RE: [PATCH] wifi: rtw89: usb: fix TX flow control by tracking in-flight URBs

[Mh_chen <mh_chen@realtek.com>]

+Isaiah for Wi-Fi USB driver,

-----Original Message-----
From: Ping-Ke Shih <pkshih@realtek.com> 
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 11:40 AM
To: Lucid Duck <lucid_duck@justthetip.ca>; linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org; Bitterblue Smith <rtl8821cerfe2@gmail.com>; Mh_chen <mh_chen@realtek.com>
Subject: RE: [PATCH] wifi: rtw89: usb: fix TX flow control by tracking in-flight URBs

+ developers of WiFi USB adapters

Lucid Duck <lucid_duck@justthetip.ca> wrote:
> rtw89_usb_ops_check_and_reclaim_tx_resource() currently returns a 
> hardcoded placeholder value of 42, violating mac80211's TX flow 
> control contract. This causes uncontrolled URB accumulation under 
> sustained TX load since mac80211 believes resources are always available.

Then URB becomes exhausted? 

> 
> Fix this by implementing proper TX backpressure:
> 
> - Add per-channel atomic counters (tx_inflight[]) to track URBs between
>   submission and completion
> - Increment counter before usb_submit_urb() with rollback on failure
> - Decrement counter in completion callback
> - Return available slots (max - inflight) to mac80211, or 0 at 
> capacity
> - Exclude firmware command channel (CH12) from flow control
> 
> Tested on D-Link DWA-X1850 (RTL8832AU) with:
> - Sustained high-throughput traffic
> - Module load/unload stress tests
> - Hot-unplug during active transmission
> - 30-minute soak test verifying counters balance at idle
> 
> Signed-off-by: Lucid Duck <lucid_duck@justthetip.ca>

[...]

> diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtw89/usb.h 
> b/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtw89/usb.h
> index 203ec8e99..f72a8b1b2 100644
> --- a/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtw89/usb.h
> +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtw89/usb.h
> @@ -20,6 +20,9 @@
>  #define RTW89_MAX_ENDPOINT_NUM         9
>  #define RTW89_MAX_BULKOUT_NUM          7
> 
> +/* TX flow control: max in-flight URBs per channel */
> +#define RTW89_USB_MAX_TX_URBS_PER_CH   32

Curiously. How did you decide this value? Have you tested USB2 and USB3 devices?
How about their throughput before/after this patch?

> +
>  struct rtw89_usb_info {
>         u32 usb_host_request_2;
>         u32 usb_wlan0_1;
> @@ -63,6 +66,9 @@ struct rtw89_usb {
>         struct usb_anchor tx_submitted;
> 
>         struct sk_buff_head tx_queue[RTW89_TXCH_NUM];
> +
> +       /* TX flow control: track in-flight URBs per channel */

I feel we don't need repeatedly adding this comment. If you like it, just keep one.

> +       atomic_t tx_inflight[RTW89_TXCH_NUM];
>  };
> 
>  static inline struct rtw89_usb *rtw89_usb_priv(struct rtw89_dev 
> *rtwdev)
> --
> 2.52.0
>