Imported Upstream version 16.04

Change-Id: I77eadcd8538a9122e4773cbe55b24033dc451757
Signed-off-by: C.J. Collier <cjcollier@linuxfoundation.org>

8 files changed, 3993 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/doc/guides/contributing/cheatsheet.rst b/doc/guides/contributing/cheatsheet.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7bc07715
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/guides/contributing/cheatsheet.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+Patch Cheatsheet
+================
+
+.. _figure_patch_cheatsheet:
+
+.. figure:: img/patch_cheatsheet.*
+
+   Cheat sheet for submitting patches to dev@dpdk.org
diff --git a/doc/guides/contributing/coding_style.rst b/doc/guides/contributing/coding_style.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ad1392d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/guides/contributing/coding_style.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,687 @@
+.. _coding_style:
+
+DPDK Coding Style
+=================
+
+Description
+-----------
+
+This document specifies the preferred style for source files in the DPDK source tree.
+It is based on the Linux Kernel coding guidelines and the FreeBSD 7.2 Kernel Developer's Manual (see man style(9)), but was heavily modified for the needs of the DPDK.
+
+General Guidelines
+------------------
+
+The rules and guidelines given in this document cannot cover every situation, so the following general guidelines should be used as a fallback:
+
+* The code style should be consistent within each individual file.
+* In the case of creating new files, the style should be consistent within each file in a given directory or module.
+* The primary reason for coding standards is to increase code readability and comprehensibility, therefore always use whatever option will make the code easiest to read.
+
+Line length is recommended to be not more than 80 characters, including comments.
+[Tab stop size should be assumed to be 8-characters wide].
+
+.. note::
+
+	The above is recommendation, and not a hard limit.
+	However, it is expected that the recommendations should be followed in all but the rarest situations.
+
+C Comment Style
+---------------
+
+Usual Comments
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+These comments should be used in normal cases.
+To document a public API, a doxygen-like format must be used: refer to :ref:`doxygen_guidelines`.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ /*
+  * VERY important single-line comments look like this.
+  */
+
+ /* Most single-line comments look like this. */
+
+ /*
+  * Multi-line comments look like this.  Make them real sentences. Fill
+  * them so they look like real paragraphs.
+  */
+
+License Header
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Each file should begin with a special comment containing the appropriate copyright and license for the file.
+Generally this is the BSD License, except for code for Linux Kernel modules.
+After any copyright header, a blank line should be left before any other contents, e.g. include statements in a C file.
+
+C Preprocessor Directives
+-------------------------
+
+Header Includes
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+In DPDK sources, the include files should be ordered as following:
+
+#. libc includes (system includes first)
+#. DPDK EAL includes
+#. DPDK misc libraries includes
+#. application-specific includes
+
+Include files from the local application directory are included using quotes, while includes from other paths are included using angle brackets: "<>".
+
+Example:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ #include <stdio.h>
+ #include <stdlib.h>
+
+ #include <rte_eal.h>
+
+ #include <rte_ring.h>
+ #include <rte_mempool.h>
+
+ #include "application.h"
+
+Header File Guards
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Headers should be protected against multiple inclusion with the usual:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+   #ifndef _FILE_H_
+   #define _FILE_H_
+
+   /* Code */
+
+   #endif /* _FILE_H_ */
+
+
+Macros
+~~~~~~
+
+Do not ``#define`` or declare names except with the standard DPDK prefix: ``RTE_``.
+This is to ensure there are no collisions with definitions in the application itself.
+
+The names of "unsafe" macros (ones that have side effects), and the names of macros for manifest constants, are all in uppercase.
+
+The expansions of expression-like macros are either a single token or have outer parentheses.
+If a macro is an inline expansion of a function, the function name is all in lowercase and the macro has the same name all in uppercase.
+If the macro encapsulates a compound statement, enclose it in a do-while loop, so that it can be used safely in if statements.
+Any final statement-terminating semicolon should be supplied by the macro invocation rather than the macro, to make parsing easier for pretty-printers and editors.
+
+For example:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ #define MACRO(x, y) do {                                        \
+         variable = (x) + (y);                                   \
+         (y) += 2;                                               \
+ } while(0)
+
+.. note::
+
+ Wherever possible, enums and inline functions should be preferred to macros, since they provide additional degrees of type-safety and can allow compilers to emit extra warnings about unsafe code.
+
+Conditional Compilation
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* When code is conditionally compiled using ``#ifdef`` or ``#if``, a comment may be added following the matching
+  ``#endif`` or ``#else`` to permit the reader to easily discern where conditionally compiled code regions end.
+* This comment should be used only for (subjectively) long regions, regions greater than 20 lines, or where a series of nested ``#ifdef``'s may be confusing to the reader.
+  Exceptions may be made for cases where code is conditionally not compiled for the purposes of lint(1), or other tools, even though the uncompiled region may be small.
+* The comment should be separated from the ``#endif`` or ``#else`` by a single space.
+* For short conditionally compiled regions, a closing comment should not be used.
+* The comment for ``#endif`` should match the expression used in the corresponding ``#if`` or ``#ifdef``.
+* The comment for ``#else`` and ``#elif`` should match the inverse of the expression(s) used in the preceding ``#if`` and/or ``#elif`` statements.
+* In the comments, the subexpression ``defined(FOO)`` is abbreviated as "FOO".
+  For the purposes of comments, ``#ifndef FOO`` is treated as ``#if !defined(FOO)``.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ #ifdef KTRACE
+ #include <sys/ktrace.h>
+ #endif
+
+ #ifdef COMPAT_43
+ /* A large region here, or other conditional code. */
+ #else /* !COMPAT_43 */
+ /* Or here. */
+ #endif /* COMPAT_43 */
+
+ #ifndef COMPAT_43
+ /* Yet another large region here, or other conditional code. */
+ #else /* COMPAT_43 */
+ /* Or here. */
+ #endif /* !COMPAT_43 */
+
+.. note::
+
+ Conditional compilation should be used only when absolutely necessary, as it increases the number of target binaries that need to be built and tested.
+
+C Types
+-------
+
+Integers
+~~~~~~~~
+
+For fixed/minimum-size integer values, the project uses the form uintXX_t (from stdint.h) instead of older BSD-style integer identifiers of the form u_intXX_t.
+
+Enumerations
+~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Enumeration values are all uppercase.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ enum enumtype { ONE, TWO } et;
+
+* Enum types should be used in preference to macros #defining a set of (sequential) values.
+* Enum types should be prefixed with ``rte_`` and the elements by a suitable prefix [generally starting ``RTE_<enum>_`` - where <enum> is a shortname for the enum type] to avoid namespace collisions.
+
+Bitfields
+~~~~~~~~~
+
+The developer should group bitfields that are included in the same integer, as follows:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ struct grehdr {
+   uint16_t rec:3,
+       srr:1,
+       seq:1,
+       key:1,
+       routing:1,
+       csum:1,
+       version:3,
+       reserved:4,
+       ack:1;
+ /* ... */
+ }
+
+Variable Declarations
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+In declarations, do not put any whitespace between asterisks and adjacent tokens, except for tokens that are identifiers related to types.
+(These identifiers are the names of basic types, type qualifiers, and typedef-names other than the one being declared.)
+Separate these identifiers from asterisks using a single space.
+
+For example:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+   int *x;         /* no space after asterisk */
+   int * const x;  /* space after asterisk when using a type qualifier */
+
+* All externally-visible variables should have an ``rte_`` prefix in the name to avoid namespace collisions.
+* Do not use uppercase letters - either in the form of ALL_UPPERCASE, or CamelCase - in variable names.
+  Lower-case letters and underscores only.
+
+Structure Declarations
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* In general, when declaring variables in new structures, declare them sorted by use, then by size (largest to smallest), and then in alphabetical order.
+  Sorting by use means that commonly used variables are used together and that the structure layout makes logical sense.
+  Ordering by size then ensures that as little padding is added to the structure as possible.
+* For existing structures, additions to structures should be added to the end so for backward compatibility reasons.
+* Each structure element gets its own line.
+* Try to make the structure readable by aligning the member names using spaces as shown below.
+* Names following extremely long types, which therefore cannot be easily aligned with the rest, should be separated by a single space.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ struct foo {
+         struct foo      *next;          /* List of active foo. */
+         struct mumble   amumble;        /* Comment for mumble. */
+         int             bar;            /* Try to align the comments. */
+         struct verylongtypename *baz;   /* Won't fit with other members */
+ };
+
+
+* Major structures should be declared at the top of the file in which they are used, or in separate header files if they are used in multiple source files.
+* Use of the structures should be by separate variable declarations and those declarations must be extern if they are declared in a header file.
+* Externally visible structure definitions should have the structure name prefixed by ``rte_`` to avoid namespace collisions.
+
+Queues
+~~~~~~
+
+Use queue(3) macros rather than rolling your own lists, whenever possible.
+Thus, the previous example would be better written:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ #include <sys/queue.h>
+
+ struct foo {
+         LIST_ENTRY(foo) link;      /* Use queue macros for foo lists. */
+         struct mumble   amumble;   /* Comment for mumble. */
+         int             bar;       /* Try to align the comments. */
+         struct verylongtypename *baz;   /* Won't fit with other members */
+ };
+ LIST_HEAD(, foo) foohead;          /* Head of global foo list. */
+
+
+DPDK also provides an optimized way to store elements in lockless rings.
+This should be used in all data-path code, when there are several consumer and/or producers to avoid locking for concurrent access.
+
+Typedefs
+~~~~~~~~
+
+Avoid using typedefs for structure types.
+
+For example, use:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ struct my_struct_type {
+ /* ... */
+ };
+
+ struct my_struct_type my_var;
+
+
+rather than:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ typedef struct my_struct_type {
+ /* ... */
+ } my_struct_type;
+
+ my_struct_type my_var
+
+
+Typedefs are problematic because they do not properly hide their underlying type;
+for example, you need to know if the typedef is the structure itself, as shown above, or a pointer to the structure.
+In addition, they must be declared exactly once, whereas an incomplete structure type can be mentioned as many times as necessary.
+Typedefs are difficult to use in stand-alone header files.
+The header that defines the typedef must be included before the header that uses it, or by the header that uses it (which causes namespace pollution),
+or there must be a back-door mechanism for obtaining the typedef.
+
+Note that #defines used instead of typedefs also are problematic (since they do not propagate the pointer type correctly due to direct text replacement).
+For example, ``#define pint int *`` does not work as expected, while ``typedef int *pint`` does work.
+As stated when discussing macros, typedefs should be preferred to macros in cases like this.
+
+When convention requires a typedef; make its name match the struct tag.
+Avoid typedefs ending in ``_t``, except as specified in Standard C or by POSIX.
+
+.. note::
+
+	It is recommended to use typedefs to define function pointer types, for reasons of code readability.
+	This is especially true when the function type is used as a parameter to another function.
+
+For example:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+	/**
+	 * Definition of a remote launch function.
