1 .. SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
2 Copyright 2016 6WIND S.A.
3 Copyright 2016 Mellanox Technologies, Ltd
5 Generic flow API (rte_flow)
6 ===========================
11 This API provides a generic means to configure hardware to match specific
12 ingress or egress traffic, alter its fate and query related counters
13 according to any number of user-defined rules.
15 It is named *rte_flow* after the prefix used for all its symbols, and is
16 defined in ``rte_flow.h``.
18 - Matching can be performed on packet data (protocol headers, payload) and
19 properties (e.g. associated physical port, virtual device function ID).
21 - Possible operations include dropping traffic, diverting it to specific
22 queues, to virtual/physical device functions or ports, performing tunnel
23 offloads, adding marks and so on.
31 A flow rule is the combination of attributes with a matching pattern and a
32 list of actions. Flow rules form the basis of this API.
34 Flow rules can have several distinct actions (such as counting,
35 encapsulating, decapsulating before redirecting packets to a particular
36 queue, etc.), instead of relying on several rules to achieve this and having
37 applications deal with hardware implementation details regarding their
40 Support for different priority levels on a rule basis is provided, for
41 example in order to force a more specific rule to come before a more generic
42 one for packets matched by both. However hardware support for more than a
43 single priority level cannot be guaranteed. When supported, the number of
44 available priority levels is usually low, which is why they can also be
45 implemented in software by PMDs (e.g. missing priority levels may be
46 emulated by reordering rules).
48 In order to remain as hardware-agnostic as possible, by default all rules
49 are considered to have the same priority, which means that the order between
50 overlapping rules (when a packet is matched by several filters) is
53 PMDs may refuse to create overlapping rules at a given priority level when
54 they can be detected (e.g. if a pattern matches an existing filter).
56 Thus predictable results for a given priority level can only be achieved
57 with non-overlapping rules, using perfect matching on all protocol layers.
59 Flow rules can also be grouped, the flow rule priority is specific to the
60 group they belong to. All flow rules in a given group are thus processed within
61 the context of that group. Groups are not linked by default, so the logical
62 hierarchy of groups must be explicitly defined by flow rules themselves in each
63 group using the JUMP action to define the next group to redirect too. Only flow
64 rules defined in the default group 0 are guarantee to be matched against, this
65 makes group 0 the origin of any group hierarchy defined by an application.
67 Support for multiple actions per rule may be implemented internally on top
68 of non-default hardware priorities, as a result both features may not be
69 simultaneously available to applications.
71 Considering that allowed pattern/actions combinations cannot be known in
72 advance and would result in an impractically large number of capabilities to
73 expose, a method is provided to validate a given rule from the current
74 device configuration state.
76 This enables applications to check if the rule types they need is supported
77 at initialization time, before starting their data path. This method can be
78 used anytime, its only requirement being that the resources needed by a rule
79 should exist (e.g. a target RX queue should be configured first).
81 Each defined rule is associated with an opaque handle managed by the PMD,
82 applications are responsible for keeping it. These can be used for queries
83 and rules management, such as retrieving counters or other data and
86 To avoid resource leaks on the PMD side, handles must be explicitly
87 destroyed by the application before releasing associated resources such as
90 The following sections cover:
92 - **Attributes** (represented by ``struct rte_flow_attr``): properties of a
93 flow rule such as its direction (ingress or egress) and priority.
95 - **Pattern item** (represented by ``struct rte_flow_item``): part of a
96 matching pattern that either matches specific packet data or traffic
97 properties. It can also describe properties of the pattern itself, such as
100 - **Matching pattern**: traffic properties to look for, a combination of any
103 - **Actions** (represented by ``struct rte_flow_action``): operations to
104 perform whenever a packet is matched by a pattern.
112 Flow rules can be grouped by assigning them a common group number. Groups
113 allow a logical hierarchy of flow rule groups (tables) to be defined. These
114 groups can be supported virtually in the PMD or in the physical device.
115 Group 0 is the default group and this is the only group which flows are
116 guarantee to matched against, all subsequent groups can only be reached by
117 way of the JUMP action from a matched flow rule.
119 Although optional, applications are encouraged to group similar rules as
120 much as possible to fully take advantage of hardware capabilities
121 (e.g. optimized matching) and work around limitations (e.g. a single pattern
122 type possibly allowed in a given group), while being aware that the groups
123 hierarchies must be programmed explicitly.
125 Note that support for more than a single group is not guaranteed.
130 A priority level can be assigned to a flow rule, lower values
131 denote higher priority, with 0 as the maximum.
133 Priority levels are arbitrary and up to the application, they do
134 not need to be contiguous nor start from 0, however the maximum number
135 varies between devices and may be affected by existing flow rules.
137 A flow which matches multiple rules in the same group will always matched by
138 the rule with the highest priority in that group.
140 If a packet is matched by several rules of a given group for a given
141 priority level, the outcome is undefined. It can take any path, may be
142 duplicated or even cause unrecoverable errors.
144 Note that support for more than a single priority level is not guaranteed.
146 Attribute: Traffic direction
147 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
149 Flow rule patterns apply to inbound and/or outbound traffic.
151 In the context of this API, **ingress** and **egress** respectively stand
152 for **inbound** and **outbound** based on the standpoint of the application
153 creating a flow rule.
155 There are no exceptions to this definition.
157 Several pattern items and actions are valid and can be used in both
158 directions. At least one direction must be specified.
160 Specifying both directions at once for a given rule is not recommended but
161 may be valid in a few cases (e.g. shared counters).
166 Instead of simply matching the properties of traffic as it would appear on a
167 given DPDK port ID, enabling this attribute transfers a flow rule to the
168 lowest possible level of any device endpoints found in the pattern.
170 When supported, this effectively enables an application to reroute traffic
171 not necessarily intended for it (e.g. coming from or addressed to different
172 physical ports, VFs or applications) at the device level.
174 It complements the behavior of some pattern items such as `Item: PHY_PORT`_
175 and is meaningless without them.
177 When transferring flow rules, **ingress** and **egress** attributes
178 (`Attribute: Traffic direction`_) keep their original meaning, as if
179 processing traffic emitted or received by the application.
184 Pattern items fall in two categories:
186 - Matching protocol headers and packet data, usually associated with a
187 specification structure. These must be stacked in the same order as the
188 protocol layers to match inside packets, starting from the lowest.
190 - Matching meta-data or affecting pattern processing, often without a
191 specification structure. Since they do not match packet contents, their
192 position in the list is usually not relevant.
194 Item specification structures are used to match specific values among
195 protocol fields (or item properties). Documentation describes for each item
196 whether they are associated with one and their type name if so.
198 Up to three structures of the same type can be set for a given item:
200 - ``spec``: values to match (e.g. a given IPv4 address).
202 - ``last``: upper bound for an inclusive range with corresponding fields in
205 - ``mask``: bit-mask applied to both ``spec`` and ``last`` whose purpose is
206 to distinguish the values to take into account and/or partially mask them
207 out (e.g. in order to match an IPv4 address prefix).
209 Usage restrictions and expected behavior:
211 - Setting either ``mask`` or ``last`` without ``spec`` is an error.
213 - Field values in ``last`` which are either 0 or equal to the corresponding
214 values in ``spec`` are ignored; they do not generate a range. Nonzero
215 values lower than those in ``spec`` are not supported.
217 - Setting ``spec`` and optionally ``last`` without ``mask`` causes the PMD
218 to use the default mask defined for that item (defined as
219 ``rte_flow_item_{name}_mask`` constants).
221 - Not setting any of them (assuming item type allows it) is equivalent to
222 providing an empty (zeroed) ``mask`` for broad (nonspecific) matching.
224 - ``mask`` is a simple bit-mask applied before interpreting the contents of
225 ``spec`` and ``last``, which may yield unexpected results if not used
226 carefully. For example, if for an IPv4 address field, ``spec`` provides
227 *10.1.2.3*, ``last`` provides *10.3.4.5* and ``mask`` provides
228 *255.255.0.0*, the effective range becomes *10.1.0.0* to *10.3.255.255*.
230 Example of an item specification matching an Ethernet header:
232 .. _table_rte_flow_pattern_item_example:
234 .. table:: Ethernet item
236 +----------+----------+-----------------------+
237 | Field | Subfield | Value |
238 +==========+==========+=======================+
239 | ``spec`` | ``src`` | ``00:00:01:02:03:04`` |
240 | +----------+-----------------------+
241 | | ``dst`` | ``00:00:2a:66:00:01`` |
242 | +----------+-----------------------+
243 | | ``type`` | ``0x22aa`` |
244 +----------+----------+-----------------------+
245 | ``last`` | unspecified |
246 +----------+----------+-----------------------+
247 | ``mask`` | ``src`` | ``00:00:ff:ff:ff:00`` |
248 | +----------+-----------------------+
249 | | ``dst`` | ``00:00:00:00:00:ff`` |
250 | +----------+-----------------------+
251 | | ``type`` | ``0x0000`` |
252 +----------+----------+-----------------------+
254 Non-masked bits stand for any value (shown as ``?`` below), Ethernet headers
255 with the following properties are thus matched:
257 - ``src``: ``??:??:01:02:03:??``
258 - ``dst``: ``??:??:??:??:??:01``
259 - ``type``: ``0x????``
264 A pattern is formed by stacking items starting from the lowest protocol
265 layer to match. This stacking restriction does not apply to meta items which
266 can be placed anywhere in the stack without affecting the meaning of the
269 Patterns are terminated by END items.
273 .. _table_rte_flow_tcpv4_as_l4:
275 .. table:: TCPv4 as L4
291 .. _table_rte_flow_tcpv6_in_vxlan:
293 .. table:: TCPv6 in VXLAN
295 +-------+------------+
297 +=======+============+
299 +-------+------------+
301 +-------+------------+
303 +-------+------------+
305 +-------+------------+
307 +-------+------------+
309 +-------+------------+
311 +-------+------------+
313 +-------+------------+
317 .. _table_rte_flow_tcpv4_as_l4_meta:
319 .. table:: TCPv4 as L4 with meta items
341 The above example shows how meta items do not affect packet data matching
342 items, as long as those remain stacked properly. The resulting matching
343 pattern is identical to "TCPv4 as L4".
345 .. _table_rte_flow_udpv6_anywhere:
347 .. table:: UDPv6 anywhere
359 If supported by the PMD, omitting one or several protocol layers at the
360 bottom of the stack as in the above example (missing an Ethernet
361 specification) enables looking up anywhere in packets.
363 It is unspecified whether the payload of supported encapsulations
364 (e.g. VXLAN payload) is matched by such a pattern, which may apply to inner,
365 outer or both packets.
367 .. _table_rte_flow_invalid_l3:
369 .. table:: Invalid, missing L3
381 The above pattern is invalid due to a missing L3 specification between L2
382 (Ethernet) and L4 (UDP). Doing so is only allowed at the bottom and at the
388 They match meta-data or affect pattern processing instead of matching packet
389 data directly, most of them do not need a specification structure. This
390 particularity allows them to be specified anywhere in the stack without
391 causing any side effect.
396 End marker for item lists. Prevents further processing of items, thereby
399 - Its numeric value is 0 for convenience.
400 - PMD support is mandatory.
401 - ``spec``, ``last`` and ``mask`` are ignored.
403 .. _table_rte_flow_item_end:
407 +----------+---------+
409 +==========+=========+
410 | ``spec`` | ignored |
411 +----------+---------+
412 | ``last`` | ignored |
413 +----------+---------+
414 | ``mask`` | ignored |
415 +----------+---------+
420 Used as a placeholder for convenience. It is ignored and simply discarded by
423 - PMD support is mandatory.
424 - ``spec``, ``last`` and ``mask`` are ignored.
426 .. _table_rte_flow_item_void:
430 +----------+---------+
432 +==========+=========+
433 | ``spec`` | ignored |
434 +----------+---------+
435 | ``last`` | ignored |
436 +----------+---------+
437 | ``mask`` | ignored |
438 +----------+---------+
440 One usage example for this type is generating rules that share a common
441 prefix quickly without reallocating memory, only by updating item types:
443 .. _table_rte_flow_item_void_example:
445 .. table:: TCP, UDP or ICMP as L4
447 +-------+--------------------+
449 +=======+====================+
451 +-------+--------------------+
453 +-------+------+------+------+
454 | 2 | UDP | VOID | VOID |
455 +-------+------+------+------+
456 | 3 | VOID | TCP | VOID |
457 +-------+------+------+------+
458 | 4 | VOID | VOID | ICMP |
459 +-------+------+------+------+
461 +-------+--------------------+
466 Inverted matching, i.e. process packets that do not match the pattern.
468 - ``spec``, ``last`` and ``mask`` are ignored.
