[PATCH iwl-next 0/4] ixgbe: adaptive ITR tuning to prevent RX starvation and ACK overdrive

[PATCH iwl-next 0/4] ixgbe: adaptive ITR tuning to prevent RX starvation and ACK overdrive

[Aleksandr Loktionov]

This series was split out of a larger internal "ixgbe: nits and
improvements" cleanup batch. It tunes the adaptive-ITR algorithm and is
kept as four small, independently reviewable/revertible patches rather
than one monolithic rewrite:

1. Lower IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS from 126 to 84 so the minimum
   bulk-mode interrupt rate cannot drop low enough to starve the Rx
   descriptor ring under sustained full-line-rate traffic.
2. Add an ixgbe_container_is_rx() helper and give Rx containers their
   own latency thresholds, replacing the shared Tx/Rx heuristic that
   the lowered maximum would otherwise interact with poorly.
3. Limit how far a single ITR update can decrease while in latency
   mode, so a low-rate ACK-only stream cannot overdrive the interrupt
   rate in one step.
4. Name the usecs mask used by ixgbe_set_itr() instead of relying on
   an open-coded complement of the mode-flag bit.

A fifth patch from the same original batch, removing a redundant
ixgbe_ping_all_vfs() call from the link watchdog handlers, addresses an
unrelated VF mailbox race rather than ITR/RX-starvation behavior and is
sent separately so this series stays focused on one topic.

Alexander Duyck (4):
  ixgbe: lower IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS to prevent RX starvation
  ixgbe: add ixgbe_container_is_rx() helper and refine RX adaptive ITR
  ixgbe: limit ITR decrease in latency mode to prevent ACK overdrive
  ixgbe: add IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MASK_USECS constant

 drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h      |  3 +-
 drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c | 80 +++++++++++--------
 2 files changed, 49 insertions(+), 34 deletions(-)

-- 
2.52.0

[PATCH iwl-next 1/4] ixgbe: lower IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS to prevent RX starvation

[Aleksandr Loktionov]

From: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>

At the current maximum of 126 us the minimum bulk-mode interrupt rate
is ~7936 interrupts/s.  Under sustained full-line-rate bulk RX traffic
this is low enough that descriptor ring starvation can occur before the
next interrupt fires.

Lower IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS from 126 to 84 us.  This raises the
minimum rate to ~11905 interrupts/s (~12K ints/s), providing enough
headroom to drain the ring before it wraps.

Signed-off-by: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Aleksandr Loktionov <aleksandr.loktionov@intel.com>
---
 drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h
index 9b82175..1a7fd90 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h
@@ -475,7 +475,7 @@ static inline unsigned int ixgbe_rx_pg_order(struct ixgbe_ring *ring)
 
 #define IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MIN_INC	2
 #define IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MIN_USECS	10
-#define IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS	126
+#define IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS	84
 #define IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY	0x80
 #define IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_BULK		0x00
 
-- 
2.52.0

[PATCH iwl-next 2/4] ixgbe: add ixgbe_container_is_rx() helper and refine RX adaptive ITR

[Aleksandr Loktionov]

From: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>

Add an ixgbe_container_is_rx() helper to cleanly distinguish RX from TX
ring containers inside ixgbe_update_itr().

Refine the RX-specific latency-detection path:

 - Replace the shared "packets < 4 or bytes < 9000" threshold with an
   RX-specific check of "1..23 packets and bytes < 12112".  When that
   condition holds, target 8x the observed byte count in the next
   interval by computing avg_wire_size = (bytes + packets * 24) * 2,
   clamped to [2560, 12800], and jumping directly to the speed-based
   ITR calculation.  This provides finer-grained control over low-rate
   RX latency workloads without affecting TX.

 - Remove the separate "no packets" special-case block.  When packets
   is 0 it falls into the "< 48" branch.  The mode-tracking logic in
   that branch is extended: fewer than 8 packets forces latency mode;
   8..47 packets preserves the current mode.  This replaces the old
   unconditional "add LATENCY flag from ring_container->itr" carried
   over from the removed block.

 - Remove the adjust_by_size label and the associated "halve
   avg_wire_size in latency mode" step.  The Rx latency path now
   pre-calculates avg_wire_size independently and the bulk path no
   longer needs the halving to compensate for incorrect thresholds.
   Rename the jump target to adjust_for_speed to reflect its purpose.