+	 */
+	typedef int (lcore_function_t)(void *);
+
+	/* launch a function of lcore_function_t type */
+	int rte_eal_remote_launch(lcore_function_t *f, void *arg, unsigned slave_id);
+
+
+C Indentation
+-------------
+
+General
+~~~~~~~
+
+* Indentation is a hard tab, that is, a tab character, not a sequence of spaces,
+
+.. note::
+
+	Global whitespace rule in DPDK, use tabs for indentation, spaces for alignment.
+
+* Do not put any spaces before a tab for indentation.
+* If you have to wrap a long statement, put the operator at the end of the line, and indent again.
+* For control statements (if, while, etc.), continuation it is recommended that the next line be indented by two tabs, rather than one,
+  to prevent confusion as to whether the second line of the control statement forms part of the statement body or not.
+  Alternatively, the line continuation may use additional spaces to line up to an appropriately point on the preceding line, for example, to align to an opening brace.
+
+.. note::
+
+	As with all style guidelines, code should match style already in use in an existing file.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ while (really_long_variable_name_1 == really_long_variable_name_2 &&
+     var3 == var4){  /* confusing to read as */
+     x = y + z;      /* control stmt body lines up with second line of */
+     a = b + c;      /* control statement itself if single indent used */
+ }
+
+ if (really_long_variable_name_1 == really_long_variable_name_2 &&
+         var3 == var4){  /* two tabs used */
+     x = y + z;          /* statement body no longer lines up */
+     a = b + c;
+ }
+
+ z = a + really + long + statement + that + needs +
+         two + lines + gets + indented + on + the +
+         second + and + subsequent + lines;
+
+
+* Do not add whitespace at the end of a line.
+
+* Do not add whitespace or a blank line at the end of a file.
+
+
+Control Statements and Loops
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Include a space after keywords (if, while, for, return, switch).
+* Do not use braces (``{`` and ``}``) for control statements with zero or just a single statement, unless that statement is more than a single line in which case the braces are permitted.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ for (p = buf; *p != '\0'; ++p)
+         ;       /* nothing */
+ for (;;)
+         stmt;
+ for (;;) {
+         z = a + really + long + statement + that + needs +
+                 two + lines + gets + indented + on + the +
+                 second + and + subsequent + lines;
+ }
+ for (;;) {
+         if (cond)
+                 stmt;
+ }
+ if (val != NULL)
+         val = realloc(val, newsize);
+
+
+* Parts of a for loop may be left empty.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ for (; cnt < 15; cnt++) {
+         stmt1;
+         stmt2;
+ }
+
+* Closing and opening braces go on the same line as the else keyword.
+* Braces that are not necessary should be left out.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ if (test)
+         stmt;
+ else if (bar) {
+         stmt;
+         stmt;
+ } else
+         stmt;
+
+
+Function Calls
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Do not use spaces after function names.
+* Commas should have a space after them.
+* No spaces after ``(`` or ``[`` or preceding the ``]`` or ``)`` characters.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+	error = function(a1, a2);
+	if (error != 0)
+		exit(error);
+
+
+Operators
+~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Unary operators do not require spaces, binary operators do.
+* Do not use parentheses unless they are required for precedence or unless the statement is confusing without them.
+  However, remember that other people may be more easily confused than you.
+
+Exit
+~~~~
+
+Exits should be 0 on success, or 1 on failure.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+         exit(0);        /*
+                          * Avoid obvious comments such as
+                          * "Exit 0 on success."
+                          */
+ }
+
+Local Variables
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Variables should be declared at the start of a block of code rather than in the middle.
+  The exception to this is when the variable is ``const`` in which case the declaration must be at the point of first use/assignment.
+* When declaring variables in functions, multiple variables per line are OK.
+  However, if multiple declarations would cause the line to exceed a reasonable line length, begin a new set of declarations on the next line rather than using a line continuation.
+* Be careful to not obfuscate the code by initializing variables in the declarations, only the last variable on a line should be initialized.
+  If multiple variables are to be initialized when defined, put one per line.
+* Do not use function calls in initializers, except for ``const`` variables.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ int i = 0, j = 0, k = 0;  /* bad, too many initializer */
+
+ char a = 0;        /* OK, one variable per line with initializer */
+ char b = 0;
+
+ float x, y = 0.0;  /* OK, only last variable has initializer */
+
+
+Casts and sizeof
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Casts and sizeof statements are not followed by a space.
+* Always write sizeof statements with parenthesis.
+  The redundant parenthesis rules do not apply to sizeof(var) instances.
+
+C Function Definition, Declaration and Use
+-------------------------------------------
+
+Prototypes
+~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* It is recommended (and generally required by the compiler) that all non-static functions are prototyped somewhere.
+* Functions local to one source module should be declared static, and should not be prototyped unless absolutely necessary.
+* Functions used from other parts of code (external API) must be prototyped in the relevant include file.
+* Function prototypes should be listed in a logical order, preferably alphabetical unless there is a compelling reason to use a different ordering.
+* Functions that are used locally in more than one module go into a separate header file, for example, "extern.h".
+* Do not use the ``__P`` macro.
+* Functions that are part of an external API should be documented using Doxygen-like comments above declarations. See :ref:`doxygen_guidelines` for details.
+* Functions that are part of the external API must have an ``rte_`` prefix on the function name.
+* Do not use uppercase letters - either in the form of ALL_UPPERCASE, or CamelCase - in function names. Lower-case letters and underscores only.
+* When prototyping functions, associate names with parameter types, for example:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ void function1(int fd); /* good */
+ void function2(int);    /* bad */
+
+* Short function prototypes should be contained on a single line.
+  Longer prototypes, e.g. those with many parameters, can be split across multiple lines.
+  The second and subsequent lines should be further indented as for line statement continuations as described in the previous section.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ static char *function1(int _arg, const char *_arg2,
+        struct foo *_arg3,
+        struct bar *_arg4,
+        struct baz *_arg5);
+ static void usage(void);
+
+.. note::
+
+	Unlike function definitions, the function prototypes do not need to place the function return type on a separate line.
+
+Definitions
+~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* The function type should be on a line by itself preceding the function.
+* The opening brace of the function body should be on a line by itself.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ static char *
+ function(int a1, int a2, float fl, int a4)
+ {
+
+
+* Do not declare functions inside other functions.
+  ANSI C states that such declarations have file scope regardless of the nesting of the declaration.
+  Hiding file declarations in what appears to be a local scope is undesirable and will elicit complaints from a good compiler.
+* Old-style (K&R) function declaration should not be used, use ANSI function declarations instead as shown below.
+* Long argument lists should be wrapped as described above in the function prototypes section.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ /*
+  * All major routines should have a comment briefly describing what
+  * they do. The comment before the "main" routine should describe
+  * what the program does.
+  */
+ int
+ main(int argc, char *argv[])
+ {
+         char *ep;
+         long num;
+         int ch;
+
+C Statement Style and Conventions
+---------------------------------
+
+NULL Pointers
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* NULL is the preferred null pointer constant.
+  Use NULL instead of ``(type *)0`` or ``(type *)NULL``, except where the compiler does not know the destination type e.g. for variadic args to a function.
+* Test pointers against NULL, for example, use:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ if (p == NULL) /* Good, compare pointer to NULL */
+
+ if (!p) /* Bad, using ! on pointer */
+
+
+* Do not use ! for tests unless it is a boolean, for example, use:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+	if (*p == '\0') /* check character against (char)0 */
+
+Return Value
+~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Functions which create objects, or allocate memory, should return pointer types, and NULL on error.
+  The error type should be indicated may setting the variable ``rte_errno`` appropriately.
+* Functions which work on bursts of packets, such as RX-like or TX-like functions, should return the number of packets handled.
+* Other functions returning int should generally behave like system calls:
+  returning 0 on success and -1 on error, setting ``rte_errno`` to indicate the specific type of error.
+* Where already standard in a given library, the alternative error approach may be used where the negative value is not -1 but is instead ``-errno`` if relevant, for example, ``-EINVAL``.
+  Note, however, to allow consistency across functions returning integer or pointer types, the previous approach is preferred for any new libraries.
+* For functions where no error is possible, the function type should be ``void`` not ``int``.
+* Routines returning ``void *`` should not have their return values cast to any pointer type.
+  (Typecasting can prevent the compiler from warning about missing prototypes as any implicit definition of a function returns int,
+  which, unlike ``void *``, needs a typecast to assign to a pointer variable.)
+
+.. note::
+
+	The above rule about not typecasting ``void *`` applies to malloc, as well as to DPDK functions.
+
+* Values in return statements should not be enclosed in parentheses.
+
+Logging and Errors
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+In the DPDK environment, use the logging interface provided:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ #define RTE_LOGTYPE_TESTAPP1 RTE_LOGTYPE_USER1
+ #define RTE_LOGTYPE_TESTAPP2 RTE_LOGTYPE_USER2
+
+ /* enable these logs type */
+ rte_set_log_type(RTE_LOGTYPE_TESTAPP1, 1);
+ rte_set_log_type(RTE_LOGTYPE_TESTAPP2, 1);
+
+ /* log in debug level */
+ rte_set_log_level(RTE_LOG_DEBUG);
+ RTE_LOG(DEBUG, TESTAPP1, "this is is a debug level message\n");
+ RTE_LOG(INFO, TESTAPP1, "this is is a info level message\n");
+ RTE_LOG(WARNING, TESTAPP1, "this is is a warning level message\n");
+
+ /* log in info level */
+ rte_set_log_level(RTE_LOG_INFO);
+ RTE_LOG(DEBUG, TESTAPP2, "debug level message (not displayed)\n");
+
+Branch Prediction
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* When a test is done in a critical zone (called often or in a data path) the code can use the ``likely()`` and ``unlikely()`` macros to indicate the expected, or preferred fast path.
+  They are expanded as a compiler builtin and allow the developer to indicate if the branch is likely to be taken or not. Example:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ #include <rte_branch_prediction.h>
+ if (likely(x > 1))
+   do_stuff();
+
+.. note::
+
+	The use of ``likely()`` and ``unlikely()`` should only be done in performance critical paths,
+	and only when there is a clearly preferred path, or a measured performance increase gained from doing so.
+	These macros should be avoided in non-performance-critical code.
+
+Static Variables and Functions
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* All functions and variables that are local to a file must be declared as ``static`` because it can often help the compiler to do some optimizations (such as, inlining the code).
+* Functions that should be inlined should to be declared as ``static inline`` and can be defined in a .c or a .h file.
+
+.. note::
+	Static functions defined in a header file must be declared as ``static inline`` in order to prevent compiler warnings about the function being unused.
+
+Const Attribute
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The ``const`` attribute should be used as often as possible when a variable is read-only.
+
+Inline ASM in C code
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The ``asm`` and ``volatile`` keywords do not have underscores. The AT&T syntax should be used.
