netdev - Need input on placement of driver

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Message-ID: <CA+sq2Cdj=tVxnk8RgwjKTTYMQbQpOjNLkKU8BPRph_i4Ri+0=Q@mail.gmail.com>
Date:   Wed, 12 Sep 2018 22:20:40 +0530
From:   Sunil Kovvuri <sunil.kovvuri@...il.com>
To:     "David S. Miller" <davem@...emloft.net>
Cc:     Linux Netdev List <netdev@...r.kernel.org>,
        Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>
Subject: Need input on placement of driver

Hi David,

I am trying to submit a driver into drivers/soc folder and Arnd is of
the opinion that
the driver should be moved to drivers/net/ethernet.

Can you please go through below and give your feedback.

HW functionality in brief
# HW has a Admin function (AF) PCI device which has privilege access
to configure co-processors.
# Co-processors include network block, crypto block, ring buffer block
used by both network and crypto blocks, packet or anyother work
scheduler block, ingress/egress packet parser and forwarding block,
internal state machine caches etc.
# Each of these blocks are multiple in number and can be attached to
other PCI devices.
# Future variants of the same silicon might have additional functional
blocks in AF.
# There are other SRIOV PF/VF devices which are dumb at power-on and
acquire functionality based
    what blocks are attached to them by AF.
# So AF is the one which configures, facilities and manages all HW
resources (network and non-network).
   But doesn't handle any data.
# PF/VFs communicate with AF via a shared mailbox memory for functional block
   attach / detach requests, HW configuration etc etc.

AF driver will have logic not only the functionality needed by kernel
netdev or crypto drivers but
also the HW configuration logic needed by userspace application drivers.

Keeping current and future functionality in view we thought of having
3 drivers in kernel
# AF driver at drivers/soc
# PF/ VF netdev driver (network & ring buffer blocks attached to these
devices) at drivers/net/ethernet
# PF / VF crypto driver (ring buffer and crypto blocks attached to
these devices) at drivers/crypto.

I have submitted few patches for the AF driver
https://patchwork.kernel.org/cover/10587635/

Here Arnd has opined that all drivers should move into drivers/net/ethernet.
So wanted to check if you would be okay with this.

Thanks,
Sunil.