Signed-off-by: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Aleksandr Loktionov <aleksandr.loktionov@intel.com>
---
 drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c | 67 ++++++++++---------
 1 file changed, 35 insertions(+), 32 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
index f918564..ddc18e1 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
@@ -2711,6 +2711,12 @@ static void ixgbe_configure_msix(struct ixgbe_adapter *adapter)
 	IXGBE_WRITE_REG(&adapter->hw, IXGBE_EIAC, mask);
 }
 
+static bool ixgbe_container_is_rx(struct ixgbe_q_vector *q_vector,
+				  struct ixgbe_ring_container *rc)
+{
+	return &q_vector->rx == rc;
+}
+
 /**
  * ixgbe_update_itr - update the dynamic ITR value based on statistics
  * @q_vector: structure containing interrupt and ring information
@@ -2747,35 +2753,24 @@ static void ixgbe_update_itr(struct ixgbe_q_vector *q_vector,
 		goto clear_counts;
 
 	packets = ring_container->total_packets;
-
-	/* We have no packets to actually measure against. This means
-	 * either one of the other queues on this vector is active or
-	 * we are a Tx queue doing TSO with too high of an interrupt rate.
-	 *
-	 * When this occurs just tick up our delay by the minimum value
-	 * and hope that this extra delay will prevent us from being called
-	 * without any work on our queue.
-	 */
-	if (!packets) {
-		itr = (q_vector->itr >> 2) + IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MIN_INC;
-		if (itr > IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS)
-			itr = IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS;
-		itr += ring_container->itr & IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY;
-		goto clear_counts;
-	}
-
 	bytes = ring_container->total_bytes;
 
-	/* If packets are less than 4 or bytes are less than 9000 assume
-	 * insufficient data to use bulk rate limiting approach. We are
-	 * likely latency driven.
-	 */
-	if (packets < 4 && bytes < 9000) {
-		itr = IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY;
-		goto adjust_by_size;
+	if (ixgbe_container_is_rx(q_vector, ring_container)) {
+		/* If Rx and there are 1 to 23 packets and bytes are less than
+		 * 12112 assume insufficient data to use bulk rate limiting
+		 * approach. Instead we will focus on simply trying to target
+		 * receiving 8 times as much data in the next interrupt.
+		 */
+		if (packets && packets < 24 && bytes < 12112) {
+			itr = IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY;
+			avg_wire_size = (bytes + packets * 24) * 2;
+			avg_wire_size = clamp_t(unsigned int,
+						avg_wire_size, 2560, 12800);
+			goto adjust_for_speed;
+		}
 	}
 
-	/* Between 4 and 48 we can assume that our current interrupt delay
+	/* Less than 48 packets we can assume that our current interrupt delay
 	 * is only slightly too low. As such we should increase it by a small
 	 * fixed amount.
 	 */
@@ -2783,6 +2778,20 @@ static void ixgbe_update_itr(struct ixgbe_q_vector *q_vector,
 		itr = (q_vector->itr >> 2) + IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MIN_INC;
 		if (itr > IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS)
 			itr = IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS;
+
+		/* If sample size is 0 - 7 we should probably switch
+		 * to latency mode instead of trying to control
+		 * things as though we are in bulk.
+		 *
+		 * Otherwise if the number of packets is less than 48
+		 * we should maintain whatever mode we are currently
+		 * in. The range between 8 and 48 is the cross-over
+		 * point between latency and bulk traffic.
+		 */
+		if (packets < 8)
+			itr += IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY;
+		else
+			itr += ring_container->itr & IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY;
 		goto clear_counts;
 	}
 
@@ -2813,7 +2822,6 @@ static void ixgbe_update_itr(struct ixgbe_q_vector *q_vector,
 	 */
 	itr = IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_BULK;
 
-adjust_by_size:
 	/* If packet counts are 256 or greater we can assume we have a gross
 	 * overestimation of what the rate should be. Instead of trying to fine
 	 * tune it just use the formula below to try and dial in an exact value
@@ -2856,12 +2864,7 @@ static void ixgbe_update_itr(struct ixgbe_q_vector *q_vector,
 		avg_wire_size = 32256;
 	}
 
-	/* If we are in low latency mode half our delay which doubles the rate
-	 * to somewhere between 100K to 16K ints/sec
-	 */
-	if (itr & IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY)
-		avg_wire_size >>= 1;
-
+adjust_for_speed:
 	/* Resultant value is 256 times larger than it needs to be. This
 	 * gives us room to adjust the value as needed to either increase
 	 * or decrease the value based on link speeds of 10G, 2.5G, 1G, etc.
-- 
2.52.0

[PATCH iwl-next 3/4] ixgbe: limit ITR decrease in latency mode to prevent ACK overdrive

[Aleksandr Loktionov]

From: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>

When operating in latency mode and the computed ITR is lower than the
current setting, the algorithm can reduce the interrupt rate too
aggressively in a single step.  For a TCP workload this means the ACK
stream (a latency-sensitive, low-packet-rate workload) can drive the
moderation down to very high interrupt rates, starving CPU time from
the sender side.

After the speed-based ITR calculation is complete, check whether the
result is in latency mode and would decrease below the current setting.
If so, limit the decrease to at most IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MIN_INC (2 us)
per update.  This ensures the number of interrupts grows by no more
than 2x per adjustment step for latency-class workloads, dialling in
smoothly rather than overshooting.

