[RFC] Remove Kernel Network Interface (KNI)

[Stephen Hemminger]

On Fri, 13 Jan 2023 09:12:16 +0100
Thomas Monjalon <thomas at monjalon.net> wrote:

> 13/01/2023 06:03, Stephen Hemminger:
> > The Linux special network driver for kernel networking has been
> > a long term problem for DPDK. The performance benefits of KNI
> > are available via virtio-user and XDP, and the simpler kernel
> > interface via TAP is also available.
> > 
> > This driver has required lots of effort to keep up with the
> > kernel API changes. And the overall architecture of the driver
> > is fundamentally insecure and has unfixable locking and data
> > race problems. No developer has been willing to do extensive
> > tests or be the maintainer.
> > 
> > In short, the time has come to do some early spring cleaning
> > and remove KNI from DPDK 23.03.  
> 
> In doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst it is announced
> to be removed in 23.11. Let's keep this RFC for later :)
> 
> 

For 23.03 could we add a deprecation log message when library is
used and when kernel module is loaded.