[PATCH v3 11/27] net/i40e: avoid rte malloc in MAC/VLAN filtering

Anatoly Burakov
2026-02-11T13:54:48Z

Currently, when adding, removing, or configuring MAC and VLAN filters,
we are using rte_zmalloc followed by an immediate rte_free. This is not
needed as this memory is not being stored anywhere, so replace it with
regular malloc/free.

Signed-off-by: Anatoly Burakov <anatoly.burakov@intel.com>
---
drivers/net/intel/i40e/i40e_ethdev.c | 38 +++++++++++++--------------
drivers/net/intel/i40e/rte_pmd_i40e.c | 16 +++++------
2 files changed, 26 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/intel/i40e/i40e_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/intel/i40e/i40e_ethdev.c
index 654b0e5d16..806c29368c 100644
--- a/drivers/net/intel/i40e/i40e_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/intel/i40e/i40e_ethdev.c
@@ -4165,8 +4165,7 @@ i40e_vlan_offload_set(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, int mask)
if (mask & RTE_ETH_VLAN_EXTEND_MASK) {
i = 0;
num = vsi->mac_num;
- mac_filter = rte_zmalloc("mac_filter_info_data",
- num * sizeof(*mac_filter), 0);
+ mac_filter = calloc(num, sizeof(*mac_filter));
if (mac_filter == NULL) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "failed to allocate memory");
return I40E_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
@@ -4206,7 +4205,7 @@ i40e_vlan_offload_set(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, int mask)
if (ret)
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "i40e vsi add mac fail.");
}
- rte_free(mac_filter);
+ free(mac_filter);
}

if (mask & RTE_ETH_QINQ_STRIP_MASK) {
@@ -6231,8 +6230,7 @@ i40e_vsi_config_vlan_filter(struct i40e_vsi *vsi, bool on)

num = vsi->mac_num;

- mac_filter = rte_zmalloc("mac_filter_info_data",
- num * sizeof(*mac_filter), 0);
+ mac_filter = calloc(num, sizeof(*mac_filter));
if (mac_filter == NULL) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "failed to allocate memory");
return I40E_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
@@ -6264,7 +6262,7 @@ i40e_vsi_config_vlan_filter(struct i40e_vsi *vsi, bool on)
}

DONE:
- rte_free(mac_filter);
+ free(mac_filter);
return ret;
}

@@ -7154,7 +7152,7 @@ i40e_add_macvlan_filters(struct i40e_vsi *vsi,
ele_num = hw->aq.asq_buf_size / sizeof(*req_list);
ele_buff_size = hw->aq.asq_buf_size;

- req_list = rte_zmalloc("macvlan_add", ele_buff_size, 0);
+ req_list = calloc(1, ele_buff_size);
if (req_list == NULL) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "Fail to allocate memory");
return I40E_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
@@ -7207,7 +7205,7 @@ i40e_add_macvlan_filters(struct i40e_vsi *vsi,
} while (num < total);

DONE:
- rte_free(req_list);
+ free(req_list);
return ret;
}

@@ -7230,7 +7228,7 @@ i40e_remove_macvlan_filters(struct i40e_vsi *vsi,
ele_num = hw->aq.asq_buf_size / sizeof(*req_list);
ele_buff_size = hw->aq.asq_buf_size;

- req_list = rte_zmalloc("macvlan_remove", ele_buff_size, 0);
+ req_list = calloc(1, ele_buff_size);
if (req_list == NULL) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "Fail to allocate memory");
return I40E_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
@@ -7286,7 +7284,7 @@ i40e_remove_macvlan_filters(struct i40e_vsi *vsi,
} while (num < total);

DONE:
- rte_free(req_list);
+ free(req_list);
return ret;
}

@@ -7455,7 +7453,7 @@ i40e_vsi_remove_all_macvlan_filter(struct i40e_vsi *vsi)
else
num = vsi->mac_num * vsi->vlan_num;

- mv_f = rte_zmalloc("macvlan_data", num * sizeof(*mv_f), 0);
+ mv_f = calloc(num, sizeof(*mv_f));
if (mv_f == NULL) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "failed to allocate memory");
return I40E_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
@@ -7484,7 +7482,7 @@ i40e_vsi_remove_all_macvlan_filter(struct i40e_vsi *vsi)

ret = i40e_remove_macvlan_filters(vsi, mv_f, num);
DONE:
- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);

return ret;
}
@@ -7510,7 +7508,7 @@ i40e_vsi_add_vlan(struct i40e_vsi *vsi, uint16_t vlan)
return I40E_ERR_PARAM;
}

