Re: [RFC net-next 06/15] xdp: Track non-page netmem in receive buffers

From: Björn Töpel

Date: Mon Oct 12 2026 - 10:53:01 EST


Stanislav Fomichev <sdf.kernel@xxxxxxxxx> writes:

> On 10/02, Björn Töpel wrote:
>> A page-pool memory provider can give net_iov buffers, and
>> virt_to_page() does not work for them. An xdp_buff holds only the
>> data pointer, so code that returns or converts a buffer cannot find
>> its net_iov.
>>
>> Add NET_IOV_XSK, the net_iov type for AF_XDP. Add the internal flag
>> XDP_FLAGS_HAS_NETMEM. When it is set, the xdp_buff holds a netmem
>> reference in the union with the devmap TX queue, which only devmap
>> egress uses. The flag is cleared when flags are copied to an skb or
>> an xdp_frame. xdp_convert_buff_to_frame() sends such a buffer to the
>> zero-copy copy path.
>>
>> A fragment from a readable net_iov area no longer marks the buffer's
>> fragments as unreadable. The skb layer still treats every net_iov as
>> unreadable, so such a buffer must be copied before it becomes an
>> skb. Later patches in this series do that.
>>
>> skb_shared_info holds kernel pointers, so it cannot be in UMEM,
>> which userspace can write. A netmem xdp_buff points to a
>> skb_shared_info that the RX queue keeps in kernel memory instead.
>> xdp_init_buff_from_netmem() sets this up. Page-backed buffers still
>> use their tailroom.
>>
>> On 64-bit, struct xdp_buff grows from 56 to 64 bytes. struct
>> xdp_buff_xsk stays at 128 bytes on x86-64. Where the largest
>> alignment is 8 bytes, as on s390, it grows from 120 to 128 bytes, so
>> a pool needs 8 more bytes per UMEM chunk. Only helpers that need the
>> netmem or the fragment info test the new flag. Page-backed receive
>> and return paths do not.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Björn Töpel <bjorn@xxxxxxxxxx>
>> ---
>> include/net/netmem.h | 1 +
>> include/net/xdp.h | 56 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----
>> 2 files changed, 52 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/include/net/netmem.h b/include/net/netmem.h
>> index e6dff0b01581..76e4fe878863 100644
>> --- a/include/net/netmem.h
>> +++ b/include/net/netmem.h
>> @@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ DECLARE_STATIC_KEY_FALSE(page_pool_mem_providers);
>> enum net_iov_type {
>> NET_IOV_DMABUF,
>> NET_IOV_IOURING,
>> + NET_IOV_XSK,
>> };
>>
>> /* A memory descriptor representing abstract networking I/O vectors,
>> diff --git a/include/net/xdp.h b/include/net/xdp.h
>> index 07231adfb5f8..80931490ca3a 100644
>> --- a/include/net/xdp.h
>> +++ b/include/net/xdp.h
>> @@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
>> #include <linux/netdevice.h>
>> #include <linux/skbuff.h> /* skb_shared_info */
>>
>> +#include <net/netmem.h>
>> #include <net/page_pool/types.h>
>>
>> /**
>> @@ -81,6 +82,8 @@ enum xdp_buff_flags {
>> * XDP program is not attached.
>> */
>> XDP_FLAGS_FRAGS_UNREADABLE = BIT(2),
>> + /* The txq/netmem union contains a receive netmem reference. */
>> + XDP_FLAGS_HAS_NETMEM = BIT(3),
>> };
>>
>> struct xdp_buff {
>> @@ -89,7 +92,12 @@ struct xdp_buff {
>> void *data_meta;
>> void *data_hard_start;
>> struct xdp_rxq_info *rxq;
>> - struct xdp_txq_info *txq;
>> + union {
>> + /* Valid for DEVMAP egress programs. */
>> + struct xdp_txq_info *txq;
>> + /* Valid for receive buffers backed by non-page netmem. */
>> + netmem_ref netmem;
>> + };
>>
>> union {
>> struct {
>> @@ -104,6 +112,8 @@ struct xdp_buff {
>> u64 frame_sz_flags_init;
>> #endif
>> };
>> + /* Kernel-owned fragment metadata for non-page netmem. */
>> + struct skb_shared_info *sinfo;
>> };
>>
>> static __always_inline void xdp_reinit_buff(struct xdp_buff *xdp)
>> @@ -138,7 +148,7 @@ static __always_inline void xdp_buff_set_frag_unreadable(struct xdp_buff *xdp)
>>
>> static __always_inline u32 xdp_buff_get_skb_flags(const struct xdp_buff *xdp)
>> {
>> - return xdp->flags;
>> + return xdp->flags & ~XDP_FLAGS_HAS_NETMEM;
>> }
>>
>> static __always_inline void xdp_buff_clear_frag_pfmemalloc(struct xdp_buff *xdp)
>> @@ -150,6 +160,10 @@ static __always_inline void
>> xdp_init_buff(struct xdp_buff *xdp, u32 frame_sz, struct xdp_rxq_info *rxq)
>> {
>> xdp->rxq = rxq;
>> + /* Do not initialize the txq/netmem union here. DEVMAP generic XDP
>> + * sets txq before this helper is called; receive drivers set netmem
>> + * explicitly.
>> + */
>>
>> #ifdef __LITTLE_ENDIAN
>> /*
>> @@ -176,6 +190,33 @@ xdp_prepare_buff(struct xdp_buff *xdp, unsigned char *hard_start,
>> xdp->data_meta = meta_valid ? data : data + 1;
>> }
>>
>> +static __always_inline bool xdp_buff_has_netmem(const struct xdp_buff *xdp)
>> +{
>> + return !!(xdp->flags & XDP_FLAGS_HAS_NETMEM);
>> +}
>> +
>
> [..]
>
>> +static __always_inline netmem_ref
>> +xdp_buff_get_netmem(const struct xdp_buff *xdp)
>> +{
>> + if (xdp_buff_has_netmem(xdp))
>> + return xdp->netmem;
>> +
>> + return virt_to_netmem(xdp->data);
>> +}
>
> You keep adding methods that are not used in the patch where they are added.
> I keep getting confused :-p
>
> For virt_to_netmem, maybe a meta question: does xsk pool need a treatment
> similar to the socket path? Where we did s/page/netmem_ref/ ? Then might
> be less reasons to special case?

Fair point! I'll move the helpers with their users and see what
netmem_ref can unify. UMEM still needs the saved descriptor for
returning buffers and kernel-owned fragment info...