470 .. _table_rte_flow_item_invert:
474 +----------+---------+
476 +==========+=========+
477 | ``spec`` | ignored |
478 +----------+---------+
479 | ``last`` | ignored |
480 +----------+---------+
481 | ``mask`` | ignored |
482 +----------+---------+
484 Usage example, matching non-TCPv4 packets only:
486 .. _table_rte_flow_item_invert_example:
488 .. table:: Anything but TCPv4
507 Matches traffic originating from (ingress) or going to (egress) the physical
508 function of the current device.
510 If supported, should work even if the physical function is not managed by
511 the application and thus not associated with a DPDK port ID.
513 - Can be combined with any number of `Item: VF`_ to match both PF and VF
515 - ``spec``, ``last`` and ``mask`` must not be set.
517 .. _table_rte_flow_item_pf:
534 Matches traffic originating from (ingress) or going to (egress) a given
535 virtual function of the current device.
537 If supported, should work even if the virtual function is not managed by the
538 application and thus not associated with a DPDK port ID.
540 Note this pattern item does not match VF representors traffic which, as
541 separate entities, should be addressed through their own DPDK port IDs.
543 - Can be specified multiple times to match traffic addressed to several VF
545 - Can be combined with a PF item to match both PF and VF traffic.
546 - Default ``mask`` matches any VF ID.
548 .. _table_rte_flow_item_vf:
552 +----------+----------+---------------------------+
553 | Field | Subfield | Value |
554 +==========+==========+===========================+
555 | ``spec`` | ``id`` | destination VF ID |
556 +----------+----------+---------------------------+
557 | ``last`` | ``id`` | upper range value |
558 +----------+----------+---------------------------+
559 | ``mask`` | ``id`` | zeroed to match any VF ID |
560 +----------+----------+---------------------------+
565 Matches traffic originating from (ingress) or going to (egress) a physical
566 port of the underlying device.
568 The first PHY_PORT item overrides the physical port normally associated with
569 the specified DPDK input port (port_id). This item can be provided several
570 times to match additional physical ports.
572 Note that physical ports are not necessarily tied to DPDK input ports
573 (port_id) when those are not under DPDK control. Possible values are
574 specific to each device, they are not necessarily indexed from zero and may
577 As a device property, the list of allowed values as well as the value
578 associated with a port_id should be retrieved by other means.
580 - Default ``mask`` matches any port index.
582 .. _table_rte_flow_item_phy_port:
586 +----------+-----------+--------------------------------+
587 | Field | Subfield | Value |
588 +==========+===========+================================+
589 | ``spec`` | ``index`` | physical port index |
590 +----------+-----------+--------------------------------+
591 | ``last`` | ``index`` | upper range value |
592 +----------+-----------+--------------------------------+
593 | ``mask`` | ``index`` | zeroed to match any port index |
594 +----------+-----------+--------------------------------+
599 Matches traffic originating from (ingress) or going to (egress) a given DPDK
602 Normally only supported if the port ID in question is known by the
603 underlying PMD and related to the device the flow rule is created against.
605 This must not be confused with `Item: PHY_PORT`_ which refers to the
606 physical port of a device, whereas `Item: PORT_ID`_ refers to a ``struct
607 rte_eth_dev`` object on the application side (also known as "port
608 representor" depending on the kind of underlying device).
610 - Default ``mask`` matches the specified DPDK port ID.
612 .. _table_rte_flow_item_port_id:
616 +----------+----------+-----------------------------+
617 | Field | Subfield | Value |
618 +==========+==========+=============================+
619 | ``spec`` | ``id`` | DPDK port ID |
620 +----------+----------+-----------------------------+
621 | ``last`` | ``id`` | upper range value |
622 +----------+----------+-----------------------------+
623 | ``mask`` | ``id`` | zeroed to match any port ID |
624 +----------+----------+-----------------------------+
629 Matches an arbitrary integer value which was set using the ``MARK`` action in
630 a previously matched rule.
632 This item can only specified once as a match criteria as the ``MARK`` action can
633 only be specified once in a flow action.
635 Note the value of MARK field is arbitrary and application defined.
637 Depending on the underlying implementation the MARK item may be supported on
638 the physical device, with virtual groups in the PMD or not at all.
640 - Default ``mask`` matches any integer value.
642 .. _table_rte_flow_item_mark:
646 +----------+----------+---------------------------+
647 | Field | Subfield | Value |
648 +==========+==========+===========================+
649 | ``spec`` | ``id`` | integer value |
650 +----------+--------------------------------------+
651 | ``last`` | ``id`` | upper range value |
652 +----------+----------+---------------------------+
653 | ``mask`` | ``id`` | zeroed to match any value |
654 +----------+----------+---------------------------+
659 Matches tag item set by other flows. Multiple tags are supported by specifying
662 - Default ``mask`` matches the specified tag value and index.
664 .. _table_rte_flow_item_tag:
668 +----------+----------+----------------------------------------+
669 | Field | Subfield | Value |
670 +==========+===========+=======================================+
671 | ``spec`` | ``data`` | 32 bit flow tag value |
672 | +-----------+---------------------------------------+
673 | | ``index`` | index of flow tag |
674 +----------+-----------+---------------------------------------+
675 | ``last`` | ``data`` | upper range value |
676 | +-----------+---------------------------------------+
677 | | ``index`` | field is ignored |
678 +----------+-----------+---------------------------------------+
679 | ``mask`` | ``data`` | bit-mask applies to "spec" and "last" |
680 | +-----------+---------------------------------------+
681 | | ``index`` | field is ignored |
682 +----------+-----------+---------------------------------------+
687 Matches 32 bit metadata item set.
689 On egress, metadata can be set either by mbuf metadata field with
690 PKT_TX_DYNF_METADATA flag or ``SET_META`` action. On ingress, ``SET_META``
691 action sets metadata for a packet and the metadata will be reported via
692 ``metadata`` dynamic field of ``rte_mbuf`` with PKT_RX_DYNF_METADATA flag.
694 - Default ``mask`` matches the specified Rx metadata value.
696 .. _table_rte_flow_item_meta:
700 +----------+----------+---------------------------------------+
701 | Field | Subfield | Value |
702 +==========+==========+=======================================+
703 | ``spec`` | ``data`` | 32 bit metadata value |
704 +----------+----------+---------------------------------------+
705 | ``last`` | ``data`` | upper range value |
706 +----------+----------+---------------------------------------+
707 | ``mask`` | ``data`` | bit-mask applies to "spec" and "last" |
708 +----------+----------+---------------------------------------+
710 Data matching item types
711 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
713 Most of these are basically protocol header definitions with associated
714 bit-masks. They must be specified (stacked) from lowest to highest protocol
715 layer to form a matching pattern.
717 The following list is not exhaustive, new protocols will be added in the
723 Matches any protocol in place of the current layer, a single ANY may also
724 stand for several protocol layers.
726 This is usually specified as the first pattern item when looking for a
727 protocol anywhere in a packet.
729 - Default ``mask`` stands for any number of layers.
731 .. _table_rte_flow_item_any:
735 +----------+----------+--------------------------------------+
736 | Field | Subfield | Value |
737 +==========+==========+======================================+
738 | ``spec`` | ``num`` | number of layers covered |
739 +----------+----------+--------------------------------------+
740 | ``last`` | ``num`` | upper range value |
741 +----------+----------+--------------------------------------+
742 | ``mask`` | ``num`` | zeroed to cover any number of layers |
743 +----------+----------+--------------------------------------+
745 Example for VXLAN TCP payload matching regardless of outer L3 (IPv4 or IPv6)
746 and L4 (UDP) both matched by the first ANY specification, and inner L3 (IPv4
747 or IPv6) matched by the second ANY specification:
749 .. _table_rte_flow_item_any_example:
751 .. table:: TCP in VXLAN with wildcards
753 +-------+------+----------+----------+-------+
754 | Index | Item | Field | Subfield | Value |
755 +=======+======+==========+==========+=======+
757 +-------+------+----------+----------+-------+
758 | 1 | ANY | ``spec`` | ``num`` | 2 |
759 +-------+------+----------+----------+-------+
761 +-------+------------------------------------+
763 +-------+------+----------+----------+-------+
764 | 4 | ANY | ``spec`` | ``num`` | 1 |
765 +-------+------+----------+----------+-------+
767 +-------+------------------------------------+
769 +-------+------------------------------------+
774 Matches a byte string of a given length at a given offset.
776 Offset is either absolute (using the start of the packet) or relative to the
777 end of the previous matched item in the stack, in which case negative values
780 If search is enabled, offset is used as the starting point. The search area
781 can be delimited by setting limit to a nonzero value, which is the maximum
782 number of bytes after offset where the pattern may start.
784 Matching a zero-length pattern is allowed, doing so resets the relative
785 offset for subsequent items.
787 - This type does not support ranges (``last`` field).
788 - Default ``mask`` matches all fields exactly.
790 .. _table_rte_flow_item_raw:
794 +----------+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+
795 | Field | Subfield | Value |
796 +==========+==============+=================================================+
797 | ``spec`` | ``relative`` | look for pattern after the previous item |
798 | +--------------+-------------------------------------------------+
799 | | ``search`` | search pattern from offset (see also ``limit``) |
800 | +--------------+-------------------------------------------------+
801 | | ``reserved`` | reserved, must be set to zero |
802 | +--------------+-------------------------------------------------+
803 | | ``offset`` | absolute or relative offset for ``pattern`` |
804 | +--------------+-------------------------------------------------+
805 | | ``limit`` | search area limit for start of ``pattern`` |
806 | +--------------+-------------------------------------------------+
807 | | ``length`` | ``pattern`` length |
808 | +--------------+-------------------------------------------------+
809 | | ``pattern`` | byte string to look for |
810 +----------+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+
811 | ``last`` | if specified, either all 0 or with the same values as ``spec`` |
812 +----------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
813 | ``mask`` | bit-mask applied to ``spec`` values with usual behavior |
814 +----------+----------------------------------------------------------------+
816 Example pattern looking for several strings at various offsets of a UDP
817 payload, using combined RAW items:
819 .. _table_rte_flow_item_raw_example:
821 .. table:: UDP payload matching
823 +-------+------+----------+--------------+-------+
824 | Index | Item | Field | Subfield | Value |
825 +=======+======+==========+==============+=======+
827 +-------+----------------------------------------+
829 +-------+----------------------------------------+
831 +-------+------+----------+--------------+-------+
832 | 3 | RAW | ``spec`` | ``relative`` | 1 |
833 | | | +--------------+-------+
834 | | | | ``search`` | 1 |
835 | | | +--------------+-------+
836 | | | | ``offset`` | 10 |
837 | | | +--------------+-------+
838 | | | | ``limit`` | 0 |
839 | | | +--------------+-------+
840 | | | | ``length`` | 3 |
841 | | | +--------------+-------+
842 | | | | ``pattern`` | "foo" |
843 +-------+------+----------+--------------+-------+
844 | 4 | RAW | ``spec`` | ``relative`` | 1 |
845 | | | +--------------+-------+
846 | | | | ``search`` | 0 |
847 | | | +--------------+-------+
848 | | | | ``offset`` | 20 |
849 | | | +--------------+-------+
850 | | | | ``limit`` | 0 |
851 | | | +--------------+-------+
852 | | | | ``length`` | 3 |
853 | | | +--------------+-------+
854 | | | | ``pattern`` | "bar" |
855 +-------+------+----------+--------------+-------+
856 | 5 | RAW | ``spec`` | ``relative`` | 1 |
857 | | | +--------------+-------+
858 | | | | ``search`` | 0 |
859 | | | +--------------+-------+
860 | | | | ``offset`` | -29 |
861 | | | +--------------+-------+
862 | | | | ``limit`` | 0 |
863 | | | +--------------+-------+
864 | | | | ``length`` | 3 |
865 | | | +--------------+-------+
866 | | | | ``pattern`` | "baz" |
867 +-------+------+----------+--------------+-------+
869 +-------+----------------------------------------+
873 - Locate "foo" at least 10 bytes deep inside UDP payload.
874 - Locate "bar" after "foo" plus 20 bytes.
875 - Locate "baz" after "bar" minus 29 bytes.
877 Such a packet may be represented as follows (not to scale)::
880 | |<--------->| |<--------->|
882 |-----|------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----------|-----|------|
883 | ETH | IPv4 | UDP | ... | baz | foo | ......... | bar | .... |
884 |-----|------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----------|-----|------|
886 |<--------------------------->|
889 Note that matching subsequent pattern items would resume after "baz", not
890 "bar" since matching is always performed after the previous item of the
896 Matches an Ethernet header.
898 The ``type`` field either stands for "EtherType" or "TPID" when followed by
899 so-called layer 2.5 pattern items such as ``RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_VLAN``. In
900 the latter case, ``type`` refers to that of the outer header, with the inner
901 EtherType/TPID provided by the subsequent pattern item. This is the same
902 order as on the wire.
903 If the ``type`` field contains a TPID value, then only tagged packets with the
904 specified TPID will match the pattern.
905 The field ``has_vlan`` can be used to match any type of tagged packets,
906 instead of using the ``type`` field.
