netdev - Re: [PATCH net] geneve: change from tx_error to tx

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Date:   Thu, 04 Jun 2020 15:45:35 -0700 (PDT)
From:   David Miller <davem@...emloft.net>
To:     jbenc@...hat.com
Cc:     netdev@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH net] geneve: change from tx_error to tx_dropped on
 missing metadata

From: Jiri Benc <jbenc@...hat.com>
Date: Wed,  3 Jun 2020 11:12:14 +0200

> If the geneve interface is in collect_md (external) mode, it can't send any
> packets submitted directly to its net interface, as such packets won't have
> metadata attached. This is expected.
> 
> However, the kernel itself sends some packets to the interface, most
> notably, IPv6 DAD, IPv6 multicast listener reports, etc. This is not wrong,
> as tunnel metadata can be specified in routing table (although technically,
> that has never worked for IPv6, but hopefully will be fixed eventually) and
> then the interface must correctly participate in IPv6 housekeeping.
> 
> The problem is that any such attempt increases the tx_error counter. Just
> bringing up a geneve interface with IPv6 enabled is enough to see a number
> of tx_errors. That causes confusion among users, prompting them to find
> a network error where there is none.
> 
> Change the counter used to tx_dropped. That better conveys the meaning
> (there's nothing wrong going on, just some packets are getting dropped) and
> hopefully will make admins panic less.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Jiri Benc <jbenc@...hat.com>

Seems reasonable, applied, thanks Jiri.