[dpdk-dev] [PATCH 1/2] ethdev: announce flow API action PORT_ID changes

[Andrew Rybchenko]

By its very name, action PORT_ID means that packets hit an ethdev with the
given DPDK port ID. At least the current comments don't state the opposite.
That said, since port representors had been adopted, applications like OvS
have been misusing the action. They misread its purpose as sending packets
to the opposite end of the "wire" plugged to the given ethdev, for example,
redirecting packets to the VF itself rather than to its representor ethdev.
Another example: OvS relies on this action with the admin PF's ethdev port
ID specified in it in order to send offloaded packets to the physical port.

Since there might be applications which use this action in its valid sense,
one can't just change the documentation to greenlight the opposite meaning.

The documentation must be clarified and rte_flow_action_port_id structure
should be extended to support both meanings.

Signed-off-by: Andrew Rybchenko <andrew.rybchenko at oktetlabs.ru>
---
 doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst | 5 +++++
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)

diff --git a/doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst b/doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst
index d9c0e65921..6e6413c89f 100644
--- a/doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst
+++ b/doc/guides/rel_notes/deprecation.rst
@@ -158,3 +158,8 @@ Deprecation Notices
 * security: The functions ``rte_security_set_pkt_metadata`` and
   ``rte_security_get_userdata`` will be made inline functions and additional
   flags will be added in structure ``rte_security_ctx`` in DPDK 21.11.
+
+* ethdev: Definition of the flow API action PORT_ID is ambiguous and needs
+  clarification. Structure rte_flow_action_port_id will be extended to
+  specify traffic direction to represented entity or ethdev port itself in
+  DPDK 21.11.
-- 
2.30.2