Re: r8169: Discussion on implementing RSS support for r8169

[Heiner Kallweit <hkallweit1@gmail.com>]

On 19.03.2026 09:56, Javen wrote:
> Hi, Heiner
> 
> We are now planning to implement RSS support on r8169 driver. This will require significant changes to the existing driver architecture, so we want to discuss it with you.
> 
Thanks for the question.
I also once considered this, but decided against it, as I didn't see enough benefit justifying the
significantly increased complexity of the driver. Even with a N100-based mini-pc I can easily
saturate a 2.5Gbps link with the driver as-is.
Any specific reason why you consider adding RSS support? Would be good to see a performance comparison
as basis for a decision on for which chip versions RSS may provide a significant benefit.

> Based on our vendor driver which can be fetched from Realtek, the key modifications will include:
> 
> 	1. Enable msix and updating the irq allocation mechanism
> 	2. Support multiple rx/tx queues
> 	3. Register multiple napi and update new interrupt mapping(isr/imr) for multi-queue
> 	4. Implement rx msix poll and rx interrupt function
> 	5. Implement ethtool callbacks for rss configuration
> 
> Should we submit the changes above separately or submit them all at once? Or do you have any other suggestions?
> 
As Andrew already said, please submit the patches in smaller, reviewable, chunks.
Best tagged as RFC.

> We want to align with you on the development and submission approach. 
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Javen Xu

Heiner