[PATCH net-next v2 1/5] net: add dev->bql flag to allow BQL sysfs for IFF_NO_QUEUE devices

hawk
2026-04-13T09:45:15Z

From: Jesper Dangaard Brouer <hawk@kernel.org>

Virtual devices with IFF_NO_QUEUE or lltx are excluded from BQL sysfs
by netdev_uses_bql(), since they traditionally lack real hardware
queues. However, some virtual devices like veth implement a real
ptr_ring FIFO with NAPI processing and benefit from BQL to limit
in-flight bytes and reduce latency.

Add a per-device 'bql' bitfield boolean in the priv_flags_slow section
of struct net_device. When set, it overrides the IFF_NO_QUEUE/lltx
exclusion and exposes BQL sysfs entries (/sys/class/net/<dev>/queues/
tx-<n>/byte_queue_limits/). The flag is still gated on CONFIG_BQL.

This allows drivers that use BQL despite being IFF_NO_QUEUE to opt in
to sysfs visibility for monitoring and debugging.

Signed-off-by: Jesper Dangaard Brouer <hawk@kernel.org>
Tested-by: Jonas Köppeler <j.koeppeler@tu-berlin.de>
---
Documentation/networking/net_cachelines/net_device.rst | 1 +
include/linux/netdevice.h | 2 ++
net/core/net-sysfs.c | 8 +++++++-
3 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/networking/net_cachelines/net_device.rst b/Documentation/networking/net_cachelines/net_device.rst
index 1c19bb7705df..b775d3235a2d 100644
--- a/Documentation/networking/net_cachelines/net_device.rst
+++ b/Documentation/networking/net_cachelines/net_device.rst
@@ -170,6 +170,7 @@ unsigned_long:1 see_all_hwtstamp_requests
unsigned_long:1 change_proto_down
unsigned_long:1 netns_immutable
unsigned_long:1 fcoe_mtu
+unsigned_long:1 bql netdev_uses_bql(net-sysfs.c)
struct list_head net_notifier_list
struct macsec_ops* macsec_ops
struct udp_tunnel_nic_info* udp_tunnel_nic_info
diff --git a/include/linux/netdevice.h b/include/linux/netdevice.h
index 47417b2d48a4..7a1a491ecdd5 100644
--- a/include/linux/netdevice.h
+++ b/include/linux/netdevice.h
@@ -2048,6 +2048,7 @@ enum netdev_reg_state {
* @change_proto_down: device supports setting carrier via IFLA_PROTO_DOWN
* @netns_immutable: interface can't change network namespaces
* @fcoe_mtu: device supports maximum FCoE MTU, 2158 bytes
+ * @bql: device uses BQL (DQL sysfs) despite having IFF_NO_QUEUE
*
* @net_notifier_list: List of per-net netdev notifier block
* that follow this device when it is moved
@@ -2462,6 +2463,7 @@ struct net_device {
unsigned long change_proto_down:1;
unsigned long netns_immutable:1;
unsigned long fcoe_mtu:1;
+ unsigned long bql:1;

struct list_head net_notifier_list;

diff --git a/net/core/net-sysfs.c b/net/core/net-sysfs.c
index e430645748a7..4360efc8f241 100644
--- a/net/core/net-sysfs.c
+++ b/net/core/net-sysfs.c
@@ -1945,10 +1945,16 @@ static const struct kobj_type netdev_queue_ktype = {

static bool netdev_uses_bql(const struct net_device *dev)
{
+ if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_BQL))
+ return false;
+
+ if (dev->bql)
+ return true;
+
if (dev->lltx || (dev->priv_flags & IFF_NO_QUEUE))
return false;

- return IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_BQL);
+ return true;
}

static int netdev_queue_add_kobject(struct net_device *dev, int index)
--
2.43.0