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diff --git a/doc/guides/nics/softnic.rst b/doc/guides/nics/softnic.rst new file mode 100644 index 00000000..6c2287a1 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/guides/nics/softnic.rst @@ -0,0 +1,250 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause + Copyright(c) 2018 Intel Corporation. + +Soft NIC Poll Mode Driver +========================= + +The Soft NIC allows building custom NIC pipelines in software. The Soft NIC pipeline +is DIY and reconfigurable through ``firmware`` (DPDK Packet Framework script). + +The Soft NIC leverages the DPDK Packet Framework libraries (librte_port, +librte_table and librte_pipeline) to make it modular, flexible and extensible +with new functionality. Please refer to DPDK Programmer's Guide, Chapter +``Packet Framework`` and DPDK Sample Application User Guide, +Chapter ``IP Pipeline Application`` for more details. + +The Soft NIC is configured through the standard DPDK ethdev API (ethdev, flow, +QoS, security). The internal framework is not externally visible. + +Key benefits: + - Can be used to augment missing features to HW NICs. + - Allows consumption of advanced DPDK features without application redesign. + - Allows out-of-the-box performance boost of DPDK consumers applications simply by + instantiating this type of Ethernet device. + +Flow +---- +* ``Device creation``: Each Soft NIC instance is a virtual device. + +* ``Device start``: The Soft NIC firmware script is executed every time the device + is started. The firmware script typically creates several internal objects, + such as: memory pools, SW queues, traffic manager, action profiles, pipelines, + etc. + +* ``Device stop``: All the internal objects that were previously created by the + firmware script during device start are now destroyed. + +* ``Device run``: Each Soft NIC device needs one or several CPU cores to run. + The firmware script maps each internal pipeline to a CPU core. Multiple + pipelines can be mapped to the same CPU core. In order for a given pipeline + assigned to CPU core X to run, the application needs to periodically call on + CPU core X the `rte_pmd_softnic_run()` function for the current Soft NIC + device. + +* ``Application run``: The application reads packets from the Soft NIC device RX + queues and writes packets to the Soft NIC device TX queues. + +Supported Operating Systems +--------------------------- + +Any Linux distribution fulfilling the conditions described in ``System Requirements`` +section of :ref:`the DPDK documentation <linux_gsg>` or refer to *DPDK +Release Notes*. + +Build options +------------- + +The default PMD configuration available in the common_linuxapp configuration file: + +CONFIG_RTE_LIBRTE_PMD_SOFTNIC=y + +Once the DPDK is built, all the DPDK applications include support for the +Soft NIC PMD. + +Soft NIC PMD arguments +---------------------- + +The user can specify below arguments in EAL ``--vdev`` options to create the +Soft NIC device instance: + + --vdev "net_softnic0,firmware=firmware.cli,conn_port=8086" + +#. ``firmware``: path to the firmware script used for Soft NIC configuration. + The example "firmware" script is provided at `drivers/net/softnic/`. + (Optional: No, Default = NA) + +#. ``conn_port``: tcp connection port (non-zero value) used by remote client + (for examples- telnet, netcat, etc.) to connect and configure Soft NIC device in run-time. + (Optional: yes, Default value: 0, no connection with external client) + +#. ``cpu_id``: numa node id. (Optional: yes, Default value: 0) + +#. ``tm_n_queues``: number of traffic manager's scheduler queues. The traffic manager + is based on DPDK *librte_sched* library. (Optional: yes, Default value: 65,536 queues) + +#. ``tm_qsize0``: size of scheduler queue 0 per traffic class of the pipes/subscribers. + (Optional: yes, Default: 64) + +#. ``tm_qsize1``: size of scheduler queue 1 per traffic class of the pipes/subscribers. + (Optional: yes, Default: 64) + +#. ``tm_qsize2``: size of scheduler queue 2 per traffic class of the pipes/subscribers. + (Optional: yes, Default: 64) + +#. ``tm_qsize3``: size of scheduler queue 3 per traffic class of the pipes/subscribers. + (Optional: yes, Default: 64) + + +Soft NIC testing +---------------- + +* Run testpmd application in Soft NIC forwarding mode with loopback feature + enabled on Soft NIC port: + + .. code-block:: console + + ./testpmd -c 0x3 --vdev 'net_softnic0,firmware=<script