netdev - Re: [PATCH 4/4] RFC: net: dsa: realtek-smi: Add Realtek SMI driver

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <20171110140101.GB11872@lunn.ch>
Date:   Fri, 10 Nov 2017 15:01:01 +0100
From:   Andrew Lunn <andrew@...n.ch>
To:     Egil Hjelmeland <privat@...l-hjelmeland.no>
Cc:     Roman Yeryomin <roman@...em.lv>,
        Linus Walleij <linus.walleij@...aro.org>,
        Vivien Didelot <vivien.didelot@...oirfairelinux.com>,
        Florian Fainelli <f.fainelli@...il.com>,
        netdev@...r.kernel.org,
        Antti Seppälä <a.seppala@...il.com>,
        Colin Leitner <colin.leitner@...glemail.com>,
        Gabor Juhos <juhosg@...nwrt.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 4/4] RFC: net: dsa: realtek-smi: Add Realtek SMI driver

> Out of curiosity: Are there fundamental reasons why ToR switches don't use
> the DSA model, or is it more historical?

Yes, there is a fundamental reason.

https://www.netdevconf.org/2.1/session.html?lunn_didelot_fainelli

DSA always has a host Ethernet interface connected to a port of the
switch.

A pure switchdev device does not. Often, the switch is a PCIe
device. It DMAs frames directly to/from the switch.

Basically, DSA just adds another layer, abstracting that Ethernet
interface into common code which all DSA devices share.

	Andrew