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Jakub Kicinski 3abbe30231 Merge branch 'net-ethtool-let-ops-locked-drivers-run-without-rtnl_lock'
Jakub Kicinski says:

====================
net: ethtool: let ops locked drivers run without rtnl_lock

With the ethtool_get_link_ksettings() situation hopefully ironed out
the previous series (commit 6a5d837f0c) let's return to the main
part of the series.

We have been slowly moving towards removing the rtnl_lock dependency
in driver ops since the concept of "ops-locked" drivers have been
introduced last year. Since last year will take the netdev instance
lock before invoking any ndo or ethtool op of "ops-locked" drivers.

We dipped our toes into rtnl_lock-less ops with the queue binding API.
Queue stats, NAPI, and other netdev-netlink objects are also queried
without holding rtnl_lock already. It's time to take the next logical
step and lift the requirement from ethtool ops.

The direct motivation for this patchset is that ethtool ops often
involve communicating with device FW, and may take a long time
to complete. Aggressive polling of device state on machines
with 10+ NICs have been shown to significantly increase rtnl_lock
pressure.

There's a handful of areas which still need rtnl_lock (see below).
I decided to convert everything to rtnl_lock-less by default, and
add a set of flags which let the drivers request rtnl_lock to still
be taken. I don't love this, but I'm worried that opt-in would be
even more confusing.

Known issues / exclusions:
 - qdiscs - qdisc configuration currently assumes rtnl_lock, this
   is mostly impacting set_channels callback. qdisc config is probably
   the easiest one of the exclusions to tackle, it's fairly self-contained.
 - features - even tho feature changes are (correctly) plumbed to
   the driver thru ndos they are part of ethtool uAPI. ethtool itself
   calls netdev_features_change() if it has spotted device feature change
   before vs after to the callback. Some drivers also call
   netdev_features_change() directly in response to various changes,
   e.g. setting priv flags.
   Since features have to propagate to upper and lower devices anything
   that touches features is quite hard to move from under rtnl_lock.
 - phylink - phylink and SFP depend on rtnl_lock today, I suspect
   that this is purely for historic reasons. I started poking at
   it and don't really see a need for a global lock. But accessing
   the netdev instance lock from the SFP entry points will require
   some attention from the phylink folks.
 - phydev - similar to phylink, looks quite doable. But no ops-locked
   driver currently has a phydev (fbnic only uses phylink) so phydev
   related paths retain a ASSERT_RTNL() for now.

Tested on mlx5, bnxt and fbnic.
====================

Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260605002912.3456868-1-kuba@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>
2026-06-09 10:13:08 -07:00
arch Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2026-06-04 15:29:04 -07:00
block block-7.1-20260529 2026-05-29 10:41:07 -07:00
certs Clang build fixes for 7.1 2026-04-24 09:29:51 -07:00
crypto crypto: api - Fold crypto_alloc_tfmmem() into crypto_create_tfm_node() 2026-05-28 17:45:46 -07:00
Documentation docs: net: ethtool: document ops-locked drivers and op_needs_rtnl 2026-06-09 10:13:06 -07:00
drivers net: ethtool: optionally skip rtnl_lock on Netlink path for SET ops 2026-06-09 10:13:05 -07:00
fs two client fixes 2026-05-30 17:05:58 -07:00
include docs: net: ethtool: document ops-locked drivers and op_needs_rtnl 2026-06-09 10:13:06 -07:00
init memblock: updates for 7.0-rc1 2026-04-18 11:29:14 -07:00
io_uring io_uring-7.1-20260529 2026-05-29 10:36:57 -07:00
ipc ipc: limit next_id allocation to the valid ID range 2026-05-21 19:06:11 -07:00
kernel cgroup: Fixes for v7.1-rc6 2026-06-03 08:59:24 -07:00
lib IOMMU Fixes for Linux v7.1-rc5 2026-05-29 09:25:58 -07:00
LICENSES
mm 13 hotfixes. All are for MM. 10 are cc:stable and the remaining 3 2026-06-02 08:59:35 -07:00
net net: ethtool: optionally skip rtnl_lock on IOCTL path 2026-06-09 10:13:06 -07:00
rust Rust fixes for v7.1 2026-05-09 11:24:02 -07:00
samples soc: drivers for 7.1 2026-04-16 20:34:34 -07:00
scripts Second round of Kbuild fixes for 7.1 2026-05-19 09:43:24 -07:00
security security/keys: fix missed RCU read section on lookup 2026-05-28 11:45:41 -07:00
sound ASoC: Fixes for v7.1 2026-05-28 13:48:04 +02:00
tools selftests/net/openvswitch: guard command substitutions against empty output 2026-06-09 15:17:51 +02:00
usr kbuild: uapi: also test UAPI headers against C++ compilers 2026-03-25 13:24:42 +01:00
virt KVM: Reject wrapped offset in kvm_reset_dirty_gfn() 2026-05-12 22:16:16 +02:00
.clang-format Devicetree updates for v7.0: 2026-02-11 18:27:08 -08:00
.clippy.toml rust: bump Clippy's MSRV and clean incompatible_msrv allows 2026-04-07 09:51:39 +02:00
.cocciconfig
.editorconfig editorconfig: add rst extension 2026-01-26 19:07:09 -08:00
.get_maintainer.ignore .get_maintainer.ignore: add myself 2026-04-02 16:48:25 +02:00
.gitattributes
.gitignore kbuild: rust: provide an option to inline C helpers into Rust 2026-03-30 02:03:52 +02:00
.mailmap 13 hotfixes. 9 are for MM. 9 are cc:stable and the remaining 4 address 2026-05-26 08:23:19 -07:00
.pylintrc docs: Move the python libraries to tools/lib/python 2025-11-18 09:22:40 -07:00
.rustfmt.toml
COPYING
CREDITS Delete some obsolete networking code 2026-04-24 09:41:58 -07:00
Kbuild checksyscalls: move instance functionality into generic code 2026-04-05 09:21:32 +02:00
Kconfig
MAINTAINERS Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2026-06-04 15:29:04 -07:00
Makefile Linux 7.1-rc6 2026-05-31 15:14:24 -07:00
README docs: add AI Coding Assistants documentation 2026-01-06 14:55:06 -07:00

Linux kernel
============

The Linux kernel is the core of any Linux operating system. It manages hardware,
system resources, and provides the fundamental services for all other software.

