[dpdk-dev] Replacing KCP (Kernel Control Path) out-of-tree kernel module with in-kernel module

[Ferruh Yigit <ferruh.yigit@intel.com>]

This is continuation of previous mail thread:
	http://dpdk.org/ml/archives/dev/2016-February/032701.html

Since there were no comments, I want to give another try, this can be good opportunity to escape from out-of-kernel Linux module.

First high level important question:
- Do you think will Linux community welcome a network driver that enables/supports userspace network driver?


And let me rephrase what I have in my mind:
- Implement a Linux network driver, that uses rtnetlink, so that userspace applications can create network interfaces.
- This driver implements net_device_ops as a forwarding layer to userspace; using netlink sockets.
- Each userspace network driver has a unique identifier.
- Userspace drivers listens netlink group created by kernel driver.
- An application, or userspace driver itself, attaches userspace driver, by providing its unique id, to the created network interface. This associates network interface to userspace driver.
- After this point userspace driver detects its own id in netlink messages and responds back to the requests.
- Anytime userspace driver can be detached and network interface can be removed by a userspace application.

I believe this can work, but not sure if this worths to the investment because this can be quite some work. Also not sure if this gets accepted by Linux upstream.
I would like to have some support/feedback to undertake something like this.

Any comment is welcome.


Thanks,
ferruh