[RESEND PATCH] net/core: consolidate RPS dispatch into netif_rps() helpers

From: Jemmy Wong

Date: Tue Jul 07 2026 - 12:01:00 EST


From: "Jemmy Wong" <jemmywong512@xxxxxxxxx>

The RPS steering logic in netif_rx_internal(), netif_receive_skb_internal()
and netif_receive_skb_list_internal() was open-coded three times, each with
its own #ifdef CONFIG_RPS block and manual rcu_read_lock()/unlock() pairs.

Factor it into two helpers, netif_rps() for the single-skb path and
netif_rps_list() for the list path, and switch the callers to
guard(rcu)/scoped_guard(rcu). A new internal NET_RX_UNHANDLED sentinel lets
a helper report "RPS did not take this skb" so the caller falls back to the
local enqueue / __netif_receive_skb() path; it never escapes to callers.

netif_rps_list() keeps the early static_branch_unlikely(&rps_needed) bail
out so the list is not needlessly walked and re-spliced when RPS is
compiled in but disabled.

No functional change intended.

Signed-off-by: Jemmy Wong <jemmywong512@xxxxxxxxx>
---
include/linux/netdevice.h | 5 ++-
net/core/dev.c | 94 +++++++++++++++++++--------------------
2 files changed, 48 insertions(+), 51 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/netdevice.h b/include/linux/netdevice.h
index 9981d637f8b5..c265b78082e3 100644
--- a/include/linux/netdevice.h
+++ b/include/linux/netdevice.h
@@ -93,8 +93,9 @@ void netdev_set_default_ethtool_ops(struct net_device *dev,
void netdev_sw_irq_coalesce_default_on(struct net_device *dev);

/* Backlog congestion levels */
-#define NET_RX_SUCCESS 0 /* keep 'em coming, baby */
-#define NET_RX_DROP 1 /* packet dropped */
+#define NET_RX_UNHANDLED -1
+#define NET_RX_SUCCESS 0
+#define NET_RX_DROP 1

#define MAX_NEST_DEV 8

diff --git a/net/core/dev.c b/net/core/dev.c
index 4b3d5cfdf6e0..259f8c8e5657 100644
--- a/net/core/dev.c
+++ b/net/core/dev.c
@@ -5426,6 +5426,38 @@ static int enqueue_to_backlog(struct sk_buff *skb, int cpu,
return NET_RX_DROP;
}

+static inline int netif_rps(struct sk_buff *skb)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_RPS
+ if (static_branch_unlikely(&rps_needed)) {
+ struct rps_dev_flow voidflow, *rflow = &voidflow;
+ int cpu = get_rps_cpu(skb->dev, skb, &rflow);
+
+ if (cpu >= 0)
+ return enqueue_to_backlog(skb, cpu, &rflow->last_qtail);
+ }
+#endif
+ return NET_RX_UNHANDLED;
+}
+
+static inline void netif_rps_list(struct list_head *head)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_RPS
+ struct sk_buff *skb, *next;
+ LIST_HEAD(undo_list);
+
+ if (!static_branch_unlikely(&rps_needed))
+ return;
+
+ list_for_each_entry_safe(skb, next, head, list) {
+ skb_list_del_init(skb);
+ if (netif_rps(skb) == NET_RX_UNHANDLED)
+ list_add_tail(&skb->list, &undo_list);
+ }
+ list_splice_init(&undo_list, head);
+#endif
+}
+
static struct netdev_rx_queue *netif_get_rxqueue(struct sk_buff *skb)
{
struct net_device *dev = skb->dev;
@@ -5695,33 +5727,20 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(do_xdp_generic);

static int netif_rx_internal(struct sk_buff *skb)
{
- int ret;
+ int ret = NET_RX_UNHANDLED;
+ unsigned int qtail;

net_timestamp_check(READ_ONCE(net_hotdata.tstamp_prequeue), skb);

trace_netif_rx(skb);

-#ifdef CONFIG_RPS
- if (static_branch_unlikely(&rps_needed)) {
- struct rps_dev_flow voidflow, *rflow = &voidflow;
- int cpu;
-
- rcu_read_lock();
-
- cpu = get_rps_cpu(skb->dev, skb, &rflow);
- if (cpu < 0)
- cpu = smp_processor_id();
+ scoped_guard(rcu)
+ ret = netif_rps(skb);
+ if (ret != NET_RX_UNHANDLED)
+ return ret;

- ret = enqueue_to_backlog(skb, cpu, &rflow->last_qtail);
+ ret = enqueue_to_backlog(skb, smp_processor_id(), &qtail);

- rcu_read_unlock();
- } else
-#endif
- {
- unsigned int qtail;
-
- ret = enqueue_to_backlog(skb, smp_processor_id(), &qtail);
- }
return ret;
}

@@ -6389,21 +6408,12 @@ static int netif_receive_skb_internal(struct sk_buff *skb)
if (skb_defer_rx_timestamp(skb))
return NET_RX_SUCCESS;

- rcu_read_lock();
-#ifdef CONFIG_RPS
- if (static_branch_unlikely(&rps_needed)) {
- struct rps_dev_flow voidflow, *rflow = &voidflow;
- int cpu = get_rps_cpu(skb->dev, skb, &rflow);
+ guard(rcu)();
+ ret = netif_rps(skb);
+ if (ret != NET_RX_UNHANDLED)
+ return ret;

- if (cpu >= 0) {
- ret = enqueue_to_backlog(skb, cpu, &rflow->last_qtail);
- rcu_read_unlock();
- return ret;
- }
- }
-#endif
ret = __netif_receive_skb(skb);
- rcu_read_unlock();
return ret;
}

@@ -6421,23 +6431,9 @@ void netif_receive_skb_list_internal(struct list_head *head)
}
list_splice_init(&sublist, head);

- rcu_read_lock();
-#ifdef CONFIG_RPS
- if (static_branch_unlikely(&rps_needed)) {
- list_for_each_entry_safe(skb, next, head, list) {
- struct rps_dev_flow voidflow, *rflow = &voidflow;
- int cpu = get_rps_cpu(skb->dev, skb, &rflow);
-
- if (cpu >= 0) {
- /* Will be handled, remove from list */
- skb_list_del_init(skb);
- enqueue_to_backlog(skb, cpu, &rflow->last_qtail);
- }
- }
- }
-#endif
+ guard(rcu)();
+ netif_rps_list(head);
__netif_receive_skb_list(head);
- rcu_read_unlock();
}

/**
--
2.25.1