template API 
with mlx5 driver:
- raw_encap rte_flow action template fails during validation when the action mask
conf is NULL but this clearly contradicts the explanation from Suanming Mou's 
commit 7f6daa490d9 which clearly states that the raw encap action mask is allowed 
to be NULL.
<Excerpt from commit 7f6daa490d9>
    2. RAW encap (encap_data: raw)     
            action conf (raw_data)                               
                                                                 
            a. action mask conf (not NULL)                 
              - encap_data constant.                             
            b. action mask conf (NULL)                                                                                            
              - encap_data will change.
</Excerpt from commit 7f6daa490d9>

Commenting out the raw_encap validation would make it possible to create
rte_flow template with null mask conf which can be concretized later on. 
Things seem to work after relaxing the rte_flow raw_encap validation.
The change would look like:

<Excerpt>
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_flow_hw.c b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_flow_hw.c
index 35f1ed7a03..3f57fd9286 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_flow_hw.c
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_flow_hw.c
@@ -6020,10 +6020,10 @@ flow_hw_validate_action_raw_encap(const struct rte_flow_action *action,
        const struct rte_flow_action_raw_encap *mask_conf = mask->conf;
        const struct rte_flow_action_raw_encap *action_conf = action->conf;
 
-       if (!mask_conf || !mask_conf->size)
+/*     if (!mask_conf || !mask_conf->size)
                return rte_flow_error_set(error, EINVAL,
                                          RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION, mask,
-                                         "raw_encap: size must be masked");
+                                         "raw_encap: size must be masked"); */
        if (!action_conf || !action_conf->size)
                return rte_flow_error_set(error, EINVAL,
                                          RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION, action,
</Excerpt>

But this can not be the proper solution. Please advise a solution how to make the 
raw_encap work with rte_flow template/async API. If relaxing the validation is ok, I can 
also prepare and send a patch.

Thanks in advance,

Guvenc Gulce