- mv_f = rte_zmalloc("macvlan_data", mac_num * sizeof(*mv_f), 0);
+ mv_f = calloc(mac_num, sizeof(*mv_f));

if (mv_f == NULL) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "failed to allocate memory");
@@ -7532,7 +7530,7 @@ i40e_vsi_add_vlan(struct i40e_vsi *vsi, uint16_t vlan)
vsi->vlan_num++;
ret = I40E_SUCCESS;
DONE:
- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);
return ret;
}

@@ -7561,7 +7559,7 @@ i40e_vsi_delete_vlan(struct i40e_vsi *vsi, uint16_t vlan)
return I40E_ERR_PARAM;
}

- mv_f = rte_zmalloc("macvlan_data", mac_num * sizeof(*mv_f), 0);
+ mv_f = calloc(mac_num, sizeof(*mv_f));

if (mv_f == NULL) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "failed to allocate memory");
@@ -7594,7 +7592,7 @@ i40e_vsi_delete_vlan(struct i40e_vsi *vsi, uint16_t vlan)
vsi->vlan_num--;
ret = I40E_SUCCESS;
DONE:
- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);
return ret;
}

@@ -7626,7 +7624,7 @@ i40e_vsi_add_mac(struct i40e_vsi *vsi, struct i40e_mac_filter_info *mac_filter)
mac_filter->filter_type == I40E_MAC_HASH_MATCH)
vlan_num = 1;

- mv_f = rte_zmalloc("macvlan_data", vlan_num * sizeof(*mv_f), 0);
+ mv_f = calloc(vlan_num, sizeof(*mv_f));
if (mv_f == NULL) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "failed to allocate memory");
return I40E_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
@@ -7665,7 +7663,7 @@ i40e_vsi_add_mac(struct i40e_vsi *vsi, struct i40e_mac_filter_info *mac_filter)

ret = I40E_SUCCESS;
DONE:
- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);

return ret;
}
@@ -7696,7 +7694,7 @@ i40e_vsi_delete_mac(struct i40e_vsi *vsi, struct rte_ether_addr *addr)
filter_type == I40E_MAC_HASH_MATCH)
vlan_num = 1;

- mv_f = rte_zmalloc("macvlan_data", vlan_num * sizeof(*mv_f), 0);
+ mv_f = calloc(vlan_num, sizeof(*mv_f));
if (mv_f == NULL) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "failed to allocate memory");
return I40E_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
@@ -7725,7 +7723,7 @@ i40e_vsi_delete_mac(struct i40e_vsi *vsi, struct rte_ether_addr *addr)

ret = I40E_SUCCESS;
DONE:
- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);
return ret;
}

diff --git a/drivers/net/intel/i40e/rte_pmd_i40e.c b/drivers/net/intel/i40e/rte_pmd_i40e.c
index a358f68bc5..fb73fa924f 100644
--- a/drivers/net/intel/i40e/rte_pmd_i40e.c
+++ b/drivers/net/intel/i40e/rte_pmd_i40e.c
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ i40e_vsi_rm_mac_filter(struct i40e_vsi *vsi)
filter_type == I40E_MAC_HASH_MATCH)
vlan_num = 1;

- mv_f = rte_zmalloc("macvlan_data", vlan_num * sizeof(*mv_f), 0);
+ mv_f = calloc(vlan_num, sizeof(*mv_f));
if (!mv_f) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "failed to allocate memory");
return I40E_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
@@ -250,18 +250,18 @@ i40e_vsi_rm_mac_filter(struct i40e_vsi *vsi)
ret = i40e_find_all_vlan_for_mac(vsi, mv_f, vlan_num,
&f->mac_info.mac_addr);
if (ret != I40E_SUCCESS) {
- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);
return ret;
}
}

ret = i40e_remove_macvlan_filters(vsi, mv_f, vlan_num);
if (ret != I40E_SUCCESS) {
- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);
return ret;
}

- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);
ret = I40E_SUCCESS;
}

@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ i40e_vsi_restore_mac_filter(struct i40e_vsi *vsi)
f->mac_info.filter_type == I40E_MAC_HASH_MATCH)
vlan_num = 1;

- mv_f = rte_zmalloc("macvlan_data", vlan_num * sizeof(*mv_f), 0);
+ mv_f = calloc(vlan_num, sizeof(*mv_f));
if (!mv_f) {
PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "failed to allocate memory");
return I40E_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
@@ -312,18 +312,18 @@ i40e_vsi_restore_mac_filter(struct i40e_vsi *vsi)
ret = i40e_find_all_vlan_for_mac(vsi, mv_f, vlan_num,
&f->mac_info.mac_addr);
if (ret != I40E_SUCCESS) {
- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);
return ret;
}
}

ret = i40e_add_macvlan_filters(vsi, mv_f, vlan_num);
if (ret != I40E_SUCCESS) {
- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);
return ret;
}

- rte_free(mv_f);
+ free(mv_f);
ret = I40E_SUCCESS;
}

--
2.47.3