+Input and output operands should be named to avoid confusion, as shown in the following example:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+	asm volatile("outb %[val], %[port]"
+		: :
+		[port] "dN" (port),
+		[val] "a" (val));
+
+Control Statements
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Forever loops are done with for statements, not while statements.
+* Elements in a switch statement that cascade should have a FALLTHROUGH comment. For example:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+         switch (ch) {         /* Indent the switch. */
+         case 'a':             /* Don't indent the case. */
+                 aflag = 1;    /* Indent case body one tab. */
+                 /* FALLTHROUGH */
+         case 'b':
+                 bflag = 1;
+                 break;
+         case '?':
+         default:
+                 usage();
+                 /* NOTREACHED */
+         }
diff --git a/doc/guides/contributing/design.rst b/doc/guides/contributing/design.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bac3d1b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/guides/contributing/design.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+Design
+======
+
+Environment or Architecture-specific Sources
+--------------------------------------------
+
+In DPDK and DPDK applications, some code is specific to an architecture (i686, x86_64) or to an executive environment (bsdapp or linuxapp) and so on.
+As far as is possible, all such instances of architecture or env-specific code should be provided via standard APIs in the EAL.
+
+By convention, a file is common if it is not located in a directory indicating that it is specific.
+For instance, a file located in a subdir of "x86_64" directory is specific to this architecture.
+A file located in a subdir of "linuxapp" is specific to this execution environment.
+
+.. note::
+
+   Code in DPDK libraries and applications should be generic.
+   The correct location for architecture or executive environment specific code is in the EAL.
+
+When absolutely necessary, there are several ways to handle specific code:
+
+* Use a ``#ifdef`` with the CONFIG option in the C code.
+  This can be done when the differences are small and they can be embedded in the same C file:
+
+  .. code-block:: c
+
+     #ifdef RTE_ARCH_I686
+     toto();
+     #else
+     titi();
+     #endif
+
+* Use the CONFIG option in the Makefile. This is done when the differences are more significant.
+  In this case, the code is split into two separate files that are architecture or environment specific.
+  This should only apply inside the EAL library.
+
+.. note::
+
+   As in the linux kernel, the ``CONFIG_`` prefix is not used in C code.
+   This is only needed in Makefiles or shell scripts.
+
+Per Architecture Sources
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The following config options can be used:
+
+* ``CONFIG_RTE_ARCH`` is a string that contains the name of the architecture.
+* ``CONFIG_RTE_ARCH_I686``, ``CONFIG_RTE_ARCH_X86_64``, ``CONFIG_RTE_ARCH_X86_64_32`` or ``CONFIG_RTE_ARCH_PPC_64`` are defined only if we are building for those architectures.
+
+Per Execution Environment Sources
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The following config options can be used:
+
+* ``CONFIG_RTE_EXEC_ENV`` is a string that contains the name of the executive environment.
+* ``CONFIG_RTE_EXEC_ENV_BSDAPP`` or ``CONFIG_RTE_EXEC_ENV_LINUXAPP`` are defined only if we are building for this execution environment.
+
+Library Statistics
+------------------
+
+Description
+~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+This document describes the guidelines for DPDK library-level statistics counter
+support. This includes guidelines for turning library statistics on and off and
+requirements for preventing ABI changes when implementing statistics.
+
+
+Mechanism to allow the application to turn library statistics on and off
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Each library that maintains statistics counters should provide a single build
+time flag that decides whether the statistics counter collection is enabled or
+not. This flag should be exposed as a variable within the DPDK configuration
+file. When this flag is set, all the counters supported by current library are
+collected for all the instances of every object type provided by the library.
+When this flag is cleared, none of the counters supported by the current library
+are collected for any instance of any object type provided by the library:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   # DPDK file config/common_linuxapp, config/common_bsdapp, etc.
+   CONFIG_RTE_<LIBRARY_NAME>_STATS_COLLECT=y/n
+
+The default value for this DPDK configuration file variable (either "yes" or
+"no") is decided by each library.
+
+
+Prevention of ABI changes due to library statistics support
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The layout of data structures and prototype of functions that are part of the
+library API should not be affected by whether the collection of statistics
+counters is turned on or off for the current library. In practical terms, this
+means that space should always be allocated in the API data structures for
+statistics counters and the statistics related API functions are always built
+into the code, regardless of whether the statistics counter collection is turned
+on or off for the current library.
+
+When the collection of statistics counters for the current library is turned
+off, the counters retrieved through the statistics related API functions should
+have a default value of zero.
+
+
+Motivation to allow the application to turn library statistics on and off
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+It is highly recommended that each library provides statistics counters to allow
+an application to monitor the library-level run-time events. Typical counters
+are: number of packets received/dropped/transmitted, number of buffers
+allocated/freed, number of occurrences for specific events, etc.
+
+However, the resources consumed for library-level statistics counter collection
+have to be spent out of the application budget and the counters collected by
+some libraries might not be relevant to the current application. In order to
+avoid any unwanted waste of resources and/or performance impacts, the
+application should decide at build time whether the collection of library-level
+statistics counters should be turned on or off for each library individually.
+
+Library-level statistics counters can be relevant or not for specific
+applications:
+
+* For Application A, counters maintained by Library X are always relevant and
+  the application needs to use them to implement certain features, such as traffic
+  accounting, logging, application-level statistics, etc. In this case,
+  the application requires that collection of statistics counters for Library X is
+  always turned on.
+
+* For Application B, counters maintained by Library X are only useful during the
+  application debug stage and are not relevant once debug phase is over. In this
+  case, the application may decide to turn on the collection of Library X
+  statistics counters during the debug phase and at a later stage turn them off.
+
+* For Application C, counters maintained by Library X are not relevant at all.
+  It might be that the application maintains its own set of statistics counters
+  that monitor a different set of run-time events (e.g. number of connection
+  requests, number of active users, etc). It might also be that the application
+  uses multiple libraries (Library X, Library Y, etc) and it is interested in the
+  statistics counters of Library Y, but not in those of Library X. In this case,
+  the application may decide to turn the collection of statistics counters off for
+  Library X and on for Library Y.
+
+The statistics collection consumes a certain amount of CPU resources (cycles,
+cache bandwidth, memory bandwidth, etc) that depends on:
+
+* Number of libraries used by the current application that have statistics
+  counters collection turned on.
+
+* Number of statistics counters maintained by each library per object type
+  instance (e.g. per port, table, pipeline, thread, etc).
+
+* Number of instances created for each object type supported by each library.
+
+* Complexity of the statistics logic collection for each counter: when only
+  some occurrences of a specific event are valid, additional logic is typically
+  needed to decide whether the current occurrence of the event should be counted
+  or not. For example, in the event of packet reception, when only TCP packets
+  with destination port within a certain range should be recorded, conditional
+  branches are usually required. When processing a burst of packets that have been
+  validated for header integrity, counting the number of bits set in a bitmask
+  might be needed.
diff --git a/doc/guides/contributing/documentation.rst b/doc/guides/contributing/documentation.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ba5c4dec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/guides/contributing/documentation.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,752 @@
+.. _doc_guidelines:
+
+DPDK Documentation Guidelines
+=============================
+
+This document outlines the guidelines for writing the DPDK Guides and API documentation in RST and Doxygen format.
+
+It also explains the structure of the DPDK documentation and shows how to build the Html and PDF versions of the documents.
+
+
+Structure of the Documentation
+------------------------------
+
+The DPDK source code repository contains input files to build the API documentation and User Guides.
+
+The main directories that contain files related to documentation are shown below::
+
+   lib
+   |-- librte_acl
+   |-- librte_cfgfile
+   |-- librte_cmdline
+   |-- librte_compat
+   |-- librte_eal
+   |   |-- ...
+   ...
+   doc
+   |-- api
+   +-- guides
+       |-- freebsd_gsg
+       |-- linux_gsg
+       |-- prog_guide
+       |-- sample_app_ug
+       |-- guidelines
+       |-- testpmd_app_ug
+       |-- rel_notes
+       |-- nics
+       |-- xen
+       |-- ...
+
+
+The API documentation is built from `Doxygen <http://www.stack.nl/~dimitri/doxygen/>`_ comments in the header files.
+These files are mainly in the ``lib/librte_*`` directories although some of the Poll Mode Drivers in ``drivers/net``
+are also documented with Doxygen.
+
+The configuration files that are used to control the Doxygen output are in the ``doc/api`` directory.
+
+The user guides such as *The Programmers Guide* and the *FreeBSD* and *Linux Getting Started* Guides are generated
+from RST markup text files using the `Sphinx <http://sphinx-doc.org/index.html>`_ Documentation Generator.
+
+These files are included in the ``doc/guides/`` directory.
+The output is controlled by the ``doc/guides/conf.py`` file.
+
+
+Role of the Documentation
+-------------------------
+
+The following items outline the roles of the different parts of the documentation and when they need to be updated or
+added to by the developer.
+
+* **Release Notes**
+
+  The Release Notes document which features have been added in the current and previous releases of DPDK and highlight
+  any known issues.
+  The Releases Notes also contain notifications of features that will change ABI compatibility in the next major release.
+
+  Developers should include updates to the Release Notes with patch sets that relate to any of the following sections:
+
+  * New Features
+  * Resolved Issues (see below)
+  * Known Issues
+  * API Changes
+  * ABI Changes
+  * Shared Library Versions
+
+  Resolved Issues should only include issues from previous releases that have been resolved in the current release.
+  Issues that are introduced and then fixed within a release cycle do not have to be included here.
+
+  Refer to the Release Notes from the previous DPDK release for the correct format of each section.
+
+
+* **API documentation**
+
+  The API documentation explains how to use the public DPDK functions.
+  The `API index page <http://dpdk.org/doc/api/>`_ shows the generated API documentation with related groups of functions.
+
+  The API documentation should be updated via Doxygen comments when new functions are added.
+
+* **Getting Started Guides**
+
+  The Getting Started Guides show how to install and configure DPDK and how to run DPDK based applications on different OSes.
+
+  A Getting Started Guide should be added when DPDK is ported to a new OS.
+
+* **The Programmers Guide**
+
+  The Programmers Guide explains how the API components of DPDK such as the EAL, Memzone, Rings and the Hash Library work.
+  It also explains how some higher level functionality such as Packet Distributor, Packet Framework and KNI work.
+  It also shows the build system and explains how to add applications.
+
+  The Programmers Guide should be expanded when new functionality is added to DPDK.
+
+* **App Guides**
+
+  The app guides document the DPDK applications in the ``app`` directory such as ``testpmd``.
+
+  The app guides should be updated if functionality is changed or added.
+
+* **Sample App Guides**
+
+  The sample app guides document the DPDK example applications in the examples directory.
+  Generally they demonstrate a major feature such as L2 or L3 Forwarding, Multi Process or Power Management.
+  They explain the purpose of the sample application, how to run it and step through some of the code to explain the
+  major functionality.
+
+  A new sample application should be accompanied by a new sample app guide.
+  The guide for the Skeleton Forwarding app is a good starting reference.
