netdev - Re: xdp_redirect ifindex vs port. Was: best API for returning/setting egress port?

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Date:   Wed, 26 Apr 2017 16:55:44 -0400
From:   Andy Gospodarek <andy@...yhouse.net>
To:     Alexei Starovoitov <ast@...com>
Cc:     John Fastabend <john.fastabend@...il.com>,
        Jesper Dangaard Brouer <brouer@...hat.com>,
        Alexei Starovoitov <alexei.starovoitov@...il.com>,
        Daniel Borkmann <daniel@...earbox.net>,
        Daniel Borkmann <borkmann@...earbox.net>,
        "netdev@...r.kernel.org" <netdev@...r.kernel.org>,
        "xdp-newbies@...r.kernel.org" <xdp-newbies@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: xdp_redirect ifindex vs port. Was: best API for
 returning/setting egress port?

On Wed, Apr 26, 2017 at 10:58:45AM -0700, Alexei Starovoitov wrote:
> On 4/26/17 9:35 AM, John Fastabend wrote:
> > 
> > > As Alexei also mentioned before, ifindex vs port makes no real
> > > difference seen from the bpf program side.  It is userspace's
> > > responsibility to add ifindex/port's to the bpf-maps, according to how
> > > the bpf program "policy" want to "connect" these ports.  The
> > > port-table system add one extra step, of also adding this port to the
> > > port-table (which lives inside the kernel).
> > > 
> > 
> > I'm not sure I understand the "lives inside the kernel" bit. I assumed
> > the 'map' should be a bpf map and behave like any other bpf map.
> > 
> > I wanted a new map to be defined, something like this from the bpf programmer
> > side.
> > 
> > struct bpf_map_def SEC("maps") port_table =
> > 	.type = BPF_MAP_TYPE_PORT_CONNECTION,
> > 	.key_size = sizeof(u32),
> > 	.value_size = BPF_PORT_CONNECTION_SIZE,
> > 	.max_entries = 256,
> > };
> 
> I like the idea.
> We have prog_array, perf_event_array, cgroup_array map specializations.
> This one can be new netdev_array with some new bpf_redirect-like helper
> accessing it.
> 
> > > When loading the XDP program, we also need to pass along a port table
> > > "id" this XDP program is associated with (and if it doesn't exists you
> > > create it).  And your userspace "control-plane" application also need
> > > to know this port table "id", when adding a new port.
> > 
> > So the user space application that is loading the program also needs
> > to handle this map. This seems correct to me. But I don't see the
> > value in making some new port table when we already have well understood
> > framework for maps.
> 
> +1
> 
> > > 
> > > The concept of having multiple port tables is key.  As this implies we
> > > can have several simultaneous "data-planes" that is *isolated* from
> > > each-other.  Think about how network-namespaces/containers want
> > > isolation. A subtle thing I'm afraid to mention, is that oppose to the
> > > ifindex model, a port table with mapping to a net_device pointer, would
> > > allow (faster) delivery into the container's inner net_device, which
> > > sort of violates the isolation, but I would argue it is not a problem
> > > as this net_device pointer could only be added from a process within the
> > > namespace.  I like this feature, but it could easily be disallowed via
> > > port insertion-time validation.
> > > 
> > 
> > I think the above optimization should be allowed. And agree multiple port
> > tables (maps?) is needed. Again all this points to using standard maps
> > logic in my mind. For permissions and different domains, which I think
> > you were starting to touch on, it looks like we could extend the pinning API.
> > At the moment it does an inode_permission(inode, MAY_WRITE) check but I
> > presume this could be extended. None of this would be needed in v1 and
> > could be added subsequently. read-only maps seems doable.
> 
> this is great idea. Once BPF_MAP_TYPE_NETDEV_ARRAY is populated
> the user space can make it readonly to prevent further changes.
> 
> From user space it can be done similar to perf_events/cgroups as well.
> bpf_map_update_elem(&netdev_array, &port_num, &ifindex)
> should work.
> For bpf_map_lookup_elem() from such netdev_array we can return
> ifindex back.
> The bpf_map_show_fdinfo() can be customized as well to pretty print
> ifindexes of netdevs stored in there.
> 

I agree with both of you on all of these points.  Having the port
redirection in a new type of map and/or array seems like the way to go.

I understood Jesper's perspecitive when thinking about a way to pass a
port-table id down, but I think the idea that the userspace loader code
defining the maps is going to be the one making this link is the right
idea and handling things like ifindex changes (rather than identifiers
that perform lookups in other tables) is going to have to be yet another
exercise left up to the...user.  :-)