907 If the ``type`` and ``has_vlan`` fields are not specified, then both tagged
908 and untagged packets will match the pattern.
910 - ``dst``: destination MAC.
911 - ``src``: source MAC.
912 - ``type``: EtherType or TPID.
913 - ``has_vlan``: packet header contains at least one VLAN.
914 - Default ``mask`` matches destination and source addresses only.
919 Matches an 802.1Q/ad VLAN tag.
921 The corresponding standard outer EtherType (TPID) values are
922 ``RTE_ETHER_TYPE_VLAN`` or ``RTE_ETHER_TYPE_QINQ``. It can be overridden by the
923 preceding pattern item.
924 If a ``VLAN`` item is present in the pattern, then only tagged packets will
926 The field ``has_more_vlan`` can be used to match any type of tagged packets,
927 instead of using the ``inner_type field``.
928 If the ``inner_type`` and ``has_more_vlan`` fields are not specified,
929 then any tagged packets will match the pattern.
931 - ``tci``: tag control information.
932 - ``inner_type``: inner EtherType or TPID.
933 - ``has_more_vlan``: packet header contains at least one more VLAN, after this VLAN.
934 - Default ``mask`` matches the VID part of TCI only (lower 12 bits).
939 Matches an IPv4 header.
941 Note: IPv4 options are handled by dedicated pattern items.
943 - ``hdr``: IPv4 header definition (``rte_ip.h``).
944 - Default ``mask`` matches source and destination addresses only.
949 Matches an IPv6 header.
951 Dedicated flags indicate if header contains specific extension headers.
952 To match on packets containing a specific extension header, an application
953 should match on the dedicated flag set to 1.
954 To match on packets not containing a specific extension header, an application
955 should match on the dedicated flag clear to 0.
956 In case application doesn't care about the existence of a specific extension
957 header, it should not specify the dedicated flag for matching.
959 - ``hdr``: IPv6 header definition (``rte_ip.h``).
960 - ``has_hop_ext``: header contains Hop-by-Hop Options extension header.
961 - ``has_route_ext``: header contains Routing extension header.
962 - ``has_frag_ext``: header contains Fragment extension header.
963 - ``has_auth_ext``: header contains Authentication extension header.
964 - ``has_esp_ext``: header contains Encapsulation Security Payload extension header.
965 - ``has_dest_ext``: header contains Destination Options extension header.
966 - ``has_mobil_ext``: header contains Mobility extension header.
967 - ``has_hip_ext``: header contains Host Identity Protocol extension header.
968 - ``has_shim6_ext``: header contains Shim6 Protocol extension header.
969 - Default ``mask`` matches ``hdr`` source and destination addresses only.
974 Matches an ICMP header.
976 - ``hdr``: ICMP header definition (``rte_icmp.h``).
977 - Default ``mask`` matches ICMP type and code only.
982 Matches a UDP header.
984 - ``hdr``: UDP header definition (``rte_udp.h``).
985 - Default ``mask`` matches source and destination ports only.
990 Matches a TCP header.
992 - ``hdr``: TCP header definition (``rte_tcp.h``).
993 - Default ``mask`` matches source and destination ports only.
998 Matches a SCTP header.
1000 - ``hdr``: SCTP header definition (``rte_sctp.h``).
1001 - Default ``mask`` matches source and destination ports only.
1006 Matches a VXLAN header (RFC 7348).
1008 - ``flags``: normally 0x08 (I flag).
1009 - ``rsvd0``: reserved, normally 0x000000.
1010 - ``vni``: VXLAN network identifier.
1011 - ``rsvd1``: reserved, normally 0x00.
1012 - Default ``mask`` matches VNI only.
1017 Matches an IEEE 802.1BR E-Tag header.
1019 The corresponding standard outer EtherType (TPID) value is
1020 ``RTE_ETHER_TYPE_ETAG``. It can be overridden by the preceding pattern item.
1022 - ``epcp_edei_in_ecid_b``: E-Tag control information (E-TCI), E-PCP (3b),
1023 E-DEI (1b), ingress E-CID base (12b).
1024 - ``rsvd_grp_ecid_b``: reserved (2b), GRP (2b), E-CID base (12b).
1025 - ``in_ecid_e``: ingress E-CID ext.
1026 - ``ecid_e``: E-CID ext.
1027 - ``inner_type``: inner EtherType or TPID.
1028 - Default ``mask`` simultaneously matches GRP and E-CID base.
1033 Matches a NVGRE header (RFC 7637).
1035 - ``c_k_s_rsvd0_ver``: checksum (1b), undefined (1b), key bit (1b),
1036 sequence number (1b), reserved 0 (9b), version (3b). This field must have
1037 value 0x2000 according to RFC 7637.
1038 - ``protocol``: protocol type (0x6558).
1039 - ``tni``: virtual subnet ID.
1040 - ``flow_id``: flow ID.
1041 - Default ``mask`` matches TNI only.
1046 Matches a MPLS header.
1048 - ``label_tc_s_ttl``: label, TC, Bottom of Stack and TTL.
1049 - Default ``mask`` matches label only.
1054 Matches a GRE header.
1056 - ``c_rsvd0_ver``: checksum, reserved 0 and version.
1057 - ``protocol``: protocol type.
1058 - Default ``mask`` matches protocol only.
1063 Matches a GRE key field.
1064 This should be preceded by item ``GRE``.
1066 - Value to be matched is a big-endian 32 bit integer.
1067 - When this item present it implicitly match K bit in default mask as "1"
1072 Fuzzy pattern match, expect faster than default.
1074 This is for device that support fuzzy match option. Usually a fuzzy match is
1075 fast but the cost is accuracy. i.e. Signature Match only match pattern's hash
1076 value, but it is possible two different patterns have the same hash value.
1078 Matching accuracy level can be configured by threshold. Driver can divide the
1079 range of threshold and map to different accuracy levels that device support.
1081 Threshold 0 means perfect match (no fuzziness), while threshold 0xffffffff
1082 means fuzziest match.
1084 .. _table_rte_flow_item_fuzzy:
1088 +----------+---------------+--------------------------------------------------+
1089 | Field | Subfield | Value |
1090 +==========+===============+==================================================+
1091 | ``spec`` | ``threshold`` | 0 as perfect match, 0xffffffff as fuzziest match |
1092 +----------+---------------+--------------------------------------------------+
1093 | ``last`` | ``threshold`` | upper range value |
1094 +----------+---------------+--------------------------------------------------+
1095 | ``mask`` | ``threshold`` | bit-mask apply to "spec" and "last" |
1096 +----------+---------------+--------------------------------------------------+
1098 Usage example, fuzzy match a TCPv4 packets:
1100 .. _table_rte_flow_item_fuzzy_example:
1102 .. table:: Fuzzy matching
1104 +-------+----------+
1106 +=======+==========+
1108 +-------+----------+
1110 +-------+----------+
1112 +-------+----------+
1114 +-------+----------+
1116 +-------+----------+
1118 Item: ``GTP``, ``GTPC``, ``GTPU``
1119 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1121 Matches a GTPv1 header.
1123 Note: GTP, GTPC and GTPU use the same structure. GTPC and GTPU item
1124 are defined for a user-friendly API when creating GTP-C and GTP-U
1127 - ``v_pt_rsv_flags``: version (3b), protocol type (1b), reserved (1b),
1128 extension header flag (1b), sequence number flag (1b), N-PDU number
1130 - ``msg_type``: message type.
1131 - ``msg_len``: message length.
1132 - ``teid``: tunnel endpoint identifier.
1133 - Default ``mask`` matches teid only.
1138 Matches an ESP header.
1140 - ``hdr``: ESP header definition (``rte_esp.h``).
1141 - Default ``mask`` matches SPI only.
1146 Matches a GENEVE header.
1148 - ``ver_opt_len_o_c_rsvd0``: version (2b), length of the options fields (6b),
1149 OAM packet (1b), critical options present (1b), reserved 0 (6b).
1150 - ``protocol``: protocol type.
1151 - ``vni``: virtual network identifier.
1152 - ``rsvd1``: reserved, normally 0x00.
1153 - Default ``mask`` matches VNI only.
1158 Matches a VXLAN-GPE header (draft-ietf-nvo3-vxlan-gpe-05).
1160 - ``flags``: normally 0x0C (I and P flags).
1161 - ``rsvd0``: reserved, normally 0x0000.
1162 - ``protocol``: protocol type.
1163 - ``vni``: VXLAN network identifier.
1164 - ``rsvd1``: reserved, normally 0x00.
1165 - Default ``mask`` matches VNI only.
1167 Item: ``ARP_ETH_IPV4``
1168 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1170 Matches an ARP header for Ethernet/IPv4.
1172 - ``hdr``: hardware type, normally 1.
1173 - ``pro``: protocol type, normally 0x0800.
1174 - ``hln``: hardware address length, normally 6.
1175 - ``pln``: protocol address length, normally 4.
1176 - ``op``: opcode (1 for request, 2 for reply).
1177 - ``sha``: sender hardware address.
1178 - ``spa``: sender IPv4 address.
1179 - ``tha``: target hardware address.
1180 - ``tpa``: target IPv4 address.
1181 - Default ``mask`` matches SHA, SPA, THA and TPA.
1186 Matches the presence of any IPv6 extension header.
1188 - ``next_hdr``: next header.
1189 - Default ``mask`` matches ``next_hdr``.
1191 Normally preceded by any of:
1196 Item: ``IPV6_FRAG_EXT``
1197 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1199 Matches the presence of IPv6 fragment extension header.
1201 - ``hdr``: IPv6 fragment extension header definition (``rte_ip.h``).
1203 Normally preceded by any of:
1211 Matches any ICMPv6 header.
1213 - ``type``: ICMPv6 type.
1214 - ``code``: ICMPv6 code.
1215 - ``checksum``: ICMPv6 checksum.
1216 - Default ``mask`` matches ``type`` and ``code``.
1218 Item: ``ICMP6_ND_NS``
1219 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1221 Matches an ICMPv6 neighbor discovery solicitation.
1223 - ``type``: ICMPv6 type, normally 135.
1224 - ``code``: ICMPv6 code, normally 0.
1225 - ``checksum``: ICMPv6 checksum.
1226 - ``reserved``: reserved, normally 0.
1227 - ``target_addr``: target address.
1228 - Default ``mask`` matches target address only.
1230 Item: ``ICMP6_ND_NA``
1231 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1233 Matches an ICMPv6 neighbor discovery advertisement.
1235 - ``type``: ICMPv6 type, normally 136.
1236 - ``code``: ICMPv6 code, normally 0.
1237 - ``checksum``: ICMPv6 checksum.
1238 - ``rso_reserved``: route flag (1b), solicited flag (1b), override flag
1239 (1b), reserved (29b).
1240 - ``target_addr``: target address.
1241 - Default ``mask`` matches target address only.
1243 Item: ``ICMP6_ND_OPT``
1244 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1246 Matches the presence of any ICMPv6 neighbor discovery option.
1248 - ``type``: ND option type.
1249 - ``length``: ND option length.
1250 - Default ``mask`` matches type only.
1252 Normally preceded by any of:
1254 - `Item: ICMP6_ND_NA`_
1255 - `Item: ICMP6_ND_NS`_
1256 - `Item: ICMP6_ND_OPT`_
1258 Item: ``ICMP6_ND_OPT_SLA_ETH``
1259 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1261 Matches an ICMPv6 neighbor discovery source Ethernet link-layer address
1264 - ``type``: ND option type, normally 1.
1265 - ``length``: ND option length, normally 1.
1266 - ``sla``: source Ethernet LLA.
1267 - Default ``mask`` matches source link-layer address only.
1269 Normally preceded by any of:
1271 - `Item: ICMP6_ND_NA`_
1272 - `Item: ICMP6_ND_OPT`_
1274 Item: ``ICMP6_ND_OPT_TLA_ETH``
1275 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1277 Matches an ICMPv6 neighbor discovery target Ethernet link-layer address
1280 - ``type``: ND option type, normally 2.
1281 - ``length``: ND option length, normally 1.
1282 - ``tla``: target Ethernet LLA.
1283 - Default ``mask`` matches target link-layer address only.
1285 Normally preceded by any of:
1287 - `Item: ICMP6_ND_NS`_
1288 - `Item: ICMP6_ND_OPT`_
1293 Matches an application specific 32 bit metadata item.
1295 - Default ``mask`` matches the specified metadata value.
1300 Matches a GTP PDU extension header with type 0x85.
1302 - ``pdu_type``: PDU type.
1303 - ``qfi``: QoS flow identifier.
1304 - Default ``mask`` matches QFI only.
1306 Item: ``PPPOES``, ``PPPOED``
1307 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1309 Matches a PPPoE header.
1311 - ``version_type``: version (4b), type (4b).
1312 - ``code``: message type.
1313 - ``session_id``: session identifier.
1314 - ``length``: payload length.
