+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+ Copyright 2018 The DPDK contributors
+
ABI and API Deprecation
=======================
Deprecation Notices
-------------------
-* The log history is deprecated.
- It is voided in 16.07 and will be removed in release 16.11.
-
-* The ethdev library file will be renamed from libethdev.* to librte_ethdev.*
- in release 16.11 in order to have a more consistent namespace.
-
-* In 16.11 ABI changes are planned: the ``rte_eth_dev`` structure will be
- extended with new function pointer ``tx_pkt_prep`` allowing verification
- and processing of packet burst to meet HW specific requirements before
- transmit. Also new fields will be added to the ``rte_eth_desc_lim`` structure:
- ``nb_seg_max`` and ``nb_mtu_seg_max`` providing information about number of
- segments limit to be transmitted by device for TSO/non-TSO packets.
-
-* The ethdev hotplug API is going to be moved to EAL with a notification
- mechanism added to crypto and ethdev libraries so that hotplug is now
- available to both of them. This API will be stripped of the device arguments
- so that it only cares about hotplugging.
-
-* Structures embodying pci and vdev devices are going to be reworked to
- integrate new common rte_device / rte_driver objects (see
- http://dpdk.org/ml/archives/dev/2016-January/031390.html).
- ethdev and crypto libraries will then only handle those objects so that they
- do not need to care about the kind of devices that are being used, making it
- easier to add new buses later.
-
-* ABI changes are planned for 16.11 in the ``rte_mbuf`` structure: some fields
- may be reordered to facilitate the writing of ``data_off``, ``refcnt``, and
- ``nb_segs`` in one operation, because some platforms have an overhead if the
- store address is not naturally aligned. Other mbuf fields, such as the
- ``port`` field, may be moved or removed as part of this mbuf work.
-
-* The mbuf flags PKT_RX_VLAN_PKT and PKT_RX_QINQ_PKT are deprecated and
- are respectively replaced by PKT_RX_VLAN_STRIPPED and
- PKT_RX_QINQ_STRIPPED, that are better described. The old flags and
- their behavior will be kept in 16.07 and will be removed in 16.11.
-
-* The APIs rte_mempool_count and rte_mempool_free_count are being deprecated
- on the basis that they are confusing to use - free_count actually returns
- the number of allocated entries, not the number of free entries as expected.
- They are being replaced by rte_mempool_avail_count and
- rte_mempool_in_use_count respectively.
-
-* The mempool functions for single/multi producer/consumer are deprecated and
- will be removed in 16.11.
- It is replaced by rte_mempool_generic_get/put functions.
-
-* The ``rte_ivshmem`` feature (including library and EAL code) will be removed
- in 16.11 because it has some design issues which are not planned to be fixed.
-
-* The vhost-cuse will be removed in 16.11. Since v2.1, a large majority of
- development effort has gone to vhost-user, such as multiple-queue, live
- migration, reconnect etc. Therefore, vhost-user should be used instead.
-
-* Driver names are quite inconsistent among each others and they will be
- renamed to something more consistent (net and crypto prefixes) in 16.11.
- Some of these driver names are used publicly, to create virtual devices,
- so a deprecation notice is necessary.
-
-* API will change for ``rte_port_source_params`` and ``rte_port_sink_params``
- structures. The member ``file_name`` data type will be changed from
- ``char *`` to ``const char *``. This change targets release 16.11.
+* eal: both declaring and identifying devices will be streamlined in v18.11.
+ New functions will appear to query a specific port from buses, classes of
+ device and device drivers. Device declaration will be made coherent with the
+ new scheme of device identification.
+ As such, ``rte_devargs`` device representation will change.
+
+ - The enum ``rte_devtype`` was used to identify a bus and will disappear.
+ - Functions previously deprecated will change or disappear:
+
+ + ``rte_eal_devargs_type_count``
+
+* pci: Several exposed functions are misnamed.
+ The following functions are deprecated starting from v17.11 and are replaced:
+
+ - ``eal_parse_pci_BDF`` replaced by ``rte_pci_addr_parse``
+ - ``eal_parse_pci_DomBDF`` replaced by ``rte_pci_addr_parse``
+ - ``rte_eal_compare_pci_addr`` replaced by ``rte_pci_addr_cmp``
+
+* mbuf: The opaque ``mbuf->hash.sched`` field will be updated to support generic
+ definition in line with the ethdev TM and MTR APIs. Currently, this field
+ is defined in librte_sched in a non-generic way. The new generic format
+ will contain: queue ID, traffic class, color. Field size will not change.
+
+* mbuf: the macro ``RTE_MBUF_INDIRECT()`` will be removed in v18.08 or later and
+ replaced with ``RTE_MBUF_CLONED()`` which is already added in v18.05. As
+ ``EXT_ATTACHED_MBUF`` is newly introduced in v18.05, ``RTE_MBUF_INDIRECT()``
+ can no longer be mutually exclusive with ``RTE_MBUF_DIRECT()`` if the new
+ experimental API ``rte_pktmbuf_attach_extbuf()`` is used. Removal of the macro
+ is to fix this semantic inconsistency.
+
+* ethdev: the legacy filter API, including
+ ``rte_eth_dev_filter_supported()``, ``rte_eth_dev_filter_ctrl()`` as well
+ as filter types MACVLAN, ETHERTYPE, FLEXIBLE, SYN, NTUPLE, TUNNEL, FDIR,
+ HASH and L2_TUNNEL, is superseded by the generic flow API (rte_flow) in
+ PMDs that implement the latter.
+ Target release for removal of the legacy API will be defined once most
+ PMDs have switched to rte_flow.
+
+* pdump: As we changed to use generic IPC, some changes in APIs and structure
+ are expected in subsequent release.
+
+ - ``rte_pdump_set_socket_dir`` will be removed;
+ - The parameter, ``path``, of ``rte_pdump_init`` will be removed;
+ - The enum ``rte_pdump_socktype`` will be removed.