--- /dev/null
+.. BSD LICENSE
+ Copyright(c) 2017 Cavium, Inc.
+
+ Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
+ modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
+ are met:
+
+ * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
+ notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
+ * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
+ notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in
+ the documentation and/or other materials provided with the
+ distribution.
+ * Neither the name of Cavium, Inc. nor the names of its
+ contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
+ from this software without specific prior written permission.
+
+ THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
+ "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
+ LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR
+ A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT
+ OWNER(S) OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
+ SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT
+ LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,
+ DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
+ THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
+ (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
+ OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
+
+.. _pmd_build_and_test:
+
+Compiling and testing a PMD for a NIC
+=====================================
+
+This section demonstrates how to compile and run a Poll Mode Driver (PMD) for
+the available Network Interface Cards in DPDK using TestPMD.
+
+TestPMD is one of the reference applications distributed with the DPDK. Its main
+purpose is to forward packets between Ethernet ports on a network interface and
+as such is the best way to test a PMD.
+
+Refer to the :ref:`testpmd application user guide <testpmd_ug>` for detailed
+information on how to build and run testpmd.
+
+Driver Compilation
+------------------
+
+To compile a PMD for a platform, run make with appropriate target as shown below.
+Use "make" command in Linux and "gmake" in FreeBSD. This will also build testpmd.
+
+To check available targets:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+ cd <DPDK-source-directory>
+ make showconfigs
+
+Example output:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+ arm-armv7a-linuxapp-gcc
+ arm64-armv8a-linuxapp-gcc
+ arm64-dpaa2-linuxapp-gcc
+ arm64-thunderx-linuxapp-gcc
+ arm64-xgene1-linuxapp-gcc
+ i686-native-linuxapp-gcc
+ i686-native-linuxapp-icc
+ ppc_64-power8-linuxapp-gcc
+ x86_64-native-bsdapp-clang
+ x86_64-native-bsdapp-gcc
+ x86_64-native-linuxapp-clang
+ x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc
+ x86_64-native-linuxapp-icc
+ x86_x32-native-linuxapp-gcc
+
+To compile a PMD for Linux x86_64 gcc target, run the following "make" command:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+ make install T=x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc
+
+Use ARM (ThunderX, DPAA, X-Gene) or PowerPC target for respective platform.
+
+For more information, refer to the :ref:`Getting Started Guide for Linux <linux_gsg>`
+or :ref:`Getting Started Guide for FreeBSD <freebsd_gsg>` depending on your platform.
+
+Running testpmd in Linux
+------------------------
+
+This section demonstrates how to setup and run ``testpmd`` in Linux.
+
+#. Mount huge pages:
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ mkdir /mnt/huge
+ mount -t hugetlbfs nodev /mnt/huge
+
+#. Request huge pages:
+
+ Hugepage memory should be reserved as per application requirement. Check
+ hugepage size configured in the system and calculate the number of pages
+ required.
+
+ To reserve 1024 pages of 2MB:
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ echo 1024 > /sys/kernel/mm/hugepages/hugepages-2048kB/nr_hugepages
+
+ .. note::
+
+ Check ``/proc/meminfo`` to find system hugepage size:
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ grep "Hugepagesize:" /proc/meminfo
+
+ Example output:
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ Hugepagesize: 2048 kB
+
+#. Load ``igb_uio`` or ``vfio-pci`` driver:
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ modprobe uio
+ insmod ./x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc/kmod/igb_uio.ko
+
+ or
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ modprobe vfio-pci
+
+#. Setup VFIO permissions for regular users before binding to ``vfio-pci``:
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ sudo chmod a+x /dev/vfio
+
+ sudo chmod 0666 /dev/vfio/*
+
+#. Bind the adapters to ``igb_uio`` or ``vfio-pci`` loaded in the previous step:
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ ./usertools/dpdk-devbind.py --bind igb_uio DEVICE1 DEVICE2 ...
+
+ Or setup VFIO permissions for regular users and then bind to ``vfio-pci``:
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ ./usertools/dpdk-devbind.py --bind vfio-pci DEVICE1 DEVICE2 ...
+
+ .. note::
+
+ DEVICE1, DEVICE2 are specified via PCI "domain:bus:slot.func" syntax or
+ "bus:slot.func" syntax.
+
+#. Start ``testpmd`` with basic parameters:
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ ./x86_64-native-linuxapp-gcc/app/testpmd -l 0-3 -n 4 -- -i
+
+ Successful execution will show initialization messages from EAL, PMD and
+ testpmd application. A prompt will be displayed at the end for user commands
+ as interactive mode (``-i``) is on.
+
+ .. code-block:: console
+
+ testpmd>
+
+ Refer to the :ref:`testpmd runtime functions <testpmd_runtime>` for a list
+ of available commands.