1316 Item: ``PPPOE_PROTO_ID``
1317 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1319 Matches a PPPoE session protocol identifier.
1321 - ``proto_id``: PPP protocol identifier.
1322 - Default ``mask`` matches proto_id only.
1327 Matches a network service header (RFC 8300).
1329 - ``version``: normally 0x0 (2 bits).
1330 - ``oam_pkt``: indicate oam packet (1 bit).
1331 - ``reserved``: reserved bit (1 bit).
1332 - ``ttl``: maximum SFF hopes (6 bits).
1333 - ``length``: total length in 4 bytes words (6 bits).
1334 - ``reserved1``: reserved1 bits (4 bits).
1335 - ``mdtype``: ndicates format of NSH header (4 bits).
1336 - ``next_proto``: indicates protocol type of encap data (8 bits).
1337 - ``spi``: service path identifier (3 bytes).
1338 - ``sindex``: service index (1 byte).
1339 - Default ``mask`` matches mdtype, next_proto, spi, sindex.
1345 Matches a Internet Group Management Protocol (RFC 2236).
1347 - ``type``: IGMP message type (Query/Report).
1348 - ``max_resp_time``: max time allowed before sending report.
1349 - ``checksum``: checksum, 1s complement of whole IGMP message.
1350 - ``group_addr``: group address, for Query value will be 0.
1351 - Default ``mask`` matches group_addr.
1357 Matches a IP Authentication Header (RFC 4302).
1359 - ``next_hdr``: next payload after AH.
1360 - ``payload_len``: total length of AH in 4B words.
1361 - ``reserved``: reserved bits.
1362 - ``spi``: security parameters index.
1363 - ``seq_num``: counter value increased by 1 on each packet sent.
1364 - Default ``mask`` matches spi.
1369 Matches a HIGIG2 header field. It is layer 2.5 protocol and used in
1372 - Default ``mask`` matches classification and vlan.
1377 Matches a L2TPv3 over IP header.
1379 - ``session_id``: L2TPv3 over IP session identifier.
1380 - Default ``mask`` matches session_id only.
1385 Matches a PFCP Header.
1387 - ``s_field``: S field.
1388 - ``msg_type``: message type.
1389 - ``msg_len``: message length.
1390 - ``seid``: session endpoint identifier.
1391 - Default ``mask`` matches s_field and seid.
1396 Matches a eCPRI header.
1398 - ``hdr``: eCPRI header definition (``rte_ecpri.h``).
1399 - Default ``mask`` matches nothing, for all eCPRI messages.
1401 Item: ``PACKET_INTEGRITY_CHECKS``
1402 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1404 Matches packet integrity.
1405 For some devices application needs to enable integration checks in HW
1406 before using this item.
1408 - ``level``: the encapsulation level that should be checked:
1409 - ``level == 0`` means the default PMD mode (can be inner most / outermost).
1410 - ``level == 1`` means outermost header.
1411 - ``level > 1`` means inner header. See also RSS level.
1412 - ``packet_ok``: All HW packet integrity checks have passed based on the
1413 topmost network layer. For example, for ICMP packet the topmost network
1414 layer is L3 and for TCP or UDP packet the topmost network layer is L4.
1415 - ``l2_ok``: all layer 2 HW integrity checks passed.
1416 - ``l3_ok``: all layer 3 HW integrity checks passed.
1417 - ``l4_ok``: all layer 4 HW integrity checks passed.
1418 - ``l2_crc_ok``: layer 2 CRC check passed.
1419 - ``ipv4_csum_ok``: IPv4 checksum check passed.
1420 - ``l4_csum_ok``: layer 4 checksum check passed.
1421 - ``l3_len_ok``: the layer 3 length is smaller than the frame length.
1426 Each possible action is represented by a type.
1427 An action can have an associated configuration object.
1428 Several actions combined in a list can be assigned
1429 to a flow rule and are performed in order.
1431 They fall in three categories:
1433 - Actions that modify the fate of matching traffic, for instance by dropping
1434 or assigning it a specific destination.
1436 - Actions that modify matching traffic contents or its properties. This
1437 includes adding/removing encapsulation, encryption, compression and marks.
1439 - Actions related to the flow rule itself, such as updating counters or
1440 making it non-terminating.
1442 Flow rules being terminating by default, not specifying any action of the
1443 fate kind results in undefined behavior. This applies to both ingress and
1446 PASSTHRU, when supported, makes a flow rule non-terminating.
1448 Like matching patterns, action lists are terminated by END items.
1450 Example of action that redirects packets to queue index 10:
1452 .. _table_rte_flow_action_example:
1454 .. table:: Queue action
1456 +-----------+-------+
1458 +===========+=======+
1460 +-----------+-------+
1462 Actions are performed in list order:
1464 .. _table_rte_flow_count_then_drop:
1466 .. table:: Count then drop
1480 .. _table_rte_flow_mark_count_redirect:
1482 .. table:: Mark, count then redirect
1484 +-------+--------+------------+-------+
1485 | Index | Action | Field | Value |
1486 +=======+========+============+=======+
1487 | 0 | MARK | ``mark`` | 0x2a |
1488 +-------+--------+------------+-------+
1489 | 1 | COUNT | ``shared`` | 0 |
1490 | | +------------+-------+
1492 +-------+--------+------------+-------+
1493 | 2 | QUEUE | ``queue`` | 10 |
1494 +-------+--------+------------+-------+
1496 +-------+-----------------------------+
1500 .. _table_rte_flow_redirect_queue_5:
1502 .. table:: Redirect to queue 5
1504 +-------+--------+-----------+-------+
1505 | Index | Action | Field | Value |
1506 +=======+========+===========+=======+
1508 +-------+--------+-----------+-------+
1509 | 1 | QUEUE | ``queue`` | 5 |
1510 +-------+--------+-----------+-------+
1512 +-------+----------------------------+
1514 In the above example, while DROP and QUEUE must be performed in order, both
1515 have to happen before reaching END. Only QUEUE has a visible effect.
1517 Note that such a list may be thought as ambiguous and rejected on that
1520 .. _table_rte_flow_redirect_queue_5_3:
1522 .. table:: Redirect to queues 5 and 3
1524 +-------+--------+-----------+-------+
1525 | Index | Action | Field | Value |
1526 +=======+========+===========+=======+
1527 | 0 | QUEUE | ``queue`` | 5 |
1528 +-------+--------+-----------+-------+
1530 +-------+--------+-----------+-------+
1531 | 2 | QUEUE | ``queue`` | 3 |
1532 +-------+--------+-----------+-------+
1534 +-------+----------------------------+
1536 As previously described, all actions must be taken into account. This
1537 effectively duplicates traffic to both queues. The above example also shows
1538 that VOID is ignored.
1543 Common action types are described in this section. Like pattern item types,
1544 this list is not exhaustive as new actions will be added in the future.
1549 End marker for action lists. Prevents further processing of actions, thereby
1552 - Its numeric value is 0 for convenience.
1553 - PMD support is mandatory.
1554 - No configurable properties.
1556 .. _table_rte_flow_action_end:
1569 Used as a placeholder for convenience. It is ignored and simply discarded by
1572 - PMD support is mandatory.
1573 - No configurable properties.
1575 .. _table_rte_flow_action_void:
1585 Action: ``PASSTHRU``
1586 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1588 Leaves traffic up for additional processing by subsequent flow rules; makes
1589 a flow rule non-terminating.
1591 - No configurable properties.
1593 .. _table_rte_flow_action_passthru:
1603 Example to copy a packet to a queue and continue processing by subsequent
1606 .. _table_rte_flow_action_passthru_example:
1608 .. table:: Copy to queue 8
1610 +-------+--------+-----------+-------+
1611 | Index | Action | Field | Value |
1612 +=======+========+===========+=======+
1614 +-------+--------+-----------+-------+
1615 | 1 | QUEUE | ``queue`` | 8 |
1616 +-------+--------+-----------+-------+
1618 +-------+----------------------------+
1623 Redirects packets to a group on the current device.
1625 In a hierarchy of groups, which can be used to represent physical or logical
1626 flow group/tables on the device, this action redirects the matched flow to
1627 the specified group on that device.
1629 If a matched flow is redirected to a table which doesn't contain a matching
1630 rule for that flow then the behavior is undefined and the resulting behavior
1631 is up to the specific device. Best practice when using groups would be define
1632 a default flow rule for each group which a defines the default actions in that
1633 group so a consistent behavior is defined.
1635 Defining an action for matched flow in a group to jump to a group which is
1636 higher in the group hierarchy may not be supported by physical devices,
1637 depending on how groups are mapped to the physical devices. In the
1638 definitions of jump actions, applications should be aware that it may be
1639 possible to define flow rules which trigger an undefined behavior causing
1640 flows to loop between groups.
1642 .. _table_rte_flow_action_jump:
1646 +-----------+------------------------------+
1648 +===========+==============================+
1649 | ``group`` | Group to redirect packets to |
1650 +-----------+------------------------------+
1655 Attaches an integer value to packets and sets ``PKT_RX_FDIR`` and
1656 ``PKT_RX_FDIR_ID`` mbuf flags.
1658 This value is arbitrary and application-defined. Maximum allowed value
1659 depends on the underlying implementation. It is returned in the
1660 ``hash.fdir.hi`` mbuf field.
1662 .. _table_rte_flow_action_mark:
1666 +--------+--------------------------------------+
1668 +========+======================================+
1669 | ``id`` | integer value to return with packets |
1670 +--------+--------------------------------------+
1675 Flags packets. Similar to `Action: MARK`_ without a specific value; only
1676 sets the ``PKT_RX_FDIR`` mbuf flag.
1678 - No configurable properties.
1680 .. _table_rte_flow_action_flag:
1693 Assigns packets to a given queue index.
1695 .. _table_rte_flow_action_queue:
1699 +-----------+--------------------+
1701 +===========+====================+
1702 | ``index`` | queue index to use |
1703 +-----------+--------------------+
1710 - No configurable properties.
1712 .. _table_rte_flow_action_drop:
1725 Adds a counter action to a matched flow.
1727 If more than one count action is specified in a single flow rule, then each
1728 action must specify a unique id.
1730 Counters can be retrieved and reset through ``rte_flow_query()``, see
1731 ``struct rte_flow_query_count``.
1733 The shared flag indicates whether the counter is unique to the flow rule the
1734 action is specified with, or whether it is a shared counter.
1736 For a count action with the shared flag set, then a global device
1737 namespace is assumed for the counter id, so that any matched flow rules using
1738 a count action with the same counter id on the same port will contribute to
1741 For ports within the same switch domain then the counter id namespace extends
1742 to all ports within that switch domain.
1744 The shared flag is DEPRECATED and ``INDIRECT`` ``COUNT`` action should be used
1745 to make shared counters.
1747 .. _table_rte_flow_action_count:
1751 +------------+---------------------------------+
1753 +============+=================================+
1754 | ``shared`` | DEPRECATED, shared counter flag |
1755 +------------+---------------------------------+
1756 | ``id`` | counter id |
1757 +------------+---------------------------------+
1759 Query structure to retrieve and reset flow rule counters:
1761 .. _table_rte_flow_query_count:
1763 .. table:: COUNT query
1765 +---------------+-----+-----------------------------------+
1766 | Field | I/O | Value |
1767 +===============+=====+===================================+
1768 | ``reset`` | in | reset counter after query |
1769 +---------------+-----+-----------------------------------+
1770 | ``hits_set`` | out | ``hits`` field is set |
1771 +---------------+-----+-----------------------------------+
1772 | ``bytes_set`` | out | ``bytes`` field is set |
1773 +---------------+-----+-----------------------------------+
1774 | ``hits`` | out | number of hits for this rule |
1775 +---------------+-----+-----------------------------------+
1776 | ``bytes`` | out | number of bytes through this rule |
1777 +---------------+-----+-----------------------------------+
1782 Similar to QUEUE, except RSS is additionally performed on packets to spread
1783 them among several queues according to the provided parameters.
1785 Unlike global RSS settings used by other DPDK APIs, unsetting the ``types``
1786 field does not disable RSS in a flow rule. Doing so instead requests safe
1787 unspecified "best-effort" settings from the underlying PMD, which depending
1788 on the flow rule, may result in anything ranging from empty (single queue)
1789 to all-inclusive RSS.
1791 If non-applicable for matching packets RSS types are requested,
1792 these RSS types are simply ignored. For example, it happens if:
1794 - Hashing of both TCP and UDP ports is requested
1795 (only one can be present in a packet).
1797 - Requested RSS types contradict to flow rule pattern
1798 (e.g. pattern has UDP item, but RSS types contain TCP).
1800 If requested RSS hash types are not supported by the Ethernet device at all
1801 (not reported in ``dev_info.flow_type_rss_offloads``),
1802 the flow creation will fail.
1804 Note: RSS hash result is stored in the ``hash.rss`` mbuf field which
1805 overlaps ``hash.fdir.lo``. Since `Action: MARK`_ sets the ``hash.fdir.hi``
1806 field only, both can be requested simultaneously.
