OVS-DOCA upstream roadmap#

Maor Dickman (NVIDIA)

• Why: Signals where hardware offload in upstream OVS is heading: NVIDIA is moving DOCA acceleration from a downstream fork into upstream via the dpif-netdev framework, which means new upstream OVS APIs (dpif-offload-provider, userspace CT offload).
• What: The plan: a new netdev_doca netdev class (port initialization and software slow path under dpif-netdev), a new dpif-offload-doca provider (offloading megaflows, based on a new dpif-offload-provider API), and a new connection-tracking offload API for the userspace datapath. Gaps are acknowledged: eswitch hierarchy (one port handling all device ports), port-init ordering, partial offload (HW-to-SW miss path), and advanced offloads (sFLOW, tunnel entropy, meters, DP_HASH). This replaces the earlier dpif-netlink-based DPIF-DOCA direction.
• How: Staged upstreaming steps are enumerated: offload-provider first, then the netdev, then dpif-offload-doca, then agreement on the CT offload API. DPIF-DOCA will live as a standalone open-source library while DOCA-Flow/DOCA-Eth remain closed-source.
• Where applicable: ConnectX/BlueField with the OVS userspace datapath. Vendor roadmap — but with concrete architectural consequences for upstream OVS; watch the dpif-offload-provider and CT-offload API discussions if you care about offload in OVS.