+
+* **Network Interface Controller Drivers**
+
+  The NIC Drivers document explains the features of the individual Poll Mode Drivers, such as software requirements,
+  configuration and initialization.
+
+  New documentation should be added for new Poll Mode Drivers.
+
+* **Guidelines**
+
+  The guideline documents record community process, expectations and design directions.
+
+  They can be extended, amended or discussed by submitting a patch and getting community approval.
+
+
+Building the Documentation
+--------------------------
+
+Dependencies
+~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+
+The following dependencies must be installed to build the documentation:
+
+* Doxygen.
+
+* Sphinx (also called python-sphinx).
+
+* TexLive (at least TexLive-core and the extra Latex support).
+
+* Inkscape.
+
+`Doxygen`_ generates documentation from commented source code.
+It can be installed as follows:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   # Ubuntu/Debian.
+   sudo apt-get -y install doxygen
+
+   # Red Hat/Fedora.
+   sudo yum     -y install doxygen
+
+`Sphinx`_ is a Python documentation tool for converting RST files to Html or to PDF (via LaTeX).
+For full support with figure and table captioning the latest version of Sphinx can be installed as follows:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   # Ubuntu/Debian.
+   sudo apt-get -y install python-pip
+   sudo pip install --upgrade sphinx
+
+   # Red Hat/Fedora.
+   sudo yum     -y install python-pip
+   sudo pip install --upgrade sphinx
+
+For further information on getting started with Sphinx see the `Sphinx Tutorial <http://sphinx-doc.org/tutorial.html>`_.
+
+.. Note::
+
+   To get full support for Figure and Table numbering it is best to install Sphinx 1.3.1 or later.
+
+
+`Inkscape`_ is a vector based graphics program which is used to create SVG images and also to convert SVG images to PDF images.
+It can be installed as follows:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   # Ubuntu/Debian.
+   sudo apt-get -y install inkscape
+
+   # Red Hat/Fedora.
+   sudo yum     -y install inkscape
+
+`TexLive <http://www.tug.org/texlive/>`_ is an installation package for Tex/LaTeX.
+It is used to generate the PDF versions of the documentation.
+The main required packages can be installed as follows:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   # Ubuntu/Debian.
+   sudo apt-get -y install texlive-latex-extra
+
+   # Red Hat/Fedora, selective install.
+   sudo yum     -y install texlive-collection-latexextra
+
+
+Build commands
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The documentation is built using the standard DPDK build system.
+Some examples are shown below:
+
+* Generate all the documentation targets::
+
+     make doc
+
+* Generate the Doxygen API documentation in Html::
+
+     make doc-api-html
+
+* Generate the guides documentation in Html::
+
+     make doc-guides-html
+
+* Generate the guides documentation in Pdf::
+
+     make doc-guides-pdf
+
+The output of these commands is generated in the ``build`` directory::
+
+   build/doc
+         |-- html
+         |   |-- api
+         |   +-- guides
+         |
+         +-- pdf
+             +-- guides
+
+
+.. Note::
+
+   Make sure to fix any Sphinx or Doxygen warnings when adding or updating documentation.
+
+The documentation output files can be removed as follows::
+
+   make doc-clean
+
+
+Document Guidelines
+-------------------
+
+Here are some guidelines in relation to the style of the documentation:
+
+* Document the obvious as well as the obscure since it won't always be obvious to the reader.
+  For example an instruction like "Set up 64 2MB Hugepages" is better when followed by a sample commandline or a link to
+  the appropriate section of the documentation.
+
+* Use American English spellings throughout.
+  This can be checked using the ``aspell`` utility::
+
+       aspell --lang=en_US --check doc/guides/sample_app_ug/mydoc.rst
+
+
+RST Guidelines
+--------------
+
+The RST (reStructuredText) format is a plain text markup format that can be converted to Html, PDF or other formats.
+It is most closely associated with Python but it can be used to document any language.
+It is used in DPDK to document everything apart from the API.
+
+The Sphinx documentation contains a very useful `RST Primer <http://sphinx-doc.org/rest.html#rst-primer>`_ which is a
+good place to learn the minimal set of syntax required to format a document.
+
+The official `reStructuredText <http://docutils.sourceforge.net/rst.html>`_ website contains the specification for the
+RST format and also examples of how to use it.
+However, for most developers the RST Primer is a better resource.
+
+The most common guidelines for writing RST text are detailed in the
+`Documenting Python <https://docs.python.org/devguide/documenting.html>`_ guidelines.
+The additional guidelines below reiterate or expand upon those guidelines.
+
+
+Line Length
+~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* The recommended style for the DPDK documentation is to put sentences on separate lines.
+  This allows for easier reviewing of patches.
+  Multiple sentences which are not separated by a blank line are joined automatically into paragraphs, for example::
+
+     Here is an example sentence.
+     Long sentences over the limit shown below can be wrapped onto
+     a new line.
+     These three sentences will be joined into the same paragraph.
+
+     This is a new paragraph, since it is separated from the
+     previous paragraph by a blank line.
+
+  This would be rendered as follows:
+
+     *Here is an example sentence.
+     Long sentences over the limit shown below can be wrapped onto
+     a new line.
+     These three sentences will be joined into the same paragraph.*
+
+     *This is a new paragraph, since it is separated from the
+     previous paragraph by a blank line.*
+
+
+* Long sentences should be wrapped at 120 characters +/- 10 characters. They should be wrapped at words.
+
+* Lines in literal blocks must by less than 80 characters since they aren't wrapped by the document formatters
+  and can exceed the page width in PDF documents.
+
+
+Whitespace
+~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Standard RST indentation is 3 spaces.
+  Code can be indented 4 spaces, especially if it is copied from source files.
+
+* No tabs.
+  Convert tabs in embedded code to 4 or 8 spaces.
+
+* No trailing whitespace.
+
+* Add 2 blank lines before each section header.
+
+* Add 1 blank line after each section header.
+
+* Add 1 blank line between each line of a list.
+
+
+Section Headers
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Section headers should use the use the following underline formats::
+
+   Level 1 Heading
+   ===============
+
+
+   Level 2 Heading
+   ---------------
+
+
+   Level 3 Heading
+   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+
+   Level 4 Heading
+   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+
+* Level 4 headings should be used sparingly.
+
+* The underlines should match the length of the text.
+
+* In general, the heading should be less than 80 characters, for conciseness.
+
+* As noted above:
+
+   * Add 2 blank lines before each section header.
+
+   * Add 1 blank line after each section header.
+
+
+Lists
+~~~~~
+
+* Bullet lists should be formatted with a leading ``*`` as follows::
+
+     * Item one.
+
+     * Item two is a long line that is wrapped and then indented to match
+       the start of the previous line.
+
+     * One space character between the bullet and the text is preferred.
+
+* Numbered lists can be formatted with a leading number but the preference is to use ``#.`` which will give automatic numbering.
+  This is more convenient when adding or removing items::
+
+     #. Item one.
+
+     #. Item two is a long line that is wrapped and then indented
+        to match the start of the e first line.
+
+     #. Item two is a long line that is wrapped and then indented to match
+        the start of the previous line.
+
+* Definition lists can be written with or without a bullet::
+
+     * Item one.
+
+       Some text about item one.
+
+     * Item two.
+
+       Some text about item two.
+
+* All lists, and sub-lists, must be separated from the preceding text by a blank line.
+  This is a syntax requirement.
+
+* All list items should be separated by a blank line for readability.
+
+
+Code and Literal block sections
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Inline text that is required to be rendered with a fixed width font should be enclosed in backquotes like this:
+  \`\`text\`\`, so that it appears like this: ``text``.
+
+* Fixed width, literal blocks of texts should be indented at least 3 spaces and prefixed with ``::`` like this::
+
+     Here is some fixed width text::
+
+        0x0001 0x0001 0x00FF 0x00FF
+
+* It is also possible to specify an encoding for a literal block using the ``.. code-block::`` directive so that syntax
+  highlighting can be applied.
+  Examples of supported highlighting are::
+
+     .. code-block:: console
+     .. code-block:: c
+     .. code-block:: python
+     .. code-block:: diff
+     .. code-block:: none
+
+  That can be applied as follows::
+
+      .. code-block:: c
+
+         #include<stdio.h>
+
+         int main() {
+
+            printf("Hello World\n");
+
+            return 0;
+         }
+
+  Which would be rendered as:
+
+  .. code-block:: c
+
+      #include<stdio.h>
+
+      int main() {
+
+         printf("Hello World\n");
+
+         return 0;
+      }
+
+
+* The default encoding for a literal block using the simplified ``::``
+  directive is ``none``.
+
+* Lines in literal blocks must be less than 80 characters since they can exceed the page width when converted to PDF documentation.
+  For long literal lines that exceed that limit try to wrap the text at sensible locations.
+  For example a long command line could be documented like this and still work if copied directly from the docs::
+
+     build/app/testpmd -c7 -n3 --vdev=eth_pcap0,iface=eth0     \
+                               --vdev=eth_pcap1,iface=eth1     \
+                               -- -i --nb-cores=2 --nb-ports=2 \
+                                  --total-num-mbufs=2048
+
+* Long lines that cannot be wrapped, such as application output, should be truncated to be less than 80 characters.
+
+
+Images
+~~~~~~
+
+* All images should be in SVG scalar graphics format.
+  They should be true SVG XML files and should not include binary formats embedded in a SVG wrapper.
+
+* The DPDK documentation contains some legacy images in PNG format.
+  These will be converted to SVG in time.
+
+* `Inkscape <http://inkscape.org>`_ is the recommended graphics editor for creating the images.
+  Use some of the older images in ``doc/guides/prog_guide/img/`` as a template, for example ``mbuf1.svg``
+  or ``ring-enqueue.svg``.
+
+* The SVG images should include a copyright notice, as an XML comment.
+
+* Images in the documentation should be formatted as follows:
+
+   * The image should be preceded by a label in the format ``.. _figure_XXXX:`` with a leading underscore and
+     where ``XXXX`` is a unique descriptive name.
+
+   * Images should be included using the ``.. figure::`` directive and the file type should be set to ``*`` (not ``.svg``).
+     This allows the format of the image to be changed if required, without updating the documentation.
+
+   * Images must have a caption as part of the ``.. figure::`` directive.
+
+* Here is an example of the previous three guidelines::
+
+     .. _figure_mempool:
+
+     .. figure:: img/mempool.*
+
+        A mempool in memory with its associated ring.
+
+.. _mock_label:
+
+* Images can then be linked to using the ``:numref:`` directive::
+
+     The mempool layout is shown in :numref:`figure_mempool`.
+
+  This would be rendered as: *The mempool layout is shown in* :ref:`Fig 6.3 <mock_label>`.
+
+  **Note**: The ``:numref:`` directive requires Sphinx 1.3.1 or later.
+  With earlier versions it will still be rendered as a link but won't have an automatically generated number.
