[dpdk-dev] [EXTERNAL] Re: [PATCH v5 5/9] app/testpmd: add clock_gettime_monotonic

[Tyler Retzlaff]

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Monjalon <thomas at monjalon.net> 
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2021 11:14 AM

\eal_timer.c Unix implementation in 
> > unix\eal_unix_timer.c
> 
> Originally and internally, the function was added into eal. But then restricted the functionality just inside testpmd to avoid currently seems unnecessary version change, per a discussion in community meeting several weeks back. If we believe eal support of clock_gettime for windows will benefit other drivers/apps now instead of future when real need comes up, I can move it back into eal. DmitryK and Tyler, any conern or inputs here?

My point of view:
A test application is also testing the API availability.
Here it shows something is missing in EAL.
Instead of workarounding in the test application, it should direct you to fixing EAL.

I think we have discussed to some degree in other threads but the more POSIX interfaces that get integrated into eal with an 'rte_' namespace pasted on to the front of them causes the scale of making DPDK portable grows.  If individual applications need portable/cross platform APIs like they should look to other packages tailored for the job instead of trying to put everything into DPDK.  Threads is an example of where this has gone wrong, I don't think doing more of it is going to be beneficial.

Shouldn't EAL be in the business of being DPDK and do it well instead of an all encompassing cross-platform application development kit?