# Re: \[RFC PATCH v0 1/2\] net: bridge: propagate FDB table into hardware

- From: Jamal Hadi Salim \<jhs@mojatatu.com\>
- Date: 2012-03-01 13:36:24 
- List: netdev
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/netdev/2012/03/10889668
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/netdev/2012/02/10888296/t.md

```text
On Wed, 2012-02-29 at 10:19 -0800, John Fastabend wrote:

> > 
> > I want to see a unified API so that user space control applications (RSTP, TRILL?)
> > can use one set of netlink calls for both software bridge and hardware offloaded
> > bridges.  Does this proposal meet that requirement?
> > 

I dont see any issues with those requirements being met.

> Jamal, so why do "They have to be different calls"? I'm not so sure anymore...
> moving to RTM_FDB_XXXENTRY saved some refactoring in the bridge module but that
> is just cosmetic.

I may not want to use the s/ware bridge i.e I may want to use h/ware
bridge. I may want to use both. So there are 3 variations there. You
need at least 1.5 bits to represent them if you are going to use the
same interface. There may be features in either h/ware but not in
s/ware and vice-versa. 
A single interface with flags which say this applies to hware:sware:both
would be good, but it may be harder to achieve - thats why i suggested
they be different.

cheers,
jamal
```