+
+* The caption of the image can be generated, with a link, using the ``:ref:`` directive::
+
+     :ref:`figure_mempool`
+
+  This would be rendered as: *A mempool in memory with its associated ring.*
+
+Tables
+~~~~~~
+
+* RST tables should be used sparingly.
+  They are hard to format and to edit, they are often rendered incorrectly in PDF format, and the same information
+  can usually be shown just as clearly with a definition or bullet list.
+
+* Tables in the documentation should be formatted as follows:
+
+   * The table should be preceded by a label in the format ``.. _table_XXXX:`` with a leading underscore and where
+     ``XXXX`` is a unique descriptive name.
+
+   * Tables should be included using the ``.. table::`` directive and must have a caption.
+
+* Here is an example of the previous two guidelines::
+
+     .. _table_qos_pipes:
+
+     .. table:: Sample configuration for QOS pipes.
+
+        +----------+----------+----------+
+        | Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 |
+        |          |          |          |
+        +==========+==========+==========+
+        | Text     | Text     | Text     |
+        +----------+----------+----------+
+        | ...      | ...      | ...      |
+        +----------+----------+----------+
+
+* Tables can be linked to using the ``:numref:`` and ``:ref:`` directives, as shown in the previous section for images.
+  For example::
+
+     The QOS configuration is shown in :numref:`table_qos_pipes`.
+
+* Tables should not include merged cells since they are not supported by the PDF renderer.
+
+
+.. _links:
+
+Hyperlinks
+~~~~~~~~~~
+
+* Links to external websites can be plain URLs.
+  The following is rendered as http://dpdk.org::
+
+     http://dpdk.org
+
+* They can contain alternative text.
+  The following is rendered as `Check out DPDK <http://dpdk.org>`_::
+
+     `Check out DPDK <http://dpdk.org>`_
+
+* An internal link can be generated by placing labels in the document with the format ``.. _label_name``.
+
+* The following links to the top of this section: :ref:`links`::
+
+     .. _links:
+
+     Hyperlinks
+     ~~~~~~~~~~
+
+     * The following links to the top of this section: :ref:`links`:
+
+.. Note::
+
+   The label must have a leading underscore but the reference to it must omit it.
+   This is a frequent cause of errors and warnings.
+
+* The use of a label is preferred since it works across files and will still work if the header text changes.
+
+
+.. _doxygen_guidelines:
+
+Doxygen Guidelines
+------------------
+
+The DPDK API is documented using Doxygen comment annotations in the header files.
+Doxygen is a very powerful tool, it is extremely configurable and with a little effort can be used to create expressive documents.
+See the `Doxygen website <http://www.stack.nl/~dimitri/doxygen/>`_ for full details on how to use it.
+
+The following are some guidelines for use of Doxygen in the DPDK API documentation:
+
+* New libraries that are documented with Doxygen should be added to the Doxygen configuration file: ``doc/api/doxy-api.conf``.
+  It is only required to add the directory that contains the files.
+  It isn't necessary to explicitly name each file since the configuration matches all ``rte_*.h`` files in the directory.
+
+* Use proper capitalization and punctuation in the Doxygen comments since they will become sentences in the documentation.
+  This in particular applies to single line comments, which is the case the is most often forgotten.
+
+* Use ``@`` style Doxygen commands instead of ``\`` style commands.
+
+* Add a general description of each library at the head of the main header files:
+
+  .. code-block:: c
+
+      /**
+       * @file
+       * RTE Mempool.
+       *
+       * A memory pool is an allocator of fixed-size object. It is
+       * identified by its name, and uses a ring to store free objects.
+       * ...
+       */
+
+* Document the purpose of a function, the parameters used and the return
+  value:
+
+  .. code-block:: c
+
+     /**
+      * Attach a new Ethernet device specified by arguments.
+      *
+      * @param devargs
+      *  A pointer to a strings array describing the new device
+      *  to be attached. The strings should be a pci address like
+      *  `0000:01:00.0` or **virtual** device name like `eth_pcap0`.
+      * @param port_id
+      *  A pointer to a port identifier actually attached.
+      *
+      * @return
+      *  0 on success and port_id is filled, negative on error.
+      */
+     int rte_eth_dev_attach(const char *devargs, uint8_t *port_id);
+
+* Doxygen supports Markdown style syntax such as bold, italics, fixed width text and lists.
+  For example the second line in the ``devargs`` parameter in the previous example will be rendered as:
+
+     The strings should be a pci address like ``0000:01:00.0`` or **virtual** device name like ``eth_pcap0``.
+
+* Use ``-`` instead of ``*`` for lists within the Doxygen comment since the latter can get confused with the comment delimiter.
+
+* Add an empty line between the function description, the ``@params`` and ``@return`` for readability.
+
+* Place the ``@params`` description on separate line and indent it by 2 spaces.
+  (It would be better to use no indentation since this is more common and also because checkpatch complains about leading
+  whitespace in comments.
+  However this is the convention used in the existing DPDK code.)
+
+* Documented functions can be linked to simply by adding ``()`` to the function name:
+
+  .. code-block:: c
+
+      /**
+       * The functions exported by the application Ethernet API to setup
+       * a device designated by its port identifier must be invoked in
+       * the following order:
+       *     - rte_eth_dev_configure()
+       *     - rte_eth_tx_queue_setup()
+       *     - rte_eth_rx_queue_setup()
+       *     - rte_eth_dev_start()
+       */
+
+  In the API documentation the functions will be rendered as links, see the
+  `online section of the rte_ethdev.h docs <http://dpdk.org/doc/api/rte__ethdev_8h.html>`_ that contains the above text.
+
+* The ``@see`` keyword can be used to create a *see also* link to another file or library.
+  This directive should be placed on one line at the bottom of the documentation section.
+
+  .. code-block:: c
+
+     /**
+      * ...
+      *
+      * Some text that references mempools.
+      *
+      * @see eal_memzone.c
+      */
+
+* Doxygen supports two types of comments for documenting variables, constants and members: prefix and postfix:
+
+  .. code-block:: c
+
+     /** This is a prefix comment. */
+     #define RTE_FOO_ERROR  0x023.
+
+     #define RTE_BAR_ERROR  0x024. /**< This is a postfix comment. */
+
+* Postfix comments are preferred for struct members and constants if they can be documented in the same way:
+
+  .. code-block:: c
+
+     struct rte_eth_stats {
+         uint64_t ipackets; /**< Total number of received packets. */
+         uint64_t opackets; /**< Total number of transmitted packets.*/
+         uint64_t ibytes;   /**< Total number of received bytes. */
+         uint64_t obytes;   /**< Total number of transmitted bytes. */
+         uint64_t imissed;  /**< Total of RX missed packets. */
+         uint64_t ibadcrc;  /**< Total of RX packets with CRC error. */
+         uint64_t ibadlen;  /**< Total of RX packets with bad length. */
+     }
+
+  Note: postfix comments should be aligned with spaces not tabs in accordance
+  with the :ref:`coding_style`.
+
+* If a single comment type can't be used, due to line length limitations then
+  prefix comments should be preferred.
+  For example this section of the code contains prefix comments, postfix comments on the same line and postfix
+  comments on a separate line:
+
+  .. code-block:: c
+
+     /** Number of elements in the elt_pa array. */
+     uint32_t    pg_num __rte_cache_aligned;
+     uint32_t    pg_shift;     /**< LOG2 of the physical pages. */
+     uintptr_t   pg_mask;      /**< Physical page mask value. */
+     uintptr_t   elt_va_start;
+     /**< Virtual address of the first mempool object. */
+     uintptr_t   elt_va_end;
+     /**< Virtual address of the <size + 1> mempool object. */
+     phys_addr_t elt_pa[MEMPOOL_PG_NUM_DEFAULT];
+     /**< Array of physical page addresses for the mempool buffer. */
+
+  This doesn't have an effect on the rendered documentation but it is confusing for the developer reading the code.
+  It this case it would be clearer to use prefix comments throughout:
+
+  .. code-block:: c
+
+     /** Number of elements in the elt_pa array. */
+     uint32_t    pg_num __rte_cache_aligned;
+     /** LOG2 of the physical pages. */
+     uint32_t    pg_shift;
+     /** Physical page mask value. */
+     uintptr_t   pg_mask;
+     /** Virtual address of the first mempool object. */
+     uintptr_t   elt_va_start;
+     /** Virtual address of the <size + 1> mempool object. */
+     uintptr_t   elt_va_end;
+     /** Array of physical page addresses for the mempool buffer. */
+     phys_addr_t elt_pa[MEMPOOL_PG_NUM_DEFAULT];
+
+* Check for Doxygen warnings in new code by checking the API documentation build::
+
+     make doc-api-html >/dev/null
+
+* Read the rendered section of the documentation that you have added for correctness, clarity and consistency
+  with the surrounding text.
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new file mode 100644
index 00000000..85225923
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+             style="font-size:21px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold"
+             id="tspan4092-8-79"
+             y="516.59979"
+             x="49.093246">+ make test doc </tspan></text>
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+           style="font-size:40px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;fill:#000000;fill-opacity:1;stroke:none;font-family:Sans"
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+             style="font-size:21px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold"
+             id="tspan4092-8-79-9-0"
+             y="544.71033"
+             x="49.093246">+ make examples</tspan></text>
+        <text
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+           style="font-size:40px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;fill:#000000;fill-opacity:1;stroke:none;font-family:Sans"
+           xml:space="preserve"
+           id="text4090-8-2-0-07"
+           y="576.83533"
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+             style="font-size:21px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold"
+             id="tspan4092-8-79-9-3"
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+        <text
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+           xml:space="preserve"
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+             style="font-size:21px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold"
+             id="tspan4092-8-79-9-3-9"
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+        <text
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+           style="font-size:40px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;fill:#000000;fill-opacity:1;stroke:none;font-family:Sans"
+           xml:space="preserve"
+           id="text4090-8-2-9"
+           y="486.56659"
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+             style="font-size:21px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold"
+             id="tspan4092-8-79-3"
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+       style="font-size:19px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;fill:#000000;fill-opacity:1;stroke:none;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace"
+       sodipodi:linespacing="125%"><tspan
+         sodipodi:role="line"
+         id="tspan3268"
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+         y="914.65686">git send-email *.patch --annotate --to &lt;maintainer&gt;</tspan><tspan
+         sodipodi:role="line"
+         id="tspan3272"
+         x="74.388756"
+         y="938.40686">  --cc dev@dpdk.org [ --cc other@participants.com</tspan><tspan
+         sodipodi:role="line"
+         x="74.388756"
+         y="962.15686"
+         id="tspan3266">  --cover-letter -v[N] --in-reply-to &lt;message ID&gt; ]</tspan></text>
+    <text
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+       id="text4090-8-7-8-7-6-3-8-2-5"
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+       style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;fill:#000000;fill-opacity:1;stroke:none;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold"
+       sodipodi:linespacing="125%"><tspan
+         x="543.47675"
+         y="1032.3459"
+         id="tspan4092-8-6-3-1-8-4-4-5-3"
+         style="font-size:11px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace">harry.van.haaren@intel.com</tspan></text>
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+         style="font-size:13px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold">Suggestions / Updates?</tspan></text>
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+         style="font-size:40px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;fill:#000000;fill-opacity:1;stroke:none;font-family:Sans"
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+           id="tspan4092-8-7-6"
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+      <text
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+         style="font-size:40px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;fill:#000000;fill-opacity:1;stroke:none;font-family:Sans"
+         xml:space="preserve"
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+           style="font-size:21px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold"
+           id="tspan4092-8-7-6-2"
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+      <text
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+         xml:space="preserve"
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+           style="font-size:21px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold"
+           id="tspan4092-8-7-6-1"
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+      <text
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+           id="tspan4092-8-7-6-1-8"
+           y="795.30548"
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+      <text
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+         style="font-size:40px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;fill:#000000;fill-opacity:1;stroke:none;font-family:Sans"
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+           style="font-size:21px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold"
+           id="tspan4092-8-7-6-9"
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+             id="tspan4092-8-7-6-10"
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+   style="font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:300;font-stretch:normal;text-align:start;line-height:125%;writing-mode:lr-tb;text-anchor:start;font-family:Monospace;-inkscape-font-specification:Monospace Bold"
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+             id="tspan4092-8-7-6-9-7"
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+    <rect
+       width="678.43036"
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+  </g>
+</svg>
diff --git a/doc/guides/contributing/index.rst b/doc/guides/contributing/index.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f6af317f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/guides/contributing/index.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+Contributor's Guidelines
+========================
+
+.. toctree::
+    :maxdepth: 2
+    :numbered:
+
+    coding_style
+    design
+    versioning
+    documentation
+    patches
+    cheatsheet
diff --git a/doc/guides/contributing/patches.rst b/doc/guides/contributing/patches.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..06af91d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/guides/contributing/patches.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,395 @@
+.. submitting_patches:
+
+Contributing Code to DPDK
+=========================
+
+This document outlines the guidelines for submitting code to DPDK.