1808 Also, regarding packet encapsulation ``level``:
1810 - ``0`` requests the default behavior. Depending on the packet type, it can
1811 mean outermost, innermost, anything in between or even no RSS.
1813 It basically stands for the innermost encapsulation level RSS can be
1814 performed on according to PMD and device capabilities.
1816 - ``1`` requests RSS to be performed on the outermost packet encapsulation
1819 - ``2`` and subsequent values request RSS to be performed on the specified
1820 inner packet encapsulation level, from outermost to innermost (lower to
1823 Values other than ``0`` are not necessarily supported.
1825 Requesting a specific RSS level on unrecognized traffic results in undefined
1826 behavior. For predictable results, it is recommended to make the flow rule
1827 pattern match packet headers up to the requested encapsulation level so that
1828 only matching traffic goes through.
1830 .. _table_rte_flow_action_rss:
1834 +---------------+---------------------------------------------+
1836 +===============+=============================================+
1837 | ``func`` | RSS hash function to apply |
1838 +---------------+---------------------------------------------+
1839 | ``level`` | encapsulation level for ``types`` |
1840 +---------------+---------------------------------------------+
1841 | ``types`` | specific RSS hash types (see ``ETH_RSS_*``) |
1842 +---------------+---------------------------------------------+
1843 | ``key_len`` | hash key length in bytes |
1844 +---------------+---------------------------------------------+
1845 | ``queue_num`` | number of entries in ``queue`` |
1846 +---------------+---------------------------------------------+
1847 | ``key`` | hash key |
1848 +---------------+---------------------------------------------+
1849 | ``queue`` | queue indices to use |
1850 +---------------+---------------------------------------------+
1855 Directs matching traffic to the physical function (PF) of the current
1860 - No configurable properties.
1862 .. _table_rte_flow_action_pf:
1875 Directs matching traffic to a given virtual function of the current device.
1877 Packets matched by a VF pattern item can be redirected to their original VF
1878 ID instead of the specified one. This parameter may not be available and is
1879 not guaranteed to work properly if the VF part is matched by a prior flow
1880 rule or if packets are not addressed to a VF in the first place.
1884 .. _table_rte_flow_action_vf:
1888 +--------------+--------------------------------+
1890 +==============+================================+
1891 | ``original`` | use original VF ID if possible |
1892 +--------------+--------------------------------+
1894 +--------------+--------------------------------+
1896 Action: ``PHY_PORT``
1897 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1899 Directs matching traffic to a given physical port index of the underlying
1902 See `Item: PHY_PORT`_.
1904 .. _table_rte_flow_action_phy_port:
1908 +--------------+-------------------------------------+
1910 +==============+=====================================+
1911 | ``original`` | use original port index if possible |
1912 +--------------+-------------------------------------+
1913 | ``index`` | physical port index |
1914 +--------------+-------------------------------------+
1918 Directs matching traffic to a given DPDK port ID.
1920 See `Item: PORT_ID`_.
1922 .. _table_rte_flow_action_port_id:
1926 +--------------+---------------------------------------+
1928 +==============+=======================================+
1929 | ``original`` | use original DPDK port ID if possible |
1930 +--------------+---------------------------------------+
1931 | ``id`` | DPDK port ID |
1932 +--------------+---------------------------------------+
1937 Applies a stage of metering and policing.
1939 The metering and policing (MTR) object has to be first created using the
1940 rte_mtr_create() API function. The ID of the MTR object is specified as
1941 action parameter. More than one flow can use the same MTR object through
1942 the meter action. The MTR object can be further updated or queried using
1945 .. _table_rte_flow_action_meter:
1949 +--------------+---------------+
1951 +==============+===============+
1952 | ``mtr_id`` | MTR object ID |
1953 +--------------+---------------+
1955 Action: ``SECURITY``
1956 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1958 Perform the security action on flows matched by the pattern items
1959 according to the configuration of the security session.
1961 This action modifies the payload of matched flows. For INLINE_CRYPTO, the
1962 security protocol headers and IV are fully provided by the application as
1963 specified in the flow pattern. The payload of matching packets is
1964 encrypted on egress, and decrypted and authenticated on ingress.
1965 For INLINE_PROTOCOL, the security protocol is fully offloaded to HW,
1966 providing full encapsulation and decapsulation of packets in security
1967 protocols. The flow pattern specifies both the outer security header fields
1968 and the inner packet fields. The security session specified in the action
1969 must match the pattern parameters.
1971 The security session specified in the action must be created on the same
1972 port as the flow action that is being specified.
1974 The ingress/egress flow attribute should match that specified in the
1975 security session if the security session supports the definition of the
1978 Multiple flows can be configured to use the same security session.
1980 .. _table_rte_flow_action_security:
1984 +----------------------+--------------------------------------+
1986 +======================+======================================+
1987 | ``security_session`` | security session to apply |
1988 +----------------------+--------------------------------------+
1990 The following is an example of configuring IPsec inline using the
1991 INLINE_CRYPTO security session:
1993 The encryption algorithm, keys and salt are part of the opaque
1994 ``rte_security_session``. The SA is identified according to the IP and ESP
1995 fields in the pattern items.
1997 .. _table_rte_flow_item_esp_inline_example:
1999 .. table:: IPsec inline crypto flow pattern items.
2001 +-------+----------+
2003 +=======+==========+
2005 +-------+----------+
2007 +-------+----------+
2009 +-------+----------+
2011 +-------+----------+
2013 .. _table_rte_flow_action_esp_inline_example:
2015 .. table:: IPsec inline flow actions.
2017 +-------+----------+
2019 +=======+==========+
2021 +-------+----------+
2023 +-------+----------+
2025 Action: ``OF_SET_MPLS_TTL``
2026 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2028 Implements ``OFPAT_SET_MPLS_TTL`` ("MPLS TTL") as defined by the `OpenFlow
2029 Switch Specification`_.
2031 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_set_mpls_ttl:
2033 .. table:: OF_SET_MPLS_TTL
2035 +--------------+----------+
2037 +==============+==========+
2038 | ``mpls_ttl`` | MPLS TTL |
2039 +--------------+----------+
2041 Action: ``OF_DEC_MPLS_TTL``
2042 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2044 Implements ``OFPAT_DEC_MPLS_TTL`` ("decrement MPLS TTL") as defined by the
2045 `OpenFlow Switch Specification`_.
2047 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_dec_mpls_ttl:
2049 .. table:: OF_DEC_MPLS_TTL
2057 Action: ``OF_SET_NW_TTL``
2058 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2060 Implements ``OFPAT_SET_NW_TTL`` ("IP TTL") as defined by the `OpenFlow
2061 Switch Specification`_.
2063 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_set_nw_ttl:
2065 .. table:: OF_SET_NW_TTL
2067 +------------+--------+
2069 +============+========+
2070 | ``nw_ttl`` | IP TTL |
2071 +------------+--------+
2073 Action: ``OF_DEC_NW_TTL``
2074 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2076 Implements ``OFPAT_DEC_NW_TTL`` ("decrement IP TTL") as defined by the
2077 `OpenFlow Switch Specification`_.
2079 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_dec_nw_ttl:
2081 .. table:: OF_DEC_NW_TTL
2089 Action: ``OF_COPY_TTL_OUT``
2090 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2092 Implements ``OFPAT_COPY_TTL_OUT`` ("copy TTL "outwards" -- from
2093 next-to-outermost to outermost") as defined by the `OpenFlow Switch
2096 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_copy_ttl_out:
2098 .. table:: OF_COPY_TTL_OUT
2106 Action: ``OF_COPY_TTL_IN``
2107 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2109 Implements ``OFPAT_COPY_TTL_IN`` ("copy TTL "inwards" -- from outermost to
2110 next-to-outermost") as defined by the `OpenFlow Switch Specification`_.
2112 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_copy_ttl_in:
2114 .. table:: OF_COPY_TTL_IN
2122 Action: ``OF_POP_VLAN``
2123 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2125 Implements ``OFPAT_POP_VLAN`` ("pop the outer VLAN tag") as defined
2126 by the `OpenFlow Switch Specification`_.
2128 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_pop_vlan:
2130 .. table:: OF_POP_VLAN
2138 Action: ``OF_PUSH_VLAN``
2139 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2141 Implements ``OFPAT_PUSH_VLAN`` ("push a new VLAN tag") as defined by the
2142 `OpenFlow Switch Specification`_.
2144 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_push_vlan:
2146 .. table:: OF_PUSH_VLAN
2148 +---------------+-----------+
2150 +===============+===========+
2151 | ``ethertype`` | EtherType |
2152 +---------------+-----------+
2154 Action: ``OF_SET_VLAN_VID``
2155 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2157 Implements ``OFPAT_SET_VLAN_VID`` ("set the 802.1q VLAN id") as defined by
2158 the `OpenFlow Switch Specification`_.
2160 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_set_vlan_vid:
2162 .. table:: OF_SET_VLAN_VID
2164 +--------------+---------+
2166 +==============+=========+
2167 | ``vlan_vid`` | VLAN id |
2168 +--------------+---------+
2170 Action: ``OF_SET_VLAN_PCP``
2171 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2173 Implements ``OFPAT_SET_LAN_PCP`` ("set the 802.1q priority") as defined by
2174 the `OpenFlow Switch Specification`_.
2176 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_set_vlan_pcp:
2178 .. table:: OF_SET_VLAN_PCP
2180 +--------------+---------------+
2182 +==============+===============+
2183 | ``vlan_pcp`` | VLAN priority |
2184 +--------------+---------------+
2186 Action: ``OF_POP_MPLS``
2187 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2189 Implements ``OFPAT_POP_MPLS`` ("pop the outer MPLS tag") as defined by the
2190 `OpenFlow Switch Specification`_.
2192 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_pop_mpls:
2194 .. table:: OF_POP_MPLS
2196 +---------------+-----------+
2198 +===============+===========+
2199 | ``ethertype`` | EtherType |
2200 +---------------+-----------+
2202 Action: ``OF_PUSH_MPLS``
2203 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2205 Implements ``OFPAT_PUSH_MPLS`` ("push a new MPLS tag") as defined by the
2206 `OpenFlow Switch Specification`_.
2208 .. _table_rte_flow_action_of_push_mpls:
2210 .. table:: OF_PUSH_MPLS
2212 +---------------+-----------+
2214 +===============+===========+
2215 | ``ethertype`` | EtherType |
2216 +---------------+-----------+
2218 Action: ``VXLAN_ENCAP``
2219 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2221 Performs a VXLAN encapsulation action by encapsulating the matched flow in the
2222 VXLAN tunnel as defined in the``rte_flow_action_vxlan_encap`` flow items
2225 This action modifies the payload of matched flows. The flow definition specified
2226 in the ``rte_flow_action_tunnel_encap`` action structure must define a valid
2227 VLXAN network overlay which conforms with RFC 7348 (Virtual eXtensible Local
2228 Area Network (VXLAN): A Framework for Overlaying Virtualized Layer 2 Networks
2229 over Layer 3 Networks). The pattern must be terminated with the
2230 RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_END item type.
2232 .. _table_rte_flow_action_vxlan_encap:
2234 .. table:: VXLAN_ENCAP
2236 +----------------+-------------------------------------+
2238 +================+=====================================+
2239 | ``definition`` | Tunnel end-point overlay definition |
2240 +----------------+-------------------------------------+
2242 .. _table_rte_flow_action_vxlan_encap_example:
2244 .. table:: IPv4 VxLAN flow pattern example.
2246 +-------+----------+
2248 +=======+==========+
2250 +-------+----------+
2252 +-------+----------+
2254 +-------+----------+
2256 +-------+----------+
2258 +-------+----------+
2260 Action: ``VXLAN_DECAP``
2261 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2263 Performs a decapsulation action by stripping all headers of the VXLAN tunnel
2264 network overlay from the matched flow.
2266 The flow items pattern defined for the flow rule with which a ``VXLAN_DECAP``
2267 action is specified, must define a valid VXLAN tunnel as per RFC7348. If the
2268 flow pattern does not specify a valid VXLAN tunnel then a
2269 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error should be returned.
2271 This action modifies the payload of matched flows.
2273 Action: ``NVGRE_ENCAP``
2274 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2276 Performs a NVGRE encapsulation action by encapsulating the matched flow in the
2277 NVGRE tunnel as defined in the``rte_flow_action_tunnel_encap`` flow item
2280 This action modifies the payload of matched flows. The flow definition specified
2281 in the ``rte_flow_action_tunnel_encap`` action structure must defined a valid
2282 NVGRE network overlay which conforms with RFC 7637 (NVGRE: Network
2283 Virtualization Using Generic Routing Encapsulation). The pattern must be
2284 terminated with the RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_END item type.
