RE: [PATCH] net: add per device sg_max_frags for skb

[David Laight]

From: Hans Westgaard
> Sent: 08 January 2016 09:56
...
> >> The patch allows the device to limit the maximum number fragments used
> >> in one skb.
> >
> > This doesn't seem to me to be the correct way to fix this.
> > Anything that adds an extra fragment (in this case IPoIB) should allow
> > for the skb already having the maximum number of fragments.
> > Fully linearising the skb is overkill, but I think the first fragment
> > can be added to the linear part of the skb.
> >
> > 	David
> >
> >
> When IpoIB handles a skb-request it converts fragments to SGEs to
> be handled by a HCA.
> The problem arises when the HCA have a limited number of SGEs less than
> MAX_SKB_FRAGS.
> (it gets a little worse since IPoIB need to yet another segment)
> I have not found any easy way of fixing this with currenct codebase.

I think one of the xen ethernet interfaces had a similar problem.

Just reduce the number of fragments by copying two (or more) of them
into a single fragment.
In effect, anything that reduces the number of fragments will do a copy.

	David