+
+The DPDK development process is modelled (loosely) on the Linux Kernel development model so it is worth reading the
+Linux kernel guide on submitting patches:
+`How to Get Your Change Into the Linux Kernel <http://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/SubmittingPatches>`_.
+The rationale for many of the DPDK guidelines is explained in greater detail in the kernel guidelines.
+
+
+The DPDK Development Process
+-----------------------------
+
+The DPDK development process has the following features:
+
+* The code is hosted in a public git repository.
+* There is a mailing list where developers submit patches.
+* There are maintainers for hierarchical components.
+* Patches are reviewed publicly on the mailing list.
+* Successfully reviewed patches are merged to the master branch of the repository.
+
+The mailing list for DPDK development is `dev@dpkg.org <http://dpdk.org/ml/archives/dev/>`_.
+Contributors will need to `register for the mailing list <http://dpdk.org/ml/listinfo/dev>`_ in order to submit patches.
+It is also worth registering for the DPDK `Patchwork <http://dpdk.org/dev/patchwxispork/project/dpdk/list/>`_
+
+The development process requires some familiarity with the ``git`` version control system.
+Refer to the `Pro Git Book <http://www.git-scm.com/book/>`_ for further information.
+
+
+Getting the Source Code
+-----------------------
+
+The source code can be cloned using either of the following::
+
+    git clone git://dpdk.org/dpdk
+
+    git clone http://dpdk.org/git/dpdk
+
+
+Make your Changes
+-----------------
+
+Make your planned changes in the cloned ``dpdk`` repo. Here are some guidelines and requirements:
+
+* Follow the :ref:`coding_style` guidelines.
+
+* If you add new files or directories you should add your name to the ``MAINTAINERS`` file.
+
+* New external functions should be added to the local ``version.map`` file.
+  See the :doc:`Guidelines for ABI policy and versioning </contributing/versioning>`.
+  New external functions should also be added in alphabetical order.
+
+* Important changes will require an addition to the release notes in ``doc/guides/rel_notes/``.
+  See the :ref:`Release Notes section of the Documentation Guidelines <doc_guidelines>` for details.
+
+* Test the compilation works with different targets, compilers and options, see :ref:`contrib_check_compilation`.
+
+* Don't break compilation between commits with forward dependencies in a patchset.
+  Each commit should compile on its own to allow for ``git bisect`` and continuous integration testing.
+
+* Add tests to the the ``app/test`` unit test framework where possible.
+
+* Add documentation, if relevant, in the form of Doxygen comments or a User Guide in RST format.
+  See the :ref:`Documentation Guidelines <doc_guidelines>`.
+
+Once the changes have been made you should commit them to your local repo.
+
+For small changes, that do not require specific explanations, it is better to keep things together in the
+same patch.
+Larger changes that require different explanations should be separated into logical patches in a patchset.
+A good way of thinking about whether a patch should be split is to consider whether the change could be
+applied without dependencies as a backport.
+
+As a guide to how patches should be structured run ``git log`` on similar files.
+
+
+Commit Messages: Subject Line
+-----------------------------
+
+The first, summary, line of the git commit message becomes the subject line of the patch email.
+Here are some guidelines for the summary line:
+
+* The summary line must capture the area and the impact of the change.
+
+* The summary line should be around 50 characters.
+
+* The summary line should be lowercase apart from acronyms.
+
+* It should be prefixed with the component name (use git log to check existing components).
+  For example::
+
+     ixgbe: fix offload config option name
+
+     config: increase max queues per port
+
+* Use the imperative of the verb (like instructions to the code base).
+
+* Don't add a period/full stop to the subject line or you will end up two in the patch name: ``dpdk_description..patch``.
+
+The actual email subject line should be prefixed by ``[PATCH]`` and the version, if greater than v1,
+for example: ``PATCH v2``.
+The is generally added by ``git send-email`` or ``git format-patch``, see below.
+
+If you are submitting an RFC draft of a feature you can use ``[RFC]`` instead of ``[PATCH]``.
+An RFC patch doesn't have to be complete.
+It is intended as a way of getting early feedback.
+
+
+Commit Messages: Body
+---------------------
+
+Here are some guidelines for the body of a commit message:
+
+* The body of the message should describe the issue being fixed or the feature being added.
+  It is important to provide enough information to allow a reviewer to understand the purpose of the patch.
+
+* When the change is obvious the body can be blank, apart from the signoff.
+
+* The commit message must end with a ``Signed-off-by:`` line which is added using::
+
+      git commit --signoff # or -s
+
+  The purpose of the signoff is explained in the
+  `Developer's Certificate of Origin <http://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/SubmittingPatches>`_
+  section of the Linux kernel guidelines.
+
+  .. Note::
+
+     All developers must ensure that they have read and understood the
+     Developer's Certificate of Origin section of the documentation prior
+     to applying the signoff and submitting a patch.
+
+* The signoff must be a real name and not an alias or nickname.
+  More than one signoff is allowed.
+
+* The text of the commit message should be wrapped at 72 characters.
+
+* When fixing a regression, it is a good idea to reference the id of the commit which introduced the bug.
+  You can generate the required text using the following git alias::
+
+     git config alias.fixline "log -1 --abbrev=12 --format='Fixes: %h (\"%s\")'"
+
+  The ``Fixes:`` line can then be added to the commit message::
+
+     doc: fix vhost sample parameter
+
+     Update the docs to reflect removed dev-index.
+
+     Fixes: 17b8320a3e11 ("vhost: remove index parameter")
+
+     Signed-off-by: Alex Smith <alex.smith@example.com>
+
+* When fixing an error or warning it is useful to add the error message and instructions on how to reproduce it.
+
+* Use correct capitalization, punctuation and spelling.
+
+In addition to the ``Signed-off-by:`` name the commit messages can also have one or more of the following:
+
+* ``Reported-by:`` The reporter of the issue.
+* ``Tested-by:`` The tester of the change.
+* ``Reviewed-by:`` The reviewer of the change.
+* ``Suggested-by:`` The person who suggested the change.
+* ``Acked-by:`` When a previous version of the patch was acked and the ack is still relevant.
+
+
+Creating Patches
+----------------
+
+It is possible to send patches directly from git but for new contributors it is recommended to generate the
+patches with ``git format-patch`` and then when everything looks okay, and the patches have been checked, to
+send them with ``git send-email``.
+
+Here are some examples of using ``git format-patch`` to generate patches:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   # Generate a patch from the last commit.
+   git format-patch -1
+
+   # Generate a patch from the last 3 commits.
+   git format-patch -3
+
+   # Generate the patches in a directory.
+   git format-patch -3 -o ~/patch/
+
+   # Add a cover letter to explain a patchset.
+   git format-patch -3 -o ~/patch/ --cover-letter
+
+   # Add a prefix with a version number.
+   git format-patch -3 -o ~/patch/ -v 2
+
+
+Cover letters are useful for explaining a patchset and help to generate a logical threading to the patches.
+Smaller notes can be put inline in the patch after the ``---`` separator, for example::
+
+   Subject: [PATCH] fm10k/base: add FM10420 device ids
+
+   Add the device ID for Boulder Rapids and Atwood Channel to enable
+   drivers to support those devices.
+
+   Signed-off-by: Alex Smith <alex.smith@example.com>
+   ---
+
+   ADD NOTES HERE.
+
+    drivers/net/fm10k/base/fm10k_api.c  | 6 ++++++
+    drivers/net/fm10k/base/fm10k_type.h | 6 ++++++
+    2 files changed, 12 insertions(+)
+   ...
+
+Version 2 and later of a patchset should also include a short log of the changes so the reviewer knows what has changed.
+This can be added to the cover letter or the annotations.
+For example::
+
+   ---
+   v3:
+   * Fixed issued with version.map.
+
+   v2:
+   * Added i40e support.
+   * Renamed ethdev functions from rte_eth_ieee15888_*() to rte_eth_timesync_*()
+     since 802.1AS can be supported through the same interfaces.
+
+
+.. _contrib_checkpatch:
+
+Checking the Patches
+--------------------
+
+Patches should be checked for formatting and syntax issues using the ``checkpatches.sh`` script in the ``scripts``
+directory of the DPDK repo.
+This uses the Linux kernel development tool ``checkpatch.pl`` which  can be obtained by cloning, and periodically,
+updating the Linux kernel sources.
+
+The path to the original Linux script must be set in the environment variable ``DPDK_CHECKPATCH_PATH``.
+This, and any other configuration variables required by the development tools, are loaded from the following
+files, in order of preference::
+
+   .develconfig
+   ~/.config/dpdk/devel.config
+   /etc/dpdk/devel.config.
+
+Once the environment variable the script can be run as follows::
+
+   scripts/checkpatches.sh ~/patch/
+
+The script usage is::
+
+   checkpatches.sh [-h] [-q] [-v] [patch1 [patch2] ...]]"
+
+Where:
+
+* ``-h``: help, usage.