Quick Start
-----------

* Report a bug: See Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst
* Get the latest kernel: https://kernel.org
* Build the kernel: See Documentation/admin-guide/quickly-build-trimmed-linux.rst
* Join the community: https://lore.kernel.org/

Essential Documentation
-----------------------

All users should be familiar with:

* Building requirements: Documentation/process/changes.rst
* Code of Conduct: Documentation/process/code-of-conduct.rst
* License: See COPYING

Documentation can be built with make htmldocs or viewed online at:
https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/


Who Are You?
============

Find your role below:

* New Kernel Developer - Getting started with kernel development
* Academic Researcher - Studying kernel internals and architecture
* Security Expert - Hardening and vulnerability analysis
* Backport/Maintenance Engineer - Maintaining stable kernels
* System Administrator - Configuring and troubleshooting
* Maintainer - Leading subsystems and reviewing patches
* Hardware Vendor - Writing drivers for new hardware
* Distribution Maintainer - Packaging kernels for distros
* AI Coding Assistant - LLMs and AI-powered development tools


For Specific Users
==================

New Kernel Developer
--------------------

Welcome! Start your kernel development journey here:

* Getting Started: Documentation/process/development-process.rst
* Your First Patch: Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
* Coding Style: Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
* Build System: Documentation/kbuild/index.rst
* Development Tools: Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst
* Kernel Hacking Guide: Documentation/kernel-hacking/hacking.rst
* Core APIs: Documentation/core-api/index.rst

Academic Researcher
-------------------

Explore the kernel's architecture and internals:

* Researcher Guidelines: Documentation/process/researcher-guidelines.rst
* Memory Management: Documentation/mm/index.rst
* Scheduler: Documentation/scheduler/index.rst
* Networking Stack: Documentation/networking/index.rst
* Filesystems: Documentation/filesystems/index.rst
* RCU (Read-Copy Update): Documentation/RCU/index.rst
* Locking Primitives: Documentation/locking/index.rst
* Power Management: Documentation/power/index.rst

Security Expert
---------------

Security documentation and hardening guides:

* Security Documentation: Documentation/security/index.rst
* LSM Development: Documentation/security/lsm-development.rst
* Self Protection: Documentation/security/self-protection.rst
* Reporting Vulnerabilities: Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst
* CVE Procedures: Documentation/process/cve.rst
* Embargoed Hardware Issues: Documentation/process/embargoed-hardware-issues.rst
* Security Features: Documentation/userspace-api/seccomp_filter.rst

Backport/Maintenance Engineer
-----------------------------

Maintain and stabilize kernel versions:

* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst
* Backporting Guide: Documentation/process/backporting.rst
* Applying Patches: Documentation/process/applying-patches.rst
* Subsystem Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst
* Git for Maintainers: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst

System Administrator
--------------------

Configure, tune, and troubleshoot Linux systems:

* Admin Guide: Documentation/admin-guide/index.rst
* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst
* Sysctl Tuning: Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/index.rst
* Tracing/Debugging: Documentation/trace/index.rst
* Performance Security: Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst
* Hardware Monitoring: Documentation/hwmon/index.rst

Maintainer
----------

Lead kernel subsystems and manage contributions:

* Maintainer Handbook: Documentation/maintainer/index.rst
* Pull Requests: Documentation/maintainer/pull-requests.rst
* Managing Patches: Documentation/maintainer/modifying-patches.rst
* Rebasing and Merging: Documentation/maintainer/rebasing-and-merging.rst
* Development Process: Documentation/process/maintainer-handbooks.rst
* Maintainer Entry Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst
* Git Configuration: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst

Hardware Vendor
---------------

Write drivers and support new hardware:

* Driver API Guide: Documentation/driver-api/index.rst
* Driver Model: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/driver.rst
* Device Drivers: Documentation/driver-api/infrastructure.rst
* Bus Types: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/bus.rst
* Device Tree Bindings: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/
* Power Management: Documentation/driver-api/pm/index.rst
* DMA API: Documentation/core-api/dma-api.rst

Distribution Maintainer
-----------------------

Package and distribute the kernel:

* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst
* ABI Documentation: Documentation/ABI/README
* Kernel Configuration: Documentation/kbuild/kconfig.rst
* Module Signing: Documentation/admin-guide/module-signing.rst
* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst
* Tainted Kernels: Documentation/admin-guide/tainted-kernels.rst

AI Coding Assistant
-------------------

CRITICAL: If you are an LLM or AI-powered coding assistant, you MUST read and
follow the AI coding assistants documentation before contributing to the Linux
kernel:

* Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst

This documentation contains essential requirements about licensing, attribution,
and the Developer Certificate of Origin that all AI tools must comply with.


Communication and Support
=========================

* Mailing Lists: https://lore.kernel.org/
* IRC: #kernelnewbies on irc.oftc.net
* Bugzilla: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/
* MAINTAINERS file: Lists subsystem maintainers and mailing lists
* Email Clients: Documentation/process/email-clients.rst