netdev - Re: [PATCH][E1000E] some cleanups

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Date:	Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:40:44 -0700
From:	"Kok, Auke" <auke-jan.h.kok@...el.com>
To:	hadi@...erus.ca
CC:	netdev@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH][E1000E] some cleanups

jamal wrote:
> Ok, here you go; the explanation is below. This is from net-2.6.24 of
> early this AM. I saw a patch you posted that is derived from Krishna;
> although it hasnt showed up in the tree - i have considered those
> changes and this patch adds a little more optimization in case of
> errors.
> 
> I will send you a patch to kill LLTX the sooner this shows up somewhere.


thanks.

My biggest problem with the patch as you sent it that it's a tonload of changes
and no implicit benefit immediately as I can see. I would really have to see the
LLTX change as well to make a wellfounded decision whether it is the right thing
to go and overhaul this part of the driver or not :)

I'm not particularly against the changes per se though.

so please, if needed offlist send me those LLTX changes as well.

Auke

> 
> On Wed, 2007-03-10 at 09:18 -0400, jamal wrote:
> 
>> The cleanup is to break up the code so it is functionally more readable
>> from a perspective of the 4 distinct parts in ->hard_start_xmit():
>>
>> a) packet formatting (example: vlan, mss, descriptor counting, etc.)
>> b) chip-specific formatting
>> c) enqueueing the packet on a DMA ring
>> d) IO operations to complete packet transmit, tell DMA engine to chew
>> on, tx completion interrupts, set last tx time, etc.
>>
>> Each of those steps sitting in different functions accumulates state
>> that is used in the next steps. cb stores this state because it a
>> scratchpad the driver owns. You could create some other structure and
>> pass it around the iteration, but why waste more bytes.
> 
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