In the Kernel Trenches: Mastering Ethernet Drivers on Linux
summary
Covers how a Linux Ethernet driver wires a net_device to hardware: setting up queues with alloc_etherdev_mqs, mapping SKBs with DMA or a page_pool, implementing NAPI poll, handling TX completions and PTP timestamping, and adding XDP hooks for early packet decisions. Shows ethtool/phylink/ioctl/TC/switchdev integration, where to expose features and stats, how to avoid link drops during config, and which tools (tcpdump/wireshark, netdev mailing list, kernel docs) actually debug and validate behavior.
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chapters (15)
- 0:00Introduction to drivers
- 2:13Inside the controller
- 6:01Net device structure
- 9:35Data handling structures
- 12:22Memory management
- 13:54Transmit and receive path
- 16:33NAPI and polling
- 19:15Hardware timestamping
- 22:28Advanced queue management
- 28:19Control plane configuration
- 36:42Feature management
- 39:08Etthtool and traffic control
- 44:32PTP and advanced offloads
- 46:43PHY and PCS interaction
- 48:29Contribution and debugging
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