+* ``-q``: quiet. Don't output anything for files without issues.
+* ``-v``: verbose.
+* ``patchX``: path to one or more patches.
+
+Then the git logs should be checked using the ``check-git-log.sh`` script.
+
+The script usage is::
+
+   check-git-log.sh [range]
+
+Where the range is a ``git log`` option.
+
+
+.. _contrib_check_compilation:
+
+Checking Compilation
+--------------------
+
+Compilation of patches and changes should be tested using the the ``test-build.sh`` script in the ``scripts``
+directory of the DPDK repo::
+
+  scripts/test-build.sh x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc+next+shared
+
+The script usage is::
+
+   test-build.sh [-h] [-jX] [-s] [config1 [config2] ...]]
+
+Where:
+
+* ``-h``: help, usage.
+* ``-jX``: use X parallel jobs in "make".
+* ``-s``: short test with only first config and without examples/doc.
+* ``config``: default config name plus config switches delimited with a ``+`` sign.
+
+Examples of configs are::
+
+   x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc
+   x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc+next+shared
+   x86_64-native-linuxapp-clang+shared
+
+The builds can be modifies via the following environmental variables:
+
+* ``DPDK_BUILD_TEST_CONFIGS`` (target1+option1+option2 target2)
+* ``DPDK_DEP_CFLAGS``
+* ``DPDK_DEP_LDFLAGS``
+* ``DPDK_DEP_MOFED`` (y/[n])
+* ``DPDK_DEP_PCAP`` (y/[n])
+* ``DPDK_NOTIFY`` (notify-send)
+
+These can be set from the command line or in the config files shown above in the :ref:`contrib_checkpatch`.
+
+The recommended configurations and options to test compilation prior to submitting patches are::
+
+   x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc+shared+next
+   x86_64-native-linuxapp-clang+shared
+   i686-native-linuxapp-gcc
+
+   export DPDK_DEP_ZLIB=y
+   export DPDK_DEP_PCAP=y
+   export DPDK_DEP_SSL=y
+
+
+Sending Patches
+---------------
+
+Patches should be sent to the mailing list using ``git send-email``.
+You can configure an external SMTP with something like the following::
+
+   [sendemail]
+       smtpuser = name@domain.com
+       smtpserver = smtp.domain.com
+       smtpserverport = 465
+       smtpencryption = ssl
+
+See the `Git send-email <https://git-scm.com/docs/git-send-email>`_ documentation for more details.
+
+The patches should be sent to ``dev@dpdk.org``.
+If the patches are a change to existing files then you should send them TO the maintainer(s) and CC ``dev@dpdk.org``.
+The appropriate maintainer can be found in the ``MAINTAINERS`` file::
+
+   git send-email --to maintainer@some.org --cc dev@dpdk.org 000*.patch
+
+New additions can be sent without a maintainer::
+
+   git send-email --to dev@dpdk.org 000*.patch
+
+You can test the emails by sending it to yourself or with the ``--dry-run`` option.
+
+If the patch is in relation to a previous email thread you can add it to the same thread using the Message ID::
+
+   git send-email --to dev@dpdk.org --in-reply-to <1234-foo@bar.com> 000*.patch
+
+The Message ID can be found in the raw text of emails or at the top of each Patchwork patch,
+`for example <http://dpdk.org/dev/patchwork/patch/7646/>`_.
+Shallow threading (``--thread --no-chain-reply-to``) is preferred for a patch series.
+
+Once submitted your patches will appear on the mailing list and in Patchwork.
+
+Experienced committers may send patches directly with ``git send-email`` without the ``git format-patch`` step.
+The options ``--annotate`` and ``confirm = always`` are recommended for checking patches before sending.
+
+
+The Review Process
+------------------
+
+The more work you put into the previous steps the easier it will be to get a patch accepted.
+
+The general cycle for patch review and acceptance is:
+
+#. Submit the patch.
+
+#. Check the automatic test reports in the coming hours.
+
+#. Wait for review comments. While you are waiting review some other patches.
+
+#. Fix the review comments and submit a ``v n+1`` patchset::
+
+      git format-patch -3 -v 2
+
+#. Update Patchwork to mark your previous patches as "Superseded".
+
+#. If the patch is deemed suitable for merging by the relevant maintainer(s) or other developers they will ``ack``
+   the patch with an email that includes something like::
+
+      Acked-by: Alex Smith <alex.smith@example.com>
+
+   **Note**: When acking patches please remove as much of the text of the patch email as possible.
+   It is generally best to delete everything after the ``Signed-off-by:`` line.
+
+#. Having the patch ``Reviewed-by:`` and/or ``Tested-by:`` will also help the patch to be accepted.
+
+#. If the patch isn't deemed suitable based on being out of scope or conflicting with existing functionality
+   it may receive a ``nack``.
+   In this case you will need to make a more convincing technical argument in favor of your patches.
+
+#. In addition a patch will not be accepted if it doesn't address comments from a previous version with fixes or
+   valid arguments.
+
+#. Acked patches will be merged in the current or next merge window.
diff --git a/doc/guides/contributing/versioning.rst b/doc/guides/contributing/versioning.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ae10a984
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/guides/contributing/versioning.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,494 @@
+Managing ABI updates
+====================
+
+Description
+-----------
+
+This document details some methods for handling ABI management in the DPDK.
+Note this document is not exhaustive, in that C library versioning is flexible
+allowing multiple methods to achieve various goals, but it will provide the user
+with some introductory methods
+
+General Guidelines
+------------------
+
+#. Whenever possible, ABI should be preserved
+#. The libraries marked in experimental state may change without constraint.
+#. The addition of symbols is generally not problematic
+#. The modification of symbols can generally be managed with versioning
+#. The removal of symbols generally is an ABI break and requires bumping of the
+   LIBABIVER macro
+
+What is an ABI
+--------------
+
+An ABI (Application Binary Interface) is the set of runtime interfaces exposed
+by a library. It is similar to an API (Application Programming Interface) but
+is the result of compilation.  It is also effectively cloned when applications
+link to dynamic libraries.  That is to say when an application is compiled to
+link against dynamic libraries, it is assumed that the ABI remains constant
+between the time the application is compiled/linked, and the time that it runs.
+Therefore, in the case of dynamic linking, it is critical that an ABI is
+preserved, or (when modified), done in such a way that the application is unable
+to behave improperly or in an unexpected fashion.
+
+The DPDK ABI policy
+-------------------
+
+ABI versions are set at the time of major release labeling, and the ABI may
+change multiple times, without warning, between the last release label and the
+HEAD label of the git tree.
+
+ABI versions, once released, are available until such time as their
+deprecation has been noted in the Release Notes for at least one major release
+cycle. For example consider the case where the ABI for DPDK 2.0 has been
+shipped and then a decision is made to modify it during the development of
+DPDK 2.1. The decision will be recorded in the Release Notes for the DPDK 2.1
+release and the modification will be made available in the DPDK 2.2 release.
+
+ABI versions may be deprecated in whole or in part as needed by a given
+update.
+
+Some ABI changes may be too significant to reasonably maintain multiple
+versions. In those cases ABI's may be updated without backward compatibility
+being provided. The requirements for doing so are:
+
+#. At least 3 acknowledgments of the need to do so must be made on the
+   dpdk.org mailing list.
+
+#. The changes (including an alternative map file) must be gated with
+   the ``RTE_NEXT_ABI`` option, and provided with a deprecation notice at the
+   same time.
+   It will become the default ABI in the next release.
+
+#. A full deprecation cycle, as explained above, must be made to offer
+   downstream consumers sufficient warning of the change.
+
+#. At the beginning of the next release cycle, every ``RTE_NEXT_ABI``
+   conditions will be removed, the ``LIBABIVER`` variable in the makefile(s)
+   where the ABI is changed will be incremented, and the map files will
+   be updated.
+
+Note that the above process for ABI deprecation should not be undertaken
+lightly. ABI stability is extremely important for downstream consumers of the
+DPDK, especially when distributed in shared object form. Every effort should
+be made to preserve the ABI whenever possible. The ABI should only be changed
+for significant reasons, such as performance enhancements. ABI breakage due to
+changes such as reorganizing public structure fields for aesthetic or
+readability purposes should be avoided.
+
+Examples of Deprecation Notices
+-------------------------------
+
+The following are some examples of ABI deprecation notices which would be
+added to the Release Notes:
+
+* The Macro ``#RTE_FOO`` is deprecated and will be removed with version 2.0,
+  to be replaced with the inline function ``rte_foo()``.
+
+* The function ``rte_mbuf_grok()`` has been updated to include a new parameter
+  in version 2.0. Backwards compatibility will be maintained for this function
+  until the release of version 2.1
+
+* The members of ``struct rte_foo`` have been reorganized in release 2.0 for
+  performance reasons. Existing binary applications will have backwards
+  compatibility in release 2.0, while newly built binaries will need to
+  reference the new structure variant ``struct rte_foo2``. Compatibility will
+  be removed in release 2.2, and all applications will require updating and
+  rebuilding to the new structure at that time, which will be renamed to the
+  original ``struct rte_foo``.
+
+* Significant ABI changes are planned for the ``librte_dostuff`` library. The
+  upcoming release 2.0 will not contain these changes, but release 2.1 will,
+  and no backwards compatibility is planned due to the extensive nature of
+  these changes. Binaries using this library built prior to version 2.1 will
+  require updating and recompilation.
+
+Versioning Macros
+-----------------
+
+When a symbol is exported from a library to provide an API, it also provides a
+calling convention (ABI) that is embodied in its name, return type and
+arguments. Occasionally that function may need to change to accommodate new
+functionality or behavior. When that occurs, it is desirable to allow for
+backward compatibility for a time with older binaries that are dynamically
+linked to the DPDK.
+
+To support backward compatibility the ``lib/librte_compat/rte_compat.h``
+header file provides macros to use when updating exported functions. These
+macros are used in conjunction with the ``rte_<library>_version.map`` file for
+a given library to allow multiple versions of a symbol to exist in a shared
+library so that older binaries need not be immediately recompiled.
+
+The macros exported are:
+
+* ``VERSION_SYMBOL(b, e, n)``: Creates a symbol version table entry binding
+  versioned symbol ``b@DPDK_n`` to the internal function ``b_e``.
+
+* ``BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL(b, e, n)``: Creates a symbol version entry instructing
+  the linker to bind references to symbol ``b`` to the internal symbol
+  ``b_e``.
+
+* ``MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL(f, p)``: Declare the prototype ``f``, and map it to the
+  fully qualified function ``p``, so that if a symbol becomes versioned, it
+  can still be mapped back to the public symbol name.
+
+Examples of ABI Macro use
+-------------------------
+
+Updating a public API
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Assume we have a function as follows
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ /*
+  * Create an acl context object for apps to
+  * manipulate
+  */
+ struct rte_acl_ctx *
+ rte_acl_create(const struct rte_acl_param *param)
+ {
+        ...
