+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+ Copyright 2018 The DPDK contributors
+
ABI and API Deprecation
=======================
Deprecation Notices
-------------------
-* eal: both declaring and identifying devices will be streamlined in v18.05.
+* eal: certain structures will change in EAL on account of upcoming external
+ memory support. Aside from internal changes leading to an ABI break, the
+ following externally visible changes will also be implemented:
+
+ - ``rte_memseg_list`` will change to include a boolean flag indicating
+ whether a particular memseg list is externally allocated. This will have
+ implications for any users of memseg-walk-related functions, as they will
+ now have to skip externally allocated segments in most cases if the intent
+ is to only iterate over internal DPDK memory.
+ - ``socket_id`` parameter across the entire DPDK will gain additional meaning,
+ as some socket ID's will now be representing externally allocated memory. No
+ changes will be required for existing code as backwards compatibility will
+ be kept, and those who do not use this feature will not see these extra
+ socket ID's.
+
+* eal: both declaring and identifying devices will be streamlined in v18.11.
New functions will appear to query a specific port from buses, classes of
device and device drivers. Device declaration will be made coherent with the
new scheme of device identification.
As such, ``rte_devargs`` device representation will change.
- - removal of ``name`` and ``args`` fields.
- The enum ``rte_devtype`` was used to identify a bus and will disappear.
- Functions previously deprecated will change or disappear:
+ ``rte_eal_devargs_type_count``
- + ``rte_eal_devargs_parse`` will change its format and use.
* pci: Several exposed functions are misnamed.
The following functions are deprecated starting from v17.11 and are replaced:
- ``eal_parse_pci_DomBDF`` replaced by ``rte_pci_addr_parse``
- ``rte_eal_compare_pci_addr`` replaced by ``rte_pci_addr_cmp``
-* eal: a new set of mbuf mempool ops name APIs for user, platform and best
- mempool names have been defined in ``rte_mbuf`` in v18.02. The uses of
- ``rte_eal_mbuf_default_mempool_ops`` shall be replaced by
- ``rte_mbuf_best_mempool_ops``.
- The following function is now redundant and it is target to be deprecated
- in 18.05:
-
- - ``rte_eal_mbuf_default_mempool_ops``
-
* mbuf: The opaque ``mbuf->hash.sched`` field will be updated to support generic
definition in line with the ethdev TM and MTR APIs. Currently, this field
is defined in librte_sched in a non-generic way. The new generic format
will contain: queue ID, traffic class, color. Field size will not change.
-* ethdev: a new Tx and Rx offload API was introduced on 17.11.
- In the new API, offloads are divided into per-port and per-queue offloads.
- Offloads are disabled by default and enabled per application request.
-
- In later releases the old offloading API will be deprecated, which will include:
- - removal of ``ETH_TXQ_FLAGS_NO*`` flags.
- - removal of ``txq_flags`` field from ``rte_eth_txconf`` struct.
- - removal of the offloads bit-field from ``rte_eth_rxmode`` struct.
+* mbuf: the macro ``RTE_MBUF_INDIRECT()`` will be removed in v18.08 or later and
+ replaced with ``RTE_MBUF_CLONED()`` which is already added in v18.05. As
+ ``EXT_ATTACHED_MBUF`` is newly introduced in v18.05, ``RTE_MBUF_INDIRECT()``
+ can no longer be mutually exclusive with ``RTE_MBUF_DIRECT()`` if the new
+ experimental API ``rte_pktmbuf_attach_extbuf()`` is used. Removal of the macro
+ is to fix this semantic inconsistency.
* ethdev: the legacy filter API, including
``rte_eth_dev_filter_supported()``, ``rte_eth_dev_filter_ctrl()`` as well
Target release for removal of the legacy API will be defined once most
PMDs have switched to rte_flow.
-* i40e: The default flexible payload configuration which extracts the first 16
- bytes of the payload for RSS will be deprecated starting from 18.02. If
- required the previous behavior can be configured using existing flow
- director APIs. There is no ABI/API break. This change will just remove a
- global configuration setting and require explicit configuration.
+* ethdev: In v18.11 ``rte_eth_dev_attach()`` and ``rte_eth_dev_detach()``
+ will be removed.
+ Hotplug functions ``rte_eal_hotplug_add()`` and ``rte_eal_hotplug_remove()``
+ should be used instread.
+ Function ``rte_eth_dev_get_port_by_name()`` may be used to find
+ identifier of the added port.
+
+* eal: In v18.11 ``rte_eal_dev_attach()`` and ``rte_eal_dev_detach()``
+ will be removed.
+ Hotplug functions ``rte_eal_hotplug_add()`` and ``rte_eal_hotplug_remove()``
+ should be used directly.
* pdump: As we changed to use generic IPC, some changes in APIs and structure
are expected in subsequent release.
- The parameter, ``path``, of ``rte_pdump_init`` will be removed;
- The enum ``rte_pdump_socktype`` will be removed.
-* cryptodev: The following changes will be made in the library
- for 18.08:
-
- - Removal of ``sym`` structure in ``rte_cryptodev_info`` structure,
- containing fields not relevant anymore since the session mempool
- is not internal in the crypto device anymore.
- - Replacement of ``pci_dev`` field with the more generic ``rte_device``
- structure.
- - Functions ``rte_cryptodev_queue_pair_attach_sym_session()`` and
- ``rte_cryptodev_queue_pair_dettach_sym_session()`` will be deprecated from
- 18.05 and removed in 18.08, as there are no drivers doing anything useful
- with them.
- - Functions ``rte_cryptodev_queue_pair_start()`` and
- ``rte_cryptodev_queue_pair_stop()`` will be deprecated from 18.05
- and removed in 18.08, as there are no drivers doing anything useful
- with them.
- - Some feature flags such as ``RTE_CRYPTODEV_FF_MBUF_SCATTER_GATHER`` are ambiguous,
- so some will be replaced by more explicit flags.
+* ethdev: flow API function ``rte_flow_copy()`` will be deprecated in v18.11
+ in favor of ``rte_flow_conv()`` (which will appear in that version) and
+ subsequently removed for v19.02.
+
+ This is due to a lack of flexibility and reliance on a type unusable with
+ C++ programs (struct rte_flow_desc).