Hi OVS Community, I would like to discuss a gap I have identified in the current Open vSwitch (OVS) DPDK integration regarding the configuration of Layer 1 attributes (link speed, possibly duplex, and autonegotiation) for DPDK-backed interfaces.
My findings can be, however, wrong, as I am new to ovs, but that is how I understand it now. Currently, DPDK provides the ability to set these speed and autoneg via the link_speeds field in struct rte_eth_conf, which is passed to rte_eth_dev_configure(). However, after reviewing the OVS 3.3.2 code, I found that OVS does not expose any mechanism to set these parameters via ovs-vsctl or OVSDB. The relevant fields in rte_eth_conf are not settable through OVS configuration, and there is no code to parse or apply such options from the OVSDB or command line. As a result, users cannot configure speed, duplex, or autoneg for DPDK interfaces through standard OVS tools. I would like to propose adding support for configuring these Layer 1 attributes via the OVSDB schema and ovs-vsctl commands. This would involve: * Extending the OVSDB schema (e.g., adding options:link-speed, options:autoneg, and options:duplex to the Interface table under PMD group). * Parsing these options in the OVS DPDK netdev code. * Setting the corresponding fields in struct rte_eth_conf before calling rte_eth_dev_configure(). The possibility to set speed and duplex is requested by our customers and I think would be beneficial for anyone needing to control link settings for DPDK interfaces in OVS, similar to what is possible with ethtool for kernel interfaces. Upstreaming this functionality would help avoid custom patches and benefit the broader community. Would the OVS community be interested in such a contribution? If so, I am happy to prepare a design proposal and work on an implementation for review. Any comments and clarifications are very welcome! Looking forward to your feedback and guidance. Renata Saiakhova SW ARCHITECT [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]%20> Tel: +32 16 799 970 [https://www.ekinops.com/images/public-communication/mail-signature/logo_96dpi.gif]<www.ekinops.com> [https://www.ekinops.com/images/public-communication/mail-signature/current.png]<https://www.ekinops.com/news/mailbanner>
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