+ }
+
+
+Assume that struct rte_acl_ctx is a private structure, and that a developer
+wishes to enhance the acl api so that a debugging flag can be enabled on a
+per-context basis.  This requires an addition to the structure (which, being
+private, is safe), but it also requires modifying the code as follows
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ /*
+  * Create an acl context object for apps to
+  * manipulate
+  */
+ struct rte_acl_ctx *
+ rte_acl_create(const struct rte_acl_param *param, int debug)
+ {
+        ...
+ }
+
+
+Note also that, being a public function, the header file prototype must also be
+changed, as must all the call sites, to reflect the new ABI footprint.  We will
+maintain previous ABI versions that are accessible only to previously compiled
+binaries
+
+The addition of a parameter to the function is ABI breaking as the function is
+public, and existing application may use it in its current form.  However, the
+compatibility macros in DPDK allow a developer to use symbol versioning so that
+multiple functions can be mapped to the same public symbol based on when an
+application was linked to it.  To see how this is done, we start with the
+requisite libraries version map file.  Initially the version map file for the
+acl library looks like this
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+   DPDK_2.0 {
+        global:
+
+        rte_acl_add_rules;
+        rte_acl_build;
+        rte_acl_classify;
+        rte_acl_classify_alg;
+        rte_acl_classify_scalar;
+        rte_acl_create;
+        rte_acl_dump;
+        rte_acl_find_existing;
+        rte_acl_free;
+        rte_acl_ipv4vlan_add_rules;
+        rte_acl_ipv4vlan_build;
+        rte_acl_list_dump;
+        rte_acl_reset;
+        rte_acl_reset_rules;
+        rte_acl_set_ctx_classify;
+
+        local: *;
+   };
+
+This file needs to be modified as follows
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+   DPDK_2.0 {
+        global:
+
+        rte_acl_add_rules;
+        rte_acl_build;
+        rte_acl_classify;
+        rte_acl_classify_alg;
+        rte_acl_classify_scalar;
+        rte_acl_create;
+        rte_acl_dump;
+        rte_acl_find_existing;
+        rte_acl_free;
+        rte_acl_ipv4vlan_add_rules;
+        rte_acl_ipv4vlan_build;
+        rte_acl_list_dump;
+        rte_acl_reset;
+        rte_acl_reset_rules;
+        rte_acl_set_ctx_classify;
+
+        local: *;
+   };
+
+   DPDK_2.1 {
+        global:
+        rte_acl_create;
+
+   } DPDK_2.0;
+
+The addition of the new block tells the linker that a new version node is
+available (DPDK_2.1), which contains the symbol rte_acl_create, and inherits the
+symbols from the DPDK_2.0 node.  This list is directly translated into a list of
+exported symbols when DPDK is compiled as a shared library
+
+Next, we need to specify in the code which function map to the rte_acl_create
+symbol at which versions.  First, at the site of the initial symbol definition,
+we need to update the function so that it is uniquely named, and not in conflict
+with the public symbol name
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+  struct rte_acl_ctx *
+ -rte_acl_create(const struct rte_acl_param *param)
+ +rte_acl_create_v20(const struct rte_acl_param *param)
+ {
+        size_t sz;
+        struct rte_acl_ctx *ctx;
+        ...
+
+Note that the base name of the symbol was kept intact, as this is conducive to
+the macros used for versioning symbols.  That is our next step, mapping this new
+symbol name to the initial symbol name at version node 2.0.  Immediately after
+the function, we add this line of code
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+   VERSION_SYMBOL(rte_acl_create, _v20, 2.0);
+
+Remembering to also add the rte_compat.h header to the requisite c file where
+these changes are being made.  The above macro instructs the linker to create a
+new symbol ``rte_acl_create@DPDK_2.0``, which matches the symbol created in older
+builds, but now points to the above newly named function.  We have now mapped
+the original rte_acl_create symbol to the original function (but with a new
+name)
+
+Next, we need to create the 2.1 version of the symbol.  We create a new function
+name, with a different suffix, and  implement it appropriately
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+   struct rte_acl_ctx *
+   rte_acl_create_v21(const struct rte_acl_param *param, int debug);
+   {
+        struct rte_acl_ctx *ctx = rte_acl_create_v20(param);
+
+        ctx->debug = debug;
+
+        return ctx;
+   }
+
+This code serves as our new API call.  Its the same as our old call, but adds
+the new parameter in place.  Next we need to map this function to the symbol
+``rte_acl_create@DPDK_2.1``.  To do this, we modify the public prototype of the call
+in the header file, adding the macro there to inform all including applications,
+that on re-link, the default rte_acl_create symbol should point to this
+function.  Note that we could do this by simply naming the function above
+rte_acl_create, and the linker would chose the most recent version tag to apply
+in the version script, but we can also do this in the header file
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+   struct rte_acl_ctx *
+   -rte_acl_create(const struct rte_acl_param *param);
+   +rte_acl_create(const struct rte_acl_param *param, int debug);
+   +BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL(rte_acl_create, _v21, 2.1);
+
+The BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL macro explicitly tells applications that include this
+header, to link to the rte_acl_create_v21 function and apply the DPDK_2.1
+version node to it.  This method is more explicit and flexible than just
+re-implementing the exact symbol name, and allows for other features (such as
+linking to the old symbol version by default, when the new ABI is to be opt-in
+for a period.
+
+One last thing we need to do.  Note that we've taken what was a public symbol,
+and duplicated it into two uniquely and differently named symbols.  We've then
+mapped each of those back to the public symbol ``rte_acl_create`` with different
+version tags.  This only applies to dynamic linking, as static linking has no
+notion of versioning.  That leaves this code in a position of no longer having a
+symbol simply named ``rte_acl_create`` and a static build will fail on that
+missing symbol.
+
+To correct this, we can simply map a function of our choosing back to the public
+symbol in the static build with the ``MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL`` macro.  Generally the
+assumption is that the most recent version of the symbol is the one you want to
+map.  So, back in the C file where, immediately after ``rte_acl_create_v21`` is
+defined, we add this
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+   struct rte_acl_create_v21(const struct rte_acl_param *param, int debug)
+   {
+        ...
+   }
+   MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL(struct rte_acl_create(const struct rte_acl_param *param, int debug), rte_acl_create_v21);
+
+That tells the compiler that, when building a static library, any calls to the
+symbol ``rte_acl_create`` should be linked to ``rte_acl_create_v21``
+
+That's it, on the next shared library rebuild, there will be two versions of
+rte_acl_create, an old DPDK_2.0 version, used by previously built applications,
+and a new DPDK_2.1 version, used by future built applications.
+
+
+Deprecating part of a public API
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Lets assume that you've done the above update, and after a few releases have
+passed you decide you would like to retire the old version of the function.
+After having gone through the ABI deprecation announcement process, removal is
+easy.  Start by removing the symbol from the requisite version map file:
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+   DPDK_2.0 {
+        global:
+
+        rte_acl_add_rules;
+        rte_acl_build;
+        rte_acl_classify;
+        rte_acl_classify_alg;
+        rte_acl_classify_scalar;
+        rte_acl_dump;
+ -      rte_acl_create
+        rte_acl_find_existing;
+        rte_acl_free;
+        rte_acl_ipv4vlan_add_rules;
+        rte_acl_ipv4vlan_build;
+        rte_acl_list_dump;
+        rte_acl_reset;
+        rte_acl_reset_rules;
+        rte_acl_set_ctx_classify;
+
+        local: *;
+   };
+
+   DPDK_2.1 {
+        global:
+        rte_acl_create;
+   } DPDK_2.0;
+
+
+Next remove the corresponding versioned export.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ -VERSION_SYMBOL(rte_acl_create, _v20, 2.0);
+
+
+Note that the internal function definition could also be removed, but its used
+in our example by the newer version _v21, so we leave it in place.  This is a
+coding style choice.
+
+Lastly, we need to bump the LIBABIVER number for this library in the Makefile to
+indicate to applications doing dynamic linking that this is a later, and
+possibly incompatible library version:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+   -LIBABIVER := 1
+   +LIBABIVER := 2
+
+Deprecating an entire ABI version
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+While removing a symbol from and ABI may be useful, it is often more practical
+to remove an entire version node at once.  If a version node completely
+specifies an API, then removing part of it, typically makes it incomplete.  In
+those cases it is better to remove the entire node
+
+To do this, start by modifying the version map file, such that all symbols from
+the node to be removed are merged into the next node in the map
+
+In the case of our map above, it would transform to look as follows
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+   DPDK_2.1 {
+        global:
+
+        rte_acl_add_rules;
+        rte_acl_build;
+        rte_acl_classify;
+        rte_acl_classify_alg;
+        rte_acl_classify_scalar;
+        rte_acl_dump;
+        rte_acl_create
+        rte_acl_find_existing;
+        rte_acl_free;
+        rte_acl_ipv4vlan_add_rules;
+        rte_acl_ipv4vlan_build;
+        rte_acl_list_dump;
+        rte_acl_reset;
+        rte_acl_reset_rules;
+        rte_acl_set_ctx_classify;
+
+        local: *;
+ };
+
+Then any uses of BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL that pointed to the old node should be
+updated to point to the new version node in any header files for all affected
+symbols.
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ -BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL(rte_acl_create, _v20, 2.0);
+ +BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL(rte_acl_create, _v21, 2.1);
+
+Lastly, any VERSION_SYMBOL macros that point to the old version node should be
+removed, taking care to keep, where need old code in place to support newer
+versions of the symbol.
+
+Running the ABI Validator
+-------------------------
+
+The ``scripts`` directory in the DPDK source tree contains a utility program,
+``validate-abi.sh``, for validating the DPDK ABI based on the Linux `ABI
+Compliance Checker
+<http://ispras.linuxbase.org/index.php/ABI_compliance_checker>`_.
+
+This has a dependency on the ``abi-compliance-checker`` and ``and abi-dumper``
+utilities which can be installed via a package manager. For example::
+
+   sudo yum install abi-compliance-checker
+   sudo yum install abi-dumper
+
+The syntax of the ``validate-abi.sh`` utility is::
+
+   ./scripts/validate-abi.sh <REV1> <REV2> <TARGET>
+
+Where ``REV1`` and ``REV2`` are valid gitrevisions(7)
+https://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/gitrevisions.html
+on the local repo and target is the usual DPDK compilation target.
+
+For example:
+
+   # Check between the previous and latest commit:
+   ./scripts/validate-abi.sh HEAD~1 HEAD x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc
+
+   # Check between two tags:
+   ./scripts/validate-abi.sh v2.0.0 v2.1.0 x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc
+
+   # Check between git master and local topic-branch "vhost-hacking":
+   ./scripts/validate-abi.sh master vhost-hacking x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc
+
+After the validation script completes (it can take a while since it need to
+compile both tags) it will create compatibility reports in the
+``./compat_report`` directory. Listed incompatibilities can be found as
+follows::
+
+  grep -lr Incompatible compat_reports/