netdev - Re: [PATCH net-next V3 2/2] rtnl: Add support for netdev event attribute to link messages

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Date:   Thu, 27 Apr 2017 15:51:23 -0400
From:   Vlad Yasevich <vyasevic@...hat.com>
To:     Roopa Prabhu <roopa@...ulusnetworks.com>,
        David Ahern <dsa@...ulusnetworks.com>
Cc:     Vladislav Yasevich <vyasevich@...il.com>,
        "netdev@...r.kernel.org" <netdev@...r.kernel.org>,
        Jiri Pirko <jiri@...nulli.us>
Subject: Re: [PATCH net-next V3 2/2] rtnl: Add support for netdev event
 attribute to link messages

On 04/24/2017 11:14 AM, Roopa Prabhu wrote:
> On Sun, Apr 23, 2017 at 6:07 PM, David Ahern <dsa@...ulusnetworks.com> wrote:
>>
>> On 4/21/17 11:31 AM, Vladislav Yasevich wrote:
>>> @@ -1276,9 +1277,40 @@ static int rtnl_xdp_fill(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev)
>>>       return err;
>>>  }
>>>
>>> +static int rtnl_fill_link_event(struct sk_buff *skb, unsigned long event)
>>> +{
>>> +     u32 rtnl_event;
>>> +
>>> +     switch (event) {
>>> +     case NETDEV_REBOOT:
>>> +             rtnl_event = IFLA_EVENT_REBOOT;
>>> +             break;
>>> +     case NETDEV_FEAT_CHANGE:
>>> +             rtnl_event = IFLA_EVENT_FEAT_CHANGE;
>>> +             break;
>>> +     case NETDEV_BONDING_FAILOVER:
>>> +             rtnl_event = IFLA_EVENT_BONDING_FAILOVER;
>>> +             break;
>>> +     case NETDEV_NOTIFY_PEERS:
>>> +             rtnl_event = IFLA_EVENT_NOTIFY_PEERS;
>>> +             break;
>>> +     case NETDEV_RESEND_IGMP:
>>> +             rtnl_event = IFLA_EVENT_RESEND_IGMP;
>>> +             break;
>>> +     case NETDEV_CHANGEINFODATA:
>>> +             rtnl_event = IFLA_EVENT_CHANGE_INFO_DATA;
>>> +             break;
>>> +     default:
>>> +             return 0;
>>> +     }
>>> +
>>> +     return nla_put_u32(skb, IFLA_EVENT, rtnl_event);
>>> +}
>>> +
>>
>> I still have doubts about encoding kernel events into a uapi.
> 
> agree. I don't see why user-space will need NETDEV_CHANGEINFODATA and
> others david listed.
> 

Well, I am not sure about CHANGEINFODATA as well, but I can see use
cases for others.

> My other concerns are, once we have this exposed to user-space and
> user-space starts relying on it, it will need accurate information and
> will expect to have this event information all the time.
> IIUC, we cannot cover multiple events in a single notification and not
> all link notifications will contain an IFLA_EVENT attribute.

Uhm...  If the rtnetlink message was a result of an event, it will have
an IFLA_EVENT.  If a message is something else, then it will not have
an event.  That's the point.  Not all netlink attributes are in every
netlink message.

> In other
> words, we will be telling user-space to not expect that the kernel
> will send IFLA_EVENT every time.
> 

No, we are telling the user that if it is interested in a specific event
(let's say NOTIFY_PEERS or RESEND_IGMP), then it now can monitor netlink
traffic for those events.
As things stand right now, that's not possible.

I've done this specifically for all events for which we currently generate
a netlink message.

The only concern I have is that if in the future we remove a certain netdev
event, it may impact applications.  But we may be doing it right now as well,
only silently, and the apps may have to find some ways to work around it.

There is also a potential to improve libnl caching and not invalidate the
cached data for certain events.

-vlad
> 
> 
>>
>> For example, NETDEV_CHANGEINFODATA is only for bonds though nothing
>> about the name suggests it is a bonding notification. This one was added
>> specifically to notify userspace (d4261e5650004), yet seems to happen
>> only during a changelink and that already generates a RTM_NEWLINK
>> message via do_setlink. Since the rtnetlink_event message does not
>> contain anything "NETDEV_CHANGEINFODATA" related what purpose does it
>> really serve besides duplicating netlink messages to userspace.
>>
>> The REBOOT, IGMP, FEAT_CHANGE and BONDING_FAILOVER seem to be unique
>> messages (code analysis only) which I get for notifying userspace.
>>
>> NETDEV_NOTIFY_PEERS is not so clear in how often it duplicates other
>> messages.