Thread (30 messages) 30 messages, 3 authors, 23h ago

[RFC net-next 00/15] xsk: Zero copy through page-pool memory providers

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From: Björn Töpel <bjorn@kernel.org>
Date: 2026-10-02 19:00:33
Also in: bpf, io-uring, linux-doc, lkml

Hi!

Here's an RFC for you all to enjoy with your favorite Friday
$BEVERAGE.

AF_XDP zero copy needs a second receive allocator in every driver.
The driver takes xdp_buff_xsk objects from the XSK buffer pool beside
its page_pool path and owns their lifetime. Drivers built around
page_pool and the queue management API, which already support devmem
and io_uring zero-copy receive, have to duplicate their receive path.

This series makes UMEM a page-pool memory provider instead. Each
aligned 4 KiB chunk is a NET_IOV_XSK net_iov. Binding a zero-copy
socket installs the provider on the queue through the queue
management API. The driver keeps its page_pool allocation, DMA sync,
recycling and refill code. The provider consumes FILL, drops invalid
and repeated addresses, and owns RX need-wakeup.

An XSKMAP redirect publishes the UMEM address when every buffer of the
frame belongs to the socket's provider. XDP_PASS and other redirect
targets copy into page-backed memory first. TX is unchanged; drivers
read socket TX descriptors directly.

Core changes:

 - MP_CAP_READABLE and MP_CAP_FRAG. A readable provider may back
   header and regular pools, and XDP may run on its buffers. devmem
   and io_uring set MP_CAP_FRAG and keep their behavior.
 - Providers request RX headroom through the queue configuration.
 - Readable net_iov areas. netmem_address() resolves provider memory
   with a load and a shift, without an indirect call.
 - A refill-completion callback. The XSK provider keeps NAPI scheduled
   while FILL has entries, and sets NEED_WAKEUP when FILL is empty.
 - Batched page-pool release for objects handed to userspace.
 - xdp_buff carries the netmem and a pointer to kernel-owned shared
   info, so fragment metadata never lives in user-writable UMEM. It
   grows from 56 to 64 bytes on 64-bit.

Differences from classic zero copy:

 - 4 KiB pages and aligned 4 KiB chunks only. Other layouts fail to
   bind with -EOPNOTSUPP, but can be supported in the future.
 - Generic XDP and CPUMAP cannot deliver to a provider-backed socket.

Classic zero copy is unchanged. This does not propose converting
existing drivers; it is for page_pool drivers without zero copy.

fbnic is the only driver user, +640/-122 for RX and TX. I have bnxt
working with AF_XDP, plus some performance patches/fixes for the
AF_XDP core on top of this -- but let's start with these patches.

Patches 1-2 fix bugs in net-next that the series hits. They are
carried here so the series can be tested on its own.

 1. "xdp: Size zero-copy skb heads by their contents". XDP_PASS of a
    zero-copy buffer copies it into an skb whose head is sized by the
    XSK frame size, which leaves no room for skb_shared_info. A frame
    that fills its buffer overwrites skb_shared_info. Provider
    buffers take this path on XDP_PASS, which the usual AF_XDP
    program returns when no socket is bound to the queue. Reproduced
    on fbnic in QEMU.

 2. "eth: fbnic: Report the logical XDP RX queue". fbnic reports
    queue 0 in rx_queue_index for every queue. AF_XDP drops frames
    whose queue differs from the socket's, and the usual program
    looks up its socket by that index, so zero copy works on queue 0
    only.

Feedback wanted on:

 0. General thoughts on extending the page pool provider.
 1. Does refill_done belong in page_pool, or should finite providers
    keep NAPI scheduled some other way?
 2. PP_FLAG_ALLOW_UNREADABLE_NETMEM is how a pool picks up any
    provider, readable or not. A driver that only wants AF_XDP must
    set it, and then passes the core checks for devmem and io_uring
    too if it supports header split. Drivers that set the flag today
    may also split buffers, for example mlx5 through
    page_pool_fragment_netmem(). Only QCFG_RX_HEADROOM keeps the
    unsplittable XSK provider away from them. Split the flag, or let
    drivers declare support for unsplittable providers?
 3. Is growing xdp_buff by 8 bytes acceptable?
 4. How should userspace learn the chunk constraints before bind?

This is a way to move code from the drivers to the core, reducing the
work for driver developers.

I hope to see you at LPC next week! Particular the netdev and bpf MC,
and the AF_XDP BoF on Monday.


Björn

Björn Töpel (15):
  xdp: Size zero-copy skb heads by their contents
  eth: fbnic: Report the logical XDP RX queue
  net: Add memory provider capabilities
  net: Let memory providers set RX buffer headroom
  page_pool: Extend memory provider operations
  xdp: Track non-page netmem in receive buffers
  xsk: Keep the DMA mapping in the buffer pool
  xsk: Handle a detached FILL ring in RX wakeup
  xsk: Add a page-pool memory provider for UMEM
  xsk: Add RX helpers for page-pool drivers
  xdp: Copy provider buffers on pass and redirect
  xsk: Receive provider UMEM without copying
  eth: fbnic: Support AF_XDP zero-copy receive
  eth: fbnic: Support AF_XDP zero-copy transmit
  Documentation: xsk: Document page-pool zero copy

 Documentation/networking/af_xdp.rst           |  65 ++
 Documentation/networking/netmem.rst           |   7 +-
 .../net/ethernet/meta/fbnic/fbnic_ethtool.c   |   5 +
 .../net/ethernet/meta/fbnic/fbnic_netdev.c    | 164 ++++-
 .../net/ethernet/meta/fbnic/fbnic_netdev.h    |   4 +
 drivers/net/ethernet/meta/fbnic/fbnic_txrx.c  | 561 ++++++++++++---
 drivers/net/ethernet/meta/fbnic/fbnic_txrx.h  |  24 +
 include/net/netdev_queues.h                   |   6 +
 include/net/netmem.h                          |  32 +-
 include/net/page_pool/helpers.h               |  62 +-
 include/net/page_pool/memory_provider.h       |  39 +-
 include/net/page_pool/types.h                 |   8 +-
 include/net/xdp.h                             |  64 +-
 include/net/xdp_sock.h                        |  10 +
 include/net/xdp_sock_drv.h                    |  58 +-
 include/net/xsk_buff_pool.h                   |   7 +-
 io_uring/zcrx.c                               |   4 +-
 net/core/dev.c                                |   4 +-
 net/core/dev.h                                |   5 +
 net/core/devmem.c                             |   7 +-
 net/core/filter.c                             |  28 +-
 net/core/netdev_config.c                      |   2 +
 net/core/netdev_rx_queue.c                    |  61 +-
 net/core/page_pool.c                          |  72 +-
 net/core/xdp.c                                | 112 ++-
 net/ethtool/rings.c                           |  18 +-
 net/xdp/Kconfig                               |   1 +
 net/xdp/xsk.c                                 | 253 ++++++-
 net/xdp/xsk.h                                 |  58 ++
 net/xdp/xsk_buff_pool.c                       | 667 +++++++++++++++++-
 30 files changed, 2164 insertions(+), 244 deletions(-)


base-commit: 071876fd50482a68603a9460d80dd6dd58827ee1
-- 
2.55.0
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