2286 .. _table_rte_flow_action_nvgre_encap:
2288 .. table:: NVGRE_ENCAP
2290 +----------------+-------------------------------------+
2292 +================+=====================================+
2293 | ``definition`` | NVGRE end-point overlay definition |
2294 +----------------+-------------------------------------+
2296 .. _table_rte_flow_action_nvgre_encap_example:
2298 .. table:: IPv4 NVGRE flow pattern example.
2300 +-------+----------+
2302 +=======+==========+
2304 +-------+----------+
2306 +-------+----------+
2308 +-------+----------+
2310 +-------+----------+
2312 Action: ``NVGRE_DECAP``
2313 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2315 Performs a decapsulation action by stripping all headers of the NVGRE tunnel
2316 network overlay from the matched flow.
2318 The flow items pattern defined for the flow rule with which a ``NVGRE_DECAP``
2319 action is specified, must define a valid NVGRE tunnel as per RFC7637. If the
2320 flow pattern does not specify a valid NVGRE tunnel then a
2321 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error should be returned.
2323 This action modifies the payload of matched flows.
2325 Action: ``RAW_ENCAP``
2326 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2328 Adds outer header whose template is provided in its data buffer,
2329 as defined in the ``rte_flow_action_raw_encap`` definition.
2331 This action modifies the payload of matched flows. The data supplied must
2332 be a valid header, either holding layer 2 data in case of adding layer 2 after
2333 decap layer 3 tunnel (for example MPLSoGRE) or complete tunnel definition
2334 starting from layer 2 and moving to the tunnel item itself. When applied to
2335 the original packet the resulting packet must be a valid packet.
2337 .. _table_rte_flow_action_raw_encap:
2339 .. table:: RAW_ENCAP
2341 +----------------+----------------------------------------+
2343 +================+========================================+
2344 | ``data`` | Encapsulation data |
2345 +----------------+----------------------------------------+
2346 | ``preserve`` | Bit-mask of data to preserve on output |
2347 +----------------+----------------------------------------+
2348 | ``size`` | Size of data and preserve |
2349 +----------------+----------------------------------------+
2351 Action: ``RAW_DECAP``
2352 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2354 Remove outer header whose template is provided in its data buffer,
2355 as defined in the ``rte_flow_action_raw_decap``
2357 This action modifies the payload of matched flows. The data supplied must
2358 be a valid header, either holding layer 2 data in case of removing layer 2
2359 before encapsulation of layer 3 tunnel (for example MPLSoGRE) or complete
2360 tunnel definition starting from layer 2 and moving to the tunnel item itself.
2361 When applied to the original packet the resulting packet must be a
2364 .. _table_rte_flow_action_raw_decap:
2366 .. table:: RAW_DECAP
2368 +----------------+----------------------------------------+
2370 +================+========================================+
2371 | ``data`` | Decapsulation data |
2372 +----------------+----------------------------------------+
2373 | ``size`` | Size of data |
2374 +----------------+----------------------------------------+
2376 Action: ``SET_IPV4_SRC``
2377 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2379 Set a new IPv4 source address in the outermost IPv4 header.
2381 It must be used with a valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_IPV4 flow pattern item.
2382 Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2384 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_ipv4_src:
2386 .. table:: SET_IPV4_SRC
2388 +-----------------------------------------+
2390 +===============+=========================+
2391 | ``ipv4_addr`` | new IPv4 source address |
2392 +---------------+-------------------------+
2394 Action: ``SET_IPV4_DST``
2395 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2397 Set a new IPv4 destination address in the outermost IPv4 header.
2399 It must be used with a valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_IPV4 flow pattern item.
2400 Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2402 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_ipv4_dst:
2404 .. table:: SET_IPV4_DST
2406 +---------------+------------------------------+
2408 +===============+==============================+
2409 | ``ipv4_addr`` | new IPv4 destination address |
2410 +---------------+------------------------------+
2412 Action: ``SET_IPV6_SRC``
2413 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2415 Set a new IPv6 source address in the outermost IPv6 header.
2417 It must be used with a valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_IPV6 flow pattern item.
2418 Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2420 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_ipv6_src:
2422 .. table:: SET_IPV6_SRC
2424 +---------------+-------------------------+
2426 +===============+=========================+
2427 | ``ipv6_addr`` | new IPv6 source address |
2428 +---------------+-------------------------+
2430 Action: ``SET_IPV6_DST``
2431 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2433 Set a new IPv6 destination address in the outermost IPv6 header.
2435 It must be used with a valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_IPV6 flow pattern item.
2436 Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2438 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_ipv6_dst:
2440 .. table:: SET_IPV6_DST
2442 +---------------+------------------------------+
2444 +===============+==============================+
2445 | ``ipv6_addr`` | new IPv6 destination address |
2446 +---------------+------------------------------+
2448 Action: ``SET_TP_SRC``
2449 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2451 Set a new source port number in the outermost TCP/UDP header.
2453 It must be used with a valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_TCP or RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_UDP
2454 flow pattern item. Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2456 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_tp_src:
2458 .. table:: SET_TP_SRC
2460 +----------+-------------------------+
2462 +==========+=========================+
2463 | ``port`` | new TCP/UDP source port |
2464 +---------------+--------------------+
2466 Action: ``SET_TP_DST``
2467 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2469 Set a new destination port number in the outermost TCP/UDP header.
2471 It must be used with a valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_TCP or RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_UDP
2472 flow pattern item. Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2474 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_tp_dst:
2476 .. table:: SET_TP_DST
2478 +----------+------------------------------+
2480 +==========+==============================+
2481 | ``port`` | new TCP/UDP destination port |
2482 +---------------+-------------------------+
2484 Action: ``MAC_SWAP``
2485 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2487 Swap the source and destination MAC addresses in the outermost Ethernet
2490 It must be used with a valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_ETH flow pattern item.
2491 Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2493 .. _table_rte_flow_action_mac_swap:
2508 If there is no valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_IPV4 or RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_IPV6
2509 in pattern, Some PMDs will reject rule because behavior will be undefined.
2511 .. _table_rte_flow_action_dec_ttl:
2524 Assigns a new TTL value.
2526 If there is no valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_IPV4 or RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_IPV6
2527 in pattern, Some PMDs will reject rule because behavior will be undefined.
2529 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_ttl:
2533 +---------------+--------------------+
2535 +===============+====================+
2536 | ``ttl_value`` | new TTL value |
2537 +---------------+--------------------+
2539 Action: ``SET_MAC_SRC``
2540 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2542 Set source MAC address.
2544 It must be used with a valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_ETH flow pattern item.
2545 Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2547 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_mac_src:
2549 .. table:: SET_MAC_SRC
2551 +--------------+---------------+
2553 +==============+===============+
2554 | ``mac_addr`` | MAC address |
2555 +--------------+---------------+
2557 Action: ``SET_MAC_DST``
2558 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2560 Set destination MAC address.
2562 It must be used with a valid RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_ETH flow pattern item.
2563 Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2565 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_mac_dst:
2567 .. table:: SET_MAC_DST
2569 +--------------+---------------+
2571 +==============+===============+
2572 | ``mac_addr`` | MAC address |
2573 +--------------+---------------+
2575 Action: ``INC_TCP_SEQ``
2576 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2578 Increase sequence number in the outermost TCP header.
2579 Value to increase TCP sequence number by is a big-endian 32 bit integer.
2581 Using this action on non-matching traffic will result in undefined behavior.
2583 Action: ``DEC_TCP_SEQ``
2584 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2586 Decrease sequence number in the outermost TCP header.
2587 Value to decrease TCP sequence number by is a big-endian 32 bit integer.
2589 Using this action on non-matching traffic will result in undefined behavior.
2591 Action: ``INC_TCP_ACK``
2592 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2594 Increase acknowledgment number in the outermost TCP header.
2595 Value to increase TCP acknowledgment number by is a big-endian 32 bit integer.
2597 Using this action on non-matching traffic will result in undefined behavior.
2599 Action: ``DEC_TCP_ACK``
2600 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2602 Decrease acknowledgment number in the outermost TCP header.
2603 Value to decrease TCP acknowledgment number by is a big-endian 32 bit integer.
2605 Using this action on non-matching traffic will result in undefined behavior.
2612 Tag is a transient data used during flow matching. This is not delivered to
2613 application. Multiple tags are supported by specifying index.
2615 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_tag:
2619 +-----------+----------------------------+
2621 +===========+============================+
2622 | ``data`` | 32 bit tag value |
2623 +-----------+----------------------------+
2624 | ``mask`` | bit-mask applies to "data" |
2625 +-----------+----------------------------+
2626 | ``index`` | index of tag to set |
2627 +-----------+----------------------------+
2629 Action: ``SET_META``
2630 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2632 Set metadata. Item ``META`` matches metadata.
2634 Metadata set by mbuf metadata field with PKT_TX_DYNF_METADATA flag on egress
2635 will be overridden by this action. On ingress, the metadata will be carried by
2636 ``metadata`` dynamic field of ``rte_mbuf`` which can be accessed by
2637 ``RTE_FLOW_DYNF_METADATA()``. PKT_RX_DYNF_METADATA flag will be set along
2640 The mbuf dynamic field must be registered by calling
2641 ``rte_flow_dynf_metadata_register()`` prior to use ``SET_META`` action.
2643 Altering partial bits is supported with ``mask``. For bits which have never been
2644 set, unpredictable value will be seen depending on driver implementation. For
2645 loopback/hairpin packet, metadata set on Rx/Tx may or may not be propagated to
2646 the other path depending on HW capability.
2648 In hairpin case with Tx explicit flow mode, metadata could (not mandatory) be
2649 used to connect the Rx and Tx flows if it can be propagated from Rx to Tx path.
2651 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_meta:
2655 +----------+----------------------------+
2657 +==========+============================+
2658 | ``data`` | 32 bit metadata value |
2659 +----------+----------------------------+
2660 | ``mask`` | bit-mask applies to "data" |
2661 +----------+----------------------------+
2663 Action: ``SET_IPV4_DSCP``
2664 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2668 Modify DSCP in IPv4 header.
2670 It must be used with RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_IPV4 in pattern.
2671 Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2673 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_ipv4_dscp:
2675 .. table:: SET_IPV4_DSCP
2677 +-----------+---------------------------------+
2679 +===========+=================================+
2680 | ``dscp`` | DSCP in low 6 bits, rest ignore |
2681 +-----------+---------------------------------+
2683 Action: ``SET_IPV6_DSCP``
2684 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2688 Modify DSCP in IPv6 header.
2690 It must be used with RTE_FLOW_ITEM_TYPE_IPV6 in pattern.
2691 Otherwise, RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION error will be returned.
2693 .. _table_rte_flow_action_set_ipv6_dscp:
2695 .. table:: SET_IPV6_DSCP
2697 +-----------+---------------------------------+
2699 +===========+=================================+
2700 | ``dscp`` | DSCP in low 6 bits, rest ignore |
2701 +-----------+---------------------------------+
2706 Set ageing timeout configuration to a flow.
2708 Event RTE_ETH_EVENT_FLOW_AGED will be reported if
2709 timeout passed without any matching on the flow.
2711 .. _table_rte_flow_action_age:
2715 +--------------+---------------------------------+
2717 +==============+=================================+
2718 | ``timeout`` | 24 bits timeout value |
2719 +--------------+---------------------------------+
2720 | ``reserved`` | 8 bits reserved, must be zero |
2721 +--------------+---------------------------------+
2722 | ``context`` | user input flow context |
2723 +--------------+---------------------------------+
2725 Query structure to retrieve ageing status information of a
2726 shared AGE action, or a flow rule using the AGE action:
2728 .. _table_rte_flow_query_age:
2730 .. table:: AGE query
2732 +------------------------------+-----+----------------------------------------+
2733 | Field | I/O | Value |
2734 +==============================+=====+========================================+
2735 | ``aged`` | out | Aging timeout expired |
2736 +------------------------------+-----+----------------------------------------+
2737 | ``sec_since_last_hit_valid`` | out | ``sec_since_last_hit`` value is valid |
2738 +------------------------------+-----+----------------------------------------+
2739 | ``sec_since_last_hit`` | out | Seconds since last traffic hit |
2740 +------------------------------+-----+----------------------------------------+
2745 Adds a sample action to a matched flow.
2747 The matching packets will be duplicated with the specified ``ratio`` and
2748 applied with own set of actions with a fate action, the packets sampled
2749 equals is '1/ratio'. All the packets continue to the target destination.
2751 When the ``ratio`` is set to 1 then the packets will be 100% mirrored.
2752 ``actions`` represent the different set of actions for the sampled or mirrored
2753 packets, and must have a fate action.
2755 .. _table_rte_flow_action_sample:
2759 +--------------+---------------------------------+
2761 +==============+=================================+
2762 | ``ratio`` | 32 bits sample ratio value |
2763 +--------------+---------------------------------+
2764 | ``actions`` | sub-action list for sampling |
2765 +--------------+---------------------------------+
2767 Action: ``INDIRECT``
2768 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2770 Flow utilize indirect action by handle as returned from
2771 ``rte_flow_action_handle_create()``.
