Re: [PATCH] net/macb: increase RX buffer size for GEM

From: Nicolas Ferre <redacted>
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2012 16:08:22 +0100

On 12/04/2012 07:22 PM, David Miller :

quoted

From: Nicolas Ferre <redacted>
Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2012 13:15:43 +0100

quoted

Macb Ethernet controller requires a RX buffer of 128 bytes. It is
highly sub-optimal for Gigabit-capable GEM that is able to use
a bigger DMA buffer. Change this constant and associated macros
with data stored in the private structure.
I also kept the result of buffers per page calculation to lower the
impact of this move to a variable rx buffer size on rx hot path.
RX DMA buffer size has to be multiple of 64 bytes as indicated in
DMA Configuration Register specification.

Signed-off-by: Nicolas Ferre <redacted>

This looks like it will waste a couple hundred bytes for 1500 MTU
frames, am I right?

Yep! But buffers get recycled, and with the current memory management by
pages, it seems that I have to rework some part of it to optimize this
memory usage (8KB memory blocks split into 5 buffers each as David said...).

Do you think it is worth digging this way or may I rework the rx buffer
management in case of the GEM interface. If I implement a different path
for GEM interface, I will have the possibility to tailor rx DMA buffers
from 1500 Bytes up to 10KB jumbo frames...

I almost think you have to.