return i;
 }
 
+#ifndef DEFAULT_TX_FREE_THRESH
+#define DEFAULT_TX_FREE_THRESH 32
+#endif
+
+/* Cleanup from completed transmits. */
 static void
-virtqueue_dequeue_pkt_tx(struct virtqueue *vq)
+virtio_xmit_cleanup(struct virtqueue *vq, uint16_t num)
 {
-       struct vring_used_elem *uep;
-       uint16_t used_idx, desc_idx;
+       uint16_t i, used_idx, desc_idx;
+       for (i = 0; i < num; i++) {
+               struct vring_used_elem *uep;
+               struct vq_desc_extra *dxp;
+
+               used_idx = (uint16_t)(vq->vq_used_cons_idx & (vq->vq_nentries - 1));
+               uep = &vq->vq_ring.used->ring[used_idx];
+
+               desc_idx = (uint16_t) uep->id;
+               dxp = &vq->vq_descx[desc_idx];
+               vq->vq_used_cons_idx++;
+               vq_ring_free_chain(vq, desc_idx);
 
-       used_idx = (uint16_t)(vq->vq_used_cons_idx & (vq->vq_nentries - 1));
-       uep = &vq->vq_ring.used->ring[used_idx];
-       desc_idx = (uint16_t) uep->id;
-       vq->vq_used_cons_idx++;
-       vq_ring_free_chain(vq, desc_idx);
+               if (dxp->cookie != NULL) {
+                       rte_pktmbuf_free(dxp->cookie);
+                       dxp->cookie = NULL;
+               }
+       }
 }
 
 
 
        idx = head_idx;
        dxp = &txvq->vq_descx[idx];
-       if (dxp->cookie != NULL)
-               rte_pktmbuf_free(dxp->cookie);
        dxp->cookie = (void *)cookie;
        dxp->ndescs = needed;
 
 {
        uint8_t vtpci_queue_idx = 2 * queue_idx + VTNET_SQ_TQ_QUEUE_IDX;
        struct virtqueue *vq;
+       uint16_t tx_free_thresh;
        int ret;
 
        PMD_INIT_FUNC_TRACE();
                return ret;
        }
 
+       tx_free_thresh = tx_conf->tx_free_thresh;
+       if (tx_free_thresh == 0)
+               tx_free_thresh =
+                       RTE_MIN(vq->vq_nentries / 4, DEFAULT_TX_FREE_THRESH);
+
+       if (tx_free_thresh >= (vq->vq_nentries - 3)) {
+               RTE_LOG(ERR, PMD, "tx_free_thresh must be less than the "
+                       "number of TX entries minus 3 (%u)."
+                       " (tx_free_thresh=%u port=%u queue=%u)\n",
+                       vq->vq_nentries - 3,
+                       tx_free_thresh, dev->data->port_id, queue_idx);
+               return -EINVAL;
+       }
+
+       vq->vq_free_thresh = tx_free_thresh;
+
        dev->data->tx_queues[queue_idx] = vq;
        return 0;
 }
 {
        struct virtqueue *txvq = tx_queue;
        struct rte_mbuf *txm;
-       uint16_t nb_used, nb_tx, num;
+       uint16_t nb_used, nb_tx;
        int error;
 
-       nb_tx = 0;
-
        if (unlikely(nb_pkts < 1))
                return nb_pkts;
 
        nb_used = VIRTQUEUE_NUSED(txvq);
 
        virtio_rmb();
+       if (likely(nb_used > txvq->vq_free_thresh))
+               virtio_xmit_cleanup(txvq, nb_used);
 
-       num = (uint16_t)(likely(nb_used < VIRTIO_MBUF_BURST_SZ) ? nb_used : VIRTIO_MBUF_BURST_SZ);
+       nb_tx = 0;
 
        while (nb_tx < nb_pkts) {
                /* Need one more descriptor for virtio header. */
                int need = tx_pkts[nb_tx]->nb_segs - txvq->vq_free_cnt + 1;
-               int deq_cnt = RTE_MIN(need, (int)num);
 
-               num -= (deq_cnt > 0) ? deq_cnt : 0;
-               while (deq_cnt > 0) {
-                       virtqueue_dequeue_pkt_tx(txvq);
-                       deq_cnt--;
+               /*Positive value indicates it need free vring descriptors */
+               if (unlikely(need > 0)) {
+                       nb_used = VIRTQUEUE_NUSED(txvq);
+                       virtio_rmb();
+                       need = RTE_MIN(need, (int)nb_used);
+
+                       virtio_xmit_cleanup(txvq, need);
+                       need = (int)tx_pkts[nb_tx]->nb_segs -
+                               txvq->vq_free_cnt + 1;
                }
 
-               need = (int)tx_pkts[nb_tx]->nb_segs - txvq->vq_free_cnt + 1;
                /*
                 * Zero or negative value indicates it has enough free
                 * descriptors to use for transmitting.
                        txm = tx_pkts[nb_tx];
 
                        /* Do VLAN tag insertion */
-                       if (txm->ol_flags & PKT_TX_VLAN_PKT) {
+                       if (unlikely(txm->ol_flags & PKT_TX_VLAN_PKT)) {
                                error = rte_vlan_insert(&txm);
                                if (unlikely(error)) {
                                        rte_pktmbuf_free(txm);