2773 The behaviour of the indirect action defined by ``action`` argument of type
2774 ``struct rte_flow_action`` passed to ``rte_flow_action_handle_create()``.
2776 The indirect action can be used by a single flow or shared among multiple flows.
2777 The indirect action can be in-place updated by ``rte_flow_action_handle_update()``
2778 without destroying flow and creating flow again. The fields that could be
2779 updated depend on the type of the ``action`` and different for every type.
2781 The indirect action specified data (e.g. counter) can be queried by
2782 ``rte_flow_action_handle_query()``.
2784 .. _table_rte_flow_action_handle:
2794 Action: ``MODIFY_FIELD``
2795 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2797 Modify ``dst`` field according to ``op`` selected (set, addition,
2798 subtraction) with ``width`` bits of data from ``src`` field.
2800 Any arbitrary header field (as well as mark, metadata or tag values)
2801 can be used as both source and destination fields as set by ``field``.
2802 The immediate value ``RTE_FLOW_FIELD_VALUE`` (or a pointer to it
2803 ``RTE_FLOW_FIELD_POINTER``) is allowed as a source only.
2804 ``RTE_FLOW_FIELD_START`` is used to point to the beginning of a packet.
2805 See ``enum rte_flow_field_id`` for the list of supported fields.
2807 ``op`` selects the operation to perform on a destination field.
2808 - ``set`` copies the data from ``src`` field to ``dst`` field.
2809 - ``add`` adds together ``dst`` and ``src`` and stores the result into ``dst``.
2810 - ``sub`` subtracts ``src`` from ``dst`` and stores the result into ``dst``
2812 ``width`` defines a number of bits to use from ``src`` field.
2814 ``level`` is used to access any packet field on any encapsulation level
2815 as well as any tag element in the tag array.
2816 - ``0`` means the default behaviour. Depending on the packet type, it can
2817 mean outermost, innermost or anything in between.
2818 - ``1`` requests access to the outermost packet encapsulation level.
2819 - ``2`` and subsequent values requests access to the specified packet
2820 encapsulation level, from outermost to innermost (lower to higher values).
2821 For the tag array (in case of multiple tags are supported and present)
2822 ``level`` translates directly into the array index.
2824 ``offset`` specifies the number of bits to skip from a field's start.
2825 That allows performing a partial copy of the needed part or to divide a big
2826 packet field into multiple smaller fields. Alternatively, ``offset`` allows
2827 going past the specified packet field boundary to copy a field to an
2828 arbitrary place in a packet, essentially providing a way to copy any part of
2829 a packet to any other part of it.
2831 ``value`` sets an immediate value to be used as a source or points to a
2832 location of the value in memory. It is used instead of ``level`` and ``offset``
2833 for ``RTE_FLOW_FIELD_VALUE`` and ``RTE_FLOW_FIELD_POINTER`` respectively.
2835 .. _table_rte_flow_action_modify_field:
2837 .. table:: MODIFY_FIELD
2839 +---------------+-------------------------+
2841 +===============+=========================+
2842 | ``op`` | operation to perform |
2843 +---------------+-------------------------+
2844 | ``dst`` | destination field |
2845 +---------------+-------------------------+
2846 | ``src`` | source field |
2847 +---------------+-------------------------+
2848 | ``width`` | number of bits to use |
2849 +---------------+-------------------------+
2851 .. _table_rte_flow_action_modify_data:
2853 .. table:: destination/source field definition
2855 +---------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
2857 +===============+==========================================================+
2858 | ``field`` | ID: packet field, mark, meta, tag, immediate, pointer |
2859 +---------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
2860 | ``level`` | encapsulation level of a packet field or tag array index |
2861 +---------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
2862 | ``offset`` | number of bits to skip at the beginning |
2863 +---------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
2864 | ``value`` | immediate value or a pointer to this value |
2865 +---------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
2870 All specified pattern items (``enum rte_flow_item_type``) and actions
2871 (``enum rte_flow_action_type``) use positive identifiers.
2873 The negative space is reserved for dynamic types generated by PMDs during
2874 run-time. PMDs may encounter them as a result but must not accept negative
2875 identifiers they are not aware of.
2877 A method to generate them remains to be defined.
2879 Application may use PMD dynamic items or actions in flow rules. In that case
2880 size of configuration object in dynamic element must be a pointer size.
2885 Pattern item types will be added as new protocols are implemented.
2887 Variable headers support through dedicated pattern items, for example in
2888 order to match specific IPv4 options and IPv6 extension headers would be
2889 stacked after IPv4/IPv6 items.
2891 Other action types are planned but are not defined yet. These include the
2892 ability to alter packet data in several ways, such as performing
2893 encapsulation/decapsulation of tunnel headers.
2898 A rather simple API with few functions is provided to fully manage flow
2901 Each created flow rule is associated with an opaque, PMD-specific handle
2902 pointer. The application is responsible for keeping it until the rule is
2905 Flows rules are represented by ``struct rte_flow`` objects.
2910 Given that expressing a definite set of device capabilities is not
2911 practical, a dedicated function is provided to check if a flow rule is
2912 supported and can be created.
2917 rte_flow_validate(uint16_t port_id,
2918 const struct rte_flow_attr *attr,
2919 const struct rte_flow_item pattern[],
2920 const struct rte_flow_action actions[],
2921 struct rte_flow_error *error);
2923 The flow rule is validated for correctness and whether it could be accepted
2924 by the device given sufficient resources. The rule is checked against the
2925 current device mode and queue configuration. The flow rule may also
2926 optionally be validated against existing flow rules and device resources.
2927 This function has no effect on the target device.
2929 The returned value is guaranteed to remain valid only as long as no
2930 successful calls to ``rte_flow_create()`` or ``rte_flow_destroy()`` are made
2931 in the meantime and no device parameter affecting flow rules in any way are
2932 modified, due to possible collisions or resource limitations (although in
2933 such cases ``EINVAL`` should not be returned).
2937 - ``port_id``: port identifier of Ethernet device.
2938 - ``attr``: flow rule attributes.
2939 - ``pattern``: pattern specification (list terminated by the END pattern
2941 - ``actions``: associated actions (list terminated by the END action).
2942 - ``error``: perform verbose error reporting if not NULL. PMDs initialize
2943 this structure in case of error only.
2947 - 0 if flow rule is valid and can be created. A negative errno value
2948 otherwise (``rte_errno`` is also set), the following errors are defined.
2949 - ``-ENOSYS``: underlying device does not support this functionality.
2950 - ``-EINVAL``: unknown or invalid rule specification.
2951 - ``-ENOTSUP``: valid but unsupported rule specification (e.g. partial
2952 bit-masks are unsupported).
2953 - ``EEXIST``: collision with an existing rule. Only returned if device
2954 supports flow rule collision checking and there was a flow rule
2955 collision. Not receiving this return code is no guarantee that creating
2956 the rule will not fail due to a collision.
2957 - ``ENOMEM``: not enough memory to execute the function, or if the device
2958 supports resource validation, resource limitation on the device.
2959 - ``-EBUSY``: action cannot be performed due to busy device resources, may
2960 succeed if the affected queues or even the entire port are in a stopped
2961 state (see ``rte_eth_dev_rx_queue_stop()`` and ``rte_eth_dev_stop()``).
2966 Creating a flow rule is similar to validating one, except the rule is
2967 actually created and a handle returned.
2972 rte_flow_create(uint16_t port_id,
2973 const struct rte_flow_attr *attr,
2974 const struct rte_flow_item pattern[],
2975 const struct rte_flow_action *actions[],
2976 struct rte_flow_error *error);
2980 - ``port_id``: port identifier of Ethernet device.
2981 - ``attr``: flow rule attributes.
2982 - ``pattern``: pattern specification (list terminated by the END pattern
2984 - ``actions``: associated actions (list terminated by the END action).
2985 - ``error``: perform verbose error reporting if not NULL. PMDs initialize
2986 this structure in case of error only.
2990 A valid handle in case of success, NULL otherwise and ``rte_errno`` is set
2991 to the positive version of one of the error codes defined for
2992 ``rte_flow_validate()``.
2997 Flow rules destruction is not automatic, and a queue or a port should not be
2998 released if any are still attached to them. Applications must take care of
2999 performing this step before releasing resources.
3004 rte_flow_destroy(uint16_t port_id,
3005 struct rte_flow *flow,
3006 struct rte_flow_error *error);
3009 Failure to destroy a flow rule handle may occur when other flow rules depend
3010 on it, and destroying it would result in an inconsistent state.
3012 This function is only guaranteed to succeed if handles are destroyed in
3013 reverse order of their creation.
3017 - ``port_id``: port identifier of Ethernet device.
3018 - ``flow``: flow rule handle to destroy.
3019 - ``error``: perform verbose error reporting if not NULL. PMDs initialize
3020 this structure in case of error only.
3024 - 0 on success, a negative errno value otherwise and ``rte_errno`` is set.
3029 Convenience function to destroy all flow rule handles associated with a
3030 port. They are released as with successive calls to ``rte_flow_destroy()``.
3035 rte_flow_flush(uint16_t port_id,
3036 struct rte_flow_error *error);
3038 In the unlikely event of failure, handles are still considered destroyed and
3039 no longer valid but the port must be assumed to be in an inconsistent state.
3043 - ``port_id``: port identifier of Ethernet device.
3044 - ``error``: perform verbose error reporting if not NULL. PMDs initialize
3045 this structure in case of error only.
3049 - 0 on success, a negative errno value otherwise and ``rte_errno`` is set.
3054 Query an existing flow rule.
3056 This function allows retrieving flow-specific data such as counters. Data
3057 is gathered by special actions which must be present in the flow rule
3063 rte_flow_query(uint16_t port_id,
3064 struct rte_flow *flow,
3065 const struct rte_flow_action *action,
3067 struct rte_flow_error *error);
3071 - ``port_id``: port identifier of Ethernet device.
3072 - ``flow``: flow rule handle to query.
3073 - ``action``: action to query, this must match prototype from flow rule.
3074 - ``data``: pointer to storage for the associated query data type.
3075 - ``error``: perform verbose error reporting if not NULL. PMDs initialize
3076 this structure in case of error only.
3080 - 0 on success, a negative errno value otherwise and ``rte_errno`` is set.
3082 .. _flow_isolated_mode:
3087 The general expectation for ingress traffic is that flow rules process it
3088 first; the remaining unmatched or pass-through traffic usually ends up in a
3089 queue (with or without RSS, locally or in some sub-device instance)
3090 depending on the global configuration settings of a port.
3092 While fine from a compatibility standpoint, this approach makes drivers more
3093 complex as they have to check for possible side effects outside of this API
3094 when creating or destroying flow rules. It results in a more limited set of
3095 available rule types due to the way device resources are assigned (e.g. no
3096 support for the RSS action even on capable hardware).
3098 Given that nonspecific traffic can be handled by flow rules as well,
3099 isolated mode is a means for applications to tell a driver that ingress on
3100 the underlying port must be injected from the defined flow rules only; that
3101 no default traffic is expected outside those rules.
3103 This has the following benefits:
3105 - Applications get finer-grained control over the kind of traffic they want
3106 to receive (no traffic by default).
3108 - More importantly they control at what point nonspecific traffic is handled
3109 relative to other flow rules, by adjusting priority levels.
3111 - Drivers can assign more hardware resources to flow rules and expand the
3112 set of supported rule types.
3114 Because toggling isolated mode may cause profound changes to the ingress
3115 processing path of a driver, it may not be possible to leave it once
3116 entered. Likewise, existing flow rules or global configuration settings may
3117 prevent a driver from entering isolated mode.
3119 Applications relying on this mode are therefore encouraged to toggle it as
3120 soon as possible after device initialization, ideally before the first call
3121 to ``rte_eth_dev_configure()`` to avoid possible failures due to conflicting
3124 Once effective, the following functionality has no effect on the underlying
3125 port and may return errors such as ``ENOTSUP`` ("not supported"):
3127 - Toggling promiscuous mode.
3128 - Toggling allmulticast mode.
3129 - Configuring MAC addresses.
3130 - Configuring multicast addresses.
3131 - Configuring VLAN filters.
3132 - Configuring global RSS settings.
3137 rte_flow_isolate(uint16_t port_id, int set, struct rte_flow_error *error);
3141 - ``port_id``: port identifier of Ethernet device.
3142 - ``set``: nonzero to enter isolated mode, attempt to leave it otherwise.
3143 - ``error``: perform verbose error reporting if not NULL. PMDs initialize
3144 this structure in case of error only.
3148 - 0 on success, a negative errno value otherwise and ``rte_errno`` is set.
