[dpdk-dev] SR-IOV: API to tell VF from PF

[Polehn, Mike A]

I can think of a very good reason to want to know if the device is VF or PF. 

The VF has to go through a layer 2 switch, not allowing it to just receive anything coming across the Ehternet.

The PF can receive all the packets, including packets with different NIC addresses. This allow the packets to be just data and allows the processing of data without needing to be adjusting each NIC L2 address before sending through to the Ehternet. So data can be moved through a series of NICs between systems without the extra processing. Not doing unnecessary  processing leaves more clock cycles to do high value processing.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: dev [mailto:dev-bounces at dpdk.org] On Behalf Of Bruce Richardson
Sent: Thursday, November 5, 2015 1:51 AM
To: Shaham Fridenberg
Cc: dev at dpdk.org
Subject: Re: [dpdk-dev] SR-IOV: API to tell VF from PF

On Thu, Nov 05, 2015 at 09:39:19AM +0000, Shaham Fridenberg wrote:
> Hey all,
> 
> Is there some API to tell VF from PF?
> 
> Only way I found so far is deducing that from driver name in the rte_eth_devices struct.
> 
> Thanks,
> Shaham

Hi Shaham,

yes, checking the driver name is probably the only way to do so. However, why do you need or want to know this? If you want to know the capabilities of a device basing it on a list of known device types is probably not the best way.

Regards,
/Bruce