Signed-off-by: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Simon Horman <horms@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Aleksandr Loktionov <aleksandr.loktionov@intel.com>
---
 drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c | 11 +++++++++++
 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+)

diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
index ddc18e1..7fb2ab4 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
@@ -2891,6 +2891,17 @@ static void ixgbe_update_itr(struct ixgbe_q_vector *q_vector,
 		break;
 	}
 
+	/* In the case of a latency specific workload only allow us to
+	 * reduce the ITR by at most 2us. By doing this we should dial
+	 * in so that our number of interrupts is no more than 2x the number
+	 * of packets for the least busy workload. So for example in the case
+	 * of a TCP workload the ACK packets being received would set the
+	 * interrupt rate as they are a latency specific workload.
+	 */
+	if ((itr & IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY) && itr < ring_container->itr)
+		itr = max_t(unsigned int, itr,
+			    ring_container->itr - IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MIN_INC);
+
 clear_counts:
 	/* write back value */
 	ring_container->itr = itr;
-- 
2.52.0

[PATCH iwl-next 4/4] ixgbe: add IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MASK_USECS constant

[Aleksandr Loktionov]

From: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>

ixgbe_set_itr() clears the mode flag (IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY, bit 7)
with the open-coded complement expression ~IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY.
This is equivalent to keeping only bits [6:0], i.e. the usecs sub-field.

Add IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MASK_USECS = IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY - 1 =
0x7F to name this mask explicitly and replace the open-coded AND-NOT
operation with the cleaner AND form.  The two expressions are
arithmetically identical; the change improves readability.

Signed-off-by: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Simon Horman <horms@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Aleksandr Loktionov <aleksandr.loktionov@intel.com>
---
 drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h      | 1 +
 drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c | 2 +-
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h
index 1a7fd90..594ccb2 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe.h
@@ -478,6 +478,7 @@ static inline unsigned int ixgbe_rx_pg_order(struct ixgbe_ring *ring)
 #define IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS	84
 #define IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY	0x80
 #define IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_BULK		0x00
+#define IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MASK_USECS	(IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY - 1)
 
 struct ixgbe_ring_container {
 	struct ixgbe_ring *ring;	/* pointer to linked list of rings */
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
index 7fb2ab4..8d3627c 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
@@ -2962,7 +2962,7 @@ static void ixgbe_set_itr(struct ixgbe_q_vector *q_vector)
 	new_itr = min(q_vector->rx.itr, q_vector->tx.itr);
 
 	/* Clear latency flag if set, shift into correct position */
-	new_itr &= ~IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_LATENCY;
+	new_itr &= IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MASK_USECS;
 	new_itr <<= 2;
 
 	if (new_itr != q_vector->itr) {
-- 
2.52.0

Re: [PATCH iwl-next 1/4] ixgbe: lower IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS to prevent RX starvation

[Simon Horman]

On Tue, Sep 15, 2026 at 02:55:35PM +0200, Aleksandr Loktionov wrote:
> From: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>
> 
> At the current maximum of 126 us the minimum bulk-mode interrupt rate
> is ~7936 interrupts/s.  Under sustained full-line-rate bulk RX traffic
> this is low enough that descriptor ring starvation can occur before the
> next interrupt fires.
> 
> Lower IXGBE_ITR_ADAPTIVE_MAX_USECS from 126 to 84 us.  This raises the
> minimum rate to ~11905 interrupts/s (~12K ints/s), providing enough
> headroom to drain the ring before it wraps.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>
> Signed-off-by: Aleksandr Loktionov <aleksandr.loktionov@intel.com>

Reviewed-by: Simon Horman <horms@kernel.org>

Re: [PATCH iwl-next 2/4] ixgbe: add ixgbe_container_is_rx() helper and refine RX adaptive ITR

[Simon Horman]

On Tue, Sep 15, 2026 at 02:55:36PM +0200, Aleksandr Loktionov wrote:
> From: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>
> 
> Add an ixgbe_container_is_rx() helper to cleanly distinguish RX from TX
> ring containers inside ixgbe_update_itr().
> 
> Refine the RX-specific latency-detection path:
> 
>  - Replace the shared "packets < 4 or bytes < 9000" threshold with an
>    RX-specific check of "1..23 packets and bytes < 12112".  When that
>    condition holds, target 8x the observed byte count in the next
>    interval by computing avg_wire_size = (bytes + packets * 24) * 2,
>    clamped to [2560, 12800], and jumping directly to the speed-based
>    ITR calculation.  This provides finer-grained control over low-rate
>    RX latency workloads without affecting TX.
> 
>  - Remove the separate "no packets" special-case block.  When packets
>    is 0 it falls into the "< 48" branch.  The mode-tracking logic in
>    that branch is extended: fewer than 8 packets forces latency mode;
>    8..47 packets preserves the current mode.  This replaces the old
>    unconditional "add LATENCY flag from ring_container->itr" carried
>    over from the removed block.
> 
>  - Remove the adjust_by_size label and the associated "halve
>    avg_wire_size in latency mode" step.  The Rx latency path now
>    pre-calculates avg_wire_size independently and the bulk path no
>    longer needs the halving to compensate for incorrect thresholds.
>    Rename the jump target to adjust_for_speed to reflect its purpose.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Alexander Duyck <alexander.h.duyck@intel.com>
> Signed-off-by: Aleksandr Loktionov <aleksandr.loktionov@intel.com>

Reviewed-by: Simon Horman <horms@kernel.org>