Network Adapter Buffer Table Mode

Onload User Guide (UG1586)

Document ID
UG1586
Release Date
2023-07-31
Revision
1.2 English

Solarflare network adapters employ a proprietary hardware-based buffer address translation mechanism to provide memory protection and translation to Onload stacks accessing a VNIC on the adapter. This is the default packet buffer mode and is suitable for the majority of applications using Onload.

This scheme employs a buffer table residing on the network adapter to control the memory an Onload stack can use to send and receive packets.

If the total packet buffer requirements of all applications using Onload require more than the number of packet buffers supported by the adapter’s buffer table, the user should consider changing to the Scalable Packet Buffers configuration.