3150 Verbose error reporting
3151 -----------------------
3153 The defined *errno* values may not be accurate enough for users or
3154 application developers who want to investigate issues related to flow rules
3155 management. A dedicated error object is defined for this purpose:
3159 enum rte_flow_error_type {
3160 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_NONE, /**< No error. */
3161 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED, /**< Cause unspecified. */
3162 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_HANDLE, /**< Flow rule (handle). */
3163 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ATTR_GROUP, /**< Group field. */
3164 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ATTR_PRIORITY, /**< Priority field. */
3165 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ATTR_INGRESS, /**< Ingress field. */
3166 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ATTR_EGRESS, /**< Egress field. */
3167 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ATTR, /**< Attributes structure. */
3168 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ITEM_NUM, /**< Pattern length. */
3169 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ITEM, /**< Specific pattern item. */
3170 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION_NUM, /**< Number of actions. */
3171 RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_ACTION, /**< Specific action. */
3174 struct rte_flow_error {
3175 enum rte_flow_error_type type; /**< Cause field and error types. */
3176 const void *cause; /**< Object responsible for the error. */
3177 const char *message; /**< Human-readable error message. */
3180 Error type ``RTE_FLOW_ERROR_TYPE_NONE`` stands for no error, in which case
3181 remaining fields can be ignored. Other error types describe the type of the
3182 object pointed by ``cause``.
3184 If non-NULL, ``cause`` points to the object responsible for the error. For a
3185 flow rule, this may be a pattern item or an individual action.
3187 If non-NULL, ``message`` provides a human-readable error message.
3189 This object is normally allocated by applications and set by PMDs in case of
3190 error, the message points to a constant string which does not need to be
3191 freed by the application, however its pointer can be considered valid only
3192 as long as its associated DPDK port remains configured. Closing the
3193 underlying device or unloading the PMD invalidates it.
3204 rte_flow_error_set(struct rte_flow_error *error,
3206 enum rte_flow_error_type type,
3208 const char *message);
3210 This function initializes ``error`` (if non-NULL) with the provided
3211 parameters and sets ``rte_errno`` to ``code``. A negative error ``code`` is
3220 rte_flow_conv(enum rte_flow_conv_op op,
3224 struct rte_flow_error *error);
3226 Convert ``src`` to ``dst`` according to operation ``op``. Possible
3229 - Attributes, pattern item or action duplication.
3230 - Duplication of an entire pattern or list of actions.
3231 - Duplication of a complete flow rule description.
3232 - Pattern item or action name retrieval.
3234 Tunneled traffic offload
3235 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3237 rte_flow API provides the building blocks for vendor-agnostic flow
3238 classification offloads. The rte_flow "patterns" and "actions"
3239 primitives are fine-grained, thus enabling DPDK applications the
3240 flexibility to offload network stacks and complex pipelines.
3241 Applications wishing to offload tunneled traffic are required to use
3242 the rte_flow primitives, such as group, meta, mark, tag, and others to
3243 model their high-level objects. The hardware model design for
3244 high-level software objects is not trivial. Furthermore, an optimal
3245 design is often vendor-specific.
3247 When hardware offloads tunneled traffic in multi-group logic,
3248 partially offloaded packets may arrive to the application after they
3249 were modified in hardware. In this case, the application may need to
3250 restore the original packet headers. Consider the following sequence:
3251 The application decaps a packet in one group and jumps to a second
3252 group where it tries to match on a 5-tuple, that will miss and send
3253 the packet to the application. In this case, the application does not
3254 receive the original packet but a modified one. Also, in this case,
3255 the application cannot match on the outer header fields, such as VXLAN
3258 There are several possible ways to use rte_flow "patterns" and
3259 "actions" to resolve the issues above. For example:
3261 1 Mapping headers to a hardware registers using the
3262 rte_flow_action_mark/rte_flow_action_tag/rte_flow_set_meta objects.
3264 2 Apply the decap only at the last offload stage after all the
3265 "patterns" were matched and the packet will be fully offloaded.
3267 Every approach has its pros and cons and is highly dependent on the
3268 hardware vendor. For example, some hardware may have a limited number
3269 of registers while other hardware could not support inner actions and
3270 must decap before accessing inner headers.
3272 The tunnel offload model resolves these issues. The model goals are:
3274 1 Provide a unified application API to offload tunneled traffic that
3275 is capable to match on outer headers after decap.
3277 2 Allow the application to restore the outer header of partially
3280 The tunnel offload model does not introduce new elements to the
3281 existing RTE flow model and is implemented as a set of helper
3284 For the application to work with the tunnel offload API it
3285 has to adjust flow rules in multi-table tunnel offload in the
3288 1 Remove explicit call to decap action and replace it with PMD actions
3289 obtained from rte_flow_tunnel_decap_and_set() helper.
3291 2 Add PMD items obtained from rte_flow_tunnel_match() helper to all
3292 other rules in the tunnel offload sequence.
3294 The model requirements:
3296 Software application must initialize
3297 rte_tunnel object with tunnel parameters before calling
3298 rte_flow_tunnel_decap_set() & rte_flow_tunnel_match().
3300 PMD actions array obtained in rte_flow_tunnel_decap_set() must be
3301 released by application with rte_flow_action_release() call.
3303 PMD items array obtained with rte_flow_tunnel_match() must be released
3304 by application with rte_flow_item_release() call. Application can
3305 release PMD items and actions after rule was created. However, if the
3306 application needs to create additional rule for the same tunnel it
3307 will need to obtain PMD items again.
3309 Application cannot destroy rte_tunnel object before it releases all
3310 PMD actions & PMD items referencing that tunnel.
3315 - DPDK does not keep track of flow rules definitions or flow rule objects
3316 automatically. Applications may keep track of the former and must keep
3317 track of the latter. PMDs may also do it for internal needs, however this
3318 must not be relied on by applications.
3320 - Flow rules are not maintained between successive port initializations. An
3321 application exiting without releasing them and restarting must re-create
3324 - API operations are synchronous and blocking (``EAGAIN`` cannot be
3327 - Stopping the data path (TX/RX) should not be necessary when managing flow
3328 rules. If this cannot be achieved naturally or with workarounds (such as
3329 temporarily replacing the burst function pointers), an appropriate error
3330 code must be returned (``EBUSY``).
3332 - Applications, not PMDs, are responsible for maintaining flow rules
3333 configuration when closing, stopping or restarting a port or performing other
3334 actions which may affect them.
3335 Applications must assume that after port close, stop or restart all flows
3336 related to that port are not valid, hardware rules are destroyed and relevant
3337 PMD resources are released.
3339 For devices exposing multiple ports sharing global settings affected by flow
3342 - All ports under DPDK control must behave consistently, PMDs are
3343 responsible for making sure that existing flow rules on a port are not
3344 affected by other ports.
3346 - Ports not under DPDK control (unaffected or handled by other applications)
3347 are user's responsibility. They may affect existing flow rules and cause
3348 undefined behavior. PMDs aware of this may prevent flow rules creation
3349 altogether in such cases.
3354 The PMD interface is defined in ``rte_flow_driver.h``. It is not subject to
3355 API/ABI versioning constraints as it is not exposed to applications and may
3356 evolve independently.
3358 The PMD interface is based on callbacks pointed by the ``struct rte_flow_ops``.
3360 - PMD callbacks implement exactly the interface described in `Rules
3361 management`_, except for the port ID argument which has already been
3362 converted to a pointer to the underlying ``struct rte_eth_dev``.
3364 - Public API functions do not process flow rules definitions at all before
3365 calling PMD functions (no basic error checking, no validation
3366 whatsoever). They only make sure these callbacks are non-NULL or return
3367 the ``ENOSYS`` (function not supported) error.
3369 This interface additionally defines the following helper function:
3371 - ``rte_flow_ops_get()``: get generic flow operations structure from a
3374 If PMD interfaces don't support re-entrancy/multi-thread safety,
3375 the rte_flow API functions will protect threads by mutex per port.
3376 The application can check whether ``RTE_ETH_DEV_FLOW_OPS_THREAD_SAFE``
3377 is set in ``dev_flags``, meaning the PMD is thread-safe regarding rte_flow,
3378 so the API level protection is disabled.
3379 Please note that this API-level mutex protects only rte_flow functions,
3380 other control path functions are not in scope.
3382 More will be added over time.
3384 Device compatibility
3385 --------------------
3387 No known implementation supports all the described features.
3389 Unsupported features or combinations are not expected to be fully emulated
3390 in software by PMDs for performance reasons. Partially supported features
3391 may be completed in software as long as hardware performs most of the work
3392 (such as queue redirection and packet recognition).
3394 However PMDs are expected to do their best to satisfy application requests
3395 by working around hardware limitations as long as doing so does not affect
3396 the behavior of existing flow rules.
3398 The following sections provide a few examples of such cases and describe how
3399 PMDs should handle them, they are based on limitations built into the
3405 Each flow rule comes with its own, per-layer bit-masks, while hardware may
3406 support only a single, device-wide bit-mask for a given layer type, so that
3407 two IPv4 rules cannot use different bit-masks.
3409 The expected behavior in this case is that PMDs automatically configure
3410 global bit-masks according to the needs of the first flow rule created.
3412 Subsequent rules are allowed only if their bit-masks match those, the
3413 ``EEXIST`` error code should be returned otherwise.
3415 Unsupported layer types
3416 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3418 Many protocols can be simulated by crafting patterns with the `Item: RAW`_
3421 PMDs can rely on this capability to simulate support for protocols with
3422 headers not directly recognized by hardware.
3424 ``ANY`` pattern item
3425 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3427 This pattern item stands for anything, which can be difficult to translate
3428 to something hardware would understand, particularly if followed by more
3431 Consider the following pattern:
3433 .. _table_rte_flow_unsupported_any:
3435 .. table:: Pattern with ANY as L3
3437 +-------+-----------------------+
3439 +=======+=======================+
3441 +-------+-----+---------+-------+
3442 | 1 | ANY | ``num`` | ``1`` |
3443 +-------+-----+---------+-------+
3445 +-------+-----------------------+
3447 +-------+-----------------------+
3449 Knowing that TCP does not make sense with something other than IPv4 and IPv6
3450 as L3, such a pattern may be translated to two flow rules instead:
3452 .. _table_rte_flow_unsupported_any_ipv4:
3454 .. table:: ANY replaced with IPV4
3456 +-------+--------------------+
3458 +=======+====================+
3460 +-------+--------------------+
3461 | 1 | IPV4 (zeroed mask) |
3462 +-------+--------------------+
3464 +-------+--------------------+
3466 +-------+--------------------+
3470 .. _table_rte_flow_unsupported_any_ipv6:
3472 .. table:: ANY replaced with IPV6
3474 +-------+--------------------+
3476 +=======+====================+
3478 +-------+--------------------+
3479 | 1 | IPV6 (zeroed mask) |
3480 +-------+--------------------+
3482 +-------+--------------------+
3484 +-------+--------------------+
3486 Note that as soon as a ANY rule covers several layers, this approach may
3487 yield a large number of hidden flow rules. It is thus suggested to only
3488 support the most common scenarios (anything as L2 and/or L3).
3493 - When combined with `Action: QUEUE`_, packet counting (`Action: COUNT`_)
3494 and tagging (`Action: MARK`_ or `Action: FLAG`_) may be implemented in
3495 software as long as the target queue is used by a single rule.
3497 - When a single target queue is provided, `Action: RSS`_ can also be
3498 implemented through `Action: QUEUE`_.
3503 While it would naturally make sense, flow rules cannot be assumed to be
3504 processed by hardware in the same order as their creation for several
3507 - They may be managed internally as a tree or a hash table instead of a
3509 - Removing a flow rule before adding another one can either put the new rule
3510 at the end of the list or reuse a freed entry.
3511 - Duplication may occur when packets are matched by several rules.
3513 For overlapping rules (particularly in order to use `Action: PASSTHRU`_)
3514 predictable behavior is only guaranteed by using different priority levels.
3516 Priority levels are not necessarily implemented in hardware, or may be
3517 severely limited (e.g. a single priority bit).
3519 For these reasons, priority levels may be implemented purely in software by
3522 - For devices expecting flow rules to be added in the correct order, PMDs
3523 may destroy and re-create existing rules after adding a new one with
3526 - A configurable number of dummy or empty rules can be created at
3527 initialization time to save high priority slots for later.
3529 - In order to save priority levels, PMDs may evaluate whether rules are
3530 likely to collide and adjust their priority accordingly.
3535 - A device profile selection function which could be used to force a
3536 permanent profile instead of relying on its automatic configuration based
3537 on existing flow rules.
3539 - A method to optimize *rte_flow* rules with specific pattern items and
3540 action types generated on the fly by PMDs. DPDK should assign negative
3541 numbers to these in order to not collide with the existing types. See
3544 - Adding specific egress pattern items and actions as described in
3545 `Attribute: Traffic direction`_.
3547 - Optional software fallback when PMDs are unable to handle requested flow
3548 rules so applications do not have to implement their own.
3550 .. _OpenFlow Switch Specification: https://www.opennetworking.org/software-defined-standards/specifications/