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-Document about softnet driver issues
-
-Transmit path guidelines:
-
-1) The ndo_start_xmit method must not return NETDEV_TX_BUSY under
- any normal circumstances. It is considered a hard error unless
- there is no way your device can tell ahead of time when it's
- transmit function will become busy.
-
- Instead it must maintain the queue properly. For example,
- for a driver implementing scatter-gather this means:
-
- static netdev_tx_t drv_hard_start_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb,
- struct net_device *dev)
- {
- struct drv *dp = netdev_priv(dev);
-
- lock_tx(dp);
- ...
- /* This is a hard error log it. */
- if (TX_BUFFS_AVAIL(dp) <= (skb_shinfo(skb)->nr_frags + 1)) {
- netif_stop_queue(dev);
- unlock_tx(dp);
- printk(KERN_ERR PFX "%s: BUG! Tx Ring full when queue awake!\n",
- dev->name);
- return NETDEV_TX_BUSY;
- }
-
- ... queue packet to card ...
- ... update tx consumer index ...
-
- if (TX_BUFFS_AVAIL(dp) <= (MAX_SKB_FRAGS + 1))
- netif_stop_queue(dev);
-
- ...
- unlock_tx(dp);
- ...
- return NETDEV_TX_OK;
- }
-
- And then at the end of your TX reclamation event handling:
-
- if (netif_queue_stopped(dp->dev) &&
- TX_BUFFS_AVAIL(dp) > (MAX_SKB_FRAGS + 1))
- netif_wake_queue(dp->dev);
-
- For a non-scatter-gather supporting card, the three tests simply become:
-
- /* This is a hard error log it. */
- if (TX_BUFFS_AVAIL(dp) <= 0)
-
- and:
-
- if (TX_BUFFS_AVAIL(dp) == 0)
-
- and:
-
- if (netif_queue_stopped(dp->dev) &&
- TX_BUFFS_AVAIL(dp) > 0)
- netif_wake_queue(dp->dev);
-
-2) An ndo_start_xmit method must not modify the shared parts of a
- cloned SKB.
-
-3) Do not forget that once you return NETDEV_TX_OK from your
- ndo_start_xmit method, it is your driver's responsibility to free
- up the SKB and in some finite amount of time.
-
- For example, this means that it is not allowed for your TX
- mitigation scheme to let TX packets "hang out" in the TX
- ring unreclaimed forever if no new TX packets are sent.
- This error can deadlock sockets waiting for send buffer room
- to be freed up.
-
- If you return NETDEV_TX_BUSY from the ndo_start_xmit method, you
- must not keep any reference to that SKB and you must not attempt
- to free it up.
-
-Probing guidelines:
-
-1) Any hardware layer address you obtain for your device should
- be verified. For example, for ethernet check it with
- linux/etherdevice.h:is_valid_ether_addr()
-
-Close/stop guidelines:
-
-1) After the ndo_stop routine has been called, the hardware must
- not receive or transmit any data. All in flight packets must
- be aborted. If necessary, poll or wait for completion of
- any reset commands.
-
-2) The ndo_stop routine will be called by unregister_netdevice
- if device is still UP.