path>/firmware.cli,cpu_id=0,conn_port=8086' -- -i + --forward-mode=softnic --portmask=0x2 + + .. code-block:: console + + ... + Interactive-mode selected + Set softnic packet forwarding mode + ... + Configuring Port 0 (socket 0) + Port 0: 90:E2:BA:37:9D:DC + Configuring Port 1 (socket 0) + + ; SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause + ; Copyright(c) 2018 Intel Corporation + + link LINK dev 0000:02:00.0 + + pipeline RX period 10 offset_port_id 0 + pipeline RX port in bsz 32 link LINK rxq 0 + pipeline RX port out bsz 32 swq RXQ0 + pipeline RX table match stub + pipeline RX port in 0 table 0 + + pipeline TX period 10 offset_port_id 0 + pipeline TX port in bsz 32 swq TXQ0 + pipeline TX port out bsz 32 link LINK txq 0 + pipeline TX table match stub + pipeline TX port in 0 table 0 + + thread 1 pipeline RX enable + thread 1 pipeline TX enable + Port 1: 00:00:00:00:00:00 + Checking link statuses... + Done + testpmd> + +* Start forwarding + + .. code-block:: console + + testpmd> start + softnic packet forwarding - ports=1 - cores=1 - streams=1 - NUMA support enabled, MP over anonymous pages disabled + Logical Core 1 (socket 0) forwards packets on 1 streams: + RX P=2/Q=0 (socket 0) -> TX P=2/Q=0 (socket 0) peer=02:00:00:00:00:02 + + softnic packet forwarding packets/burst=32 + nb forwarding cores=1 - nb forwarding ports=1 + port 0: RX queue number: 1 Tx queue number: 1 + Rx offloads=0x1000 Tx offloads=0x0 + RX queue: 0 + RX desc=512 - RX free threshold=32 + RX threshold registers: pthresh=8 hthresh=8 wthresh=0 + RX Offloads=0x0 + TX queue: 0 + TX desc=512 - TX free threshold=32 + TX threshold registers: pthresh=32 hthresh=0 wthresh=0 + TX offloads=0x0 - TX RS bit threshold=32 + port 1: RX queue number: 1 Tx queue number: 1 + Rx offloads=0x0 Tx offloads=0x0 + RX queue: 0 + RX desc=0 - RX free threshold=0 + RX threshold registers: pthresh=0 hthresh=0 wthresh=0 + RX Offloads=0x0 + TX queue: 0 + TX desc=0 - TX free threshold=0 + TX threshold registers: pthresh=0 hthresh=0 wthresh=0 + TX offloads=0x0 - TX RS bit threshold=0 + +* Start remote client (e.g. telnet) to communicate with the softnic device: + + .. code-block:: console + + $ telnet 127.0.0.1 8086 + Trying 127.0.0.1... + Connected to 127.0.0.1. + Escape character is '^]'. + + Welcome to Soft NIC! + + softnic> + +* Add/update Soft NIC pipeline table match-action entries from telnet client: + + .. code-block:: console + + softnic> pipeline RX table 0 rule add match default action fwd port 0 + softnic> pipeline TX table 0 rule add match default action fwd port 0 + +Soft NIC Firmware +----------------- + +The Soft NIC firmware, for example- `softnic/firmware.cli`, consists of following CLI commands +for creating and managing software based NIC pipelines. For more details, please refer to CLI +command description provided in `softnic/rte_eth_softnic_cli.c`. + +* Physical port for packets send/receive: + + .. code-block:: console + + link LINK dev 0000:02:00.0 + +* Pipeline create: + + .. code-block:: console + + pipeline RX period 10 offset_port_id 0 (Soft NIC rx-path pipeline) + pipeline TX period 10 offset_port_id 0 (Soft NIC tx-path pipeline) + +* Pipeline input/output port create + + .. code-block:: console + + pipeline RX port in bsz 32 link LINK rxq 0 (Soft NIC rx pipeline input port) + pipeline RX port out bsz 32 swq RXQ0 (Soft NIC rx pipeline output port) + pipeline TX port in bsz 32 swq TXQ0 (Soft NIC tx pipeline input port) + pipeline TX port out bsz 32 link LINK txq 0 (Soft NIC tx pipeline output port) + +* Pipeline table create + + .. code-block:: console + + pipeline RX table match stub (Soft NIC rx pipeline match-action table) + pipeline TX table match stub (Soft NIC tx pipeline match-action table) + +* Pipeline input port connection with table + + .. code-block:: console + + pipeline RX port in 0 table 0 (Soft NIC rx pipeline input port 0 connection with table 0) + pipeline TX port in 0 table 0 (Soft NIC tx pipeline input port 0 connection with table 0) + +* Pipeline table match-action rules add + + .. code-block:: console + + pipeline RX table 0 rule add match default action fwd port 0 (Soft NIC rx pipeline table 0 rule) + pipeline TX table 0 rule add match default action fwd port 0 (Soft NIC tx pipeline table 0 rule) + +* Enable pipeline on CPU thread + + .. code-block:: console + + thread 1 pipeline RX enable (Soft NIC rx pipeline enable on cpu thread id 1) + thread 1 pipeline TX enable (Soft NIC tx pipeline enable on cpu thread id 1) |