Roadmap

Version 22.03 (2022 March)

• allow hugepage reuse at startup
• index-based per core mempool cache
• Arm CRC32 in generic API
• ethdev queue info dump API
• ethdev private info API
• flow template API
• flow management queue API
• direct-rearm of Rx side buffers
• Tx QoS marking API
• VLAN-based input color metering
• IP reassembly offload
• AVF software back-end driver with device emulation libraries
• af_xdp secondary process
• af_xdp with libxdp library
• bonding Tx prepare
• ice flow director and flow API enhancements
• mlx5 external queue
• mlx5 flow management queue and template
• mlx5 inline IPsec ESP crypto
• octeontx2 mirroring
• qede initial support for next generation hardware
• qede flow API support
• spnic driver for Ramaxel devices
• vhost async dequeue for split ring and enable in vhost sample app
• vhost device identification in logging
• vhost library statistics
• virtio hash reporting
• more info in dpdk-proc-info
• qat async crypto
• qat with OpenSSL-3.0 library
• event vector support in SW Rx eventdev adapter
• control adapter and RX adapter enhancements in DLB driver
• hisilicon DMA engine for Kunpeng 930

Nice to have - Future

• lock-free l3fwd algorithms
• multi-process rework
• automatic UIO/VFIO binding
• infiniband driver class (ibdev)
• default configuration from files
• generic allow/blocklisting
• libedit integration
• UBSan in build
• regex driver based on libpcre
• IF proxy
• performance test for IP reassembly
• IPv6 in lookaside IPsec example
• anti-replay in inline IPsec example

Cycle model

A typical release should be done after 4 months.

It is designed to allow DPDK to keep evolving at a rapid pace while giving enough opportunity to review, discuss and improve the contributions.

The merge window will open once the previous release is complete. First version of a new feature must be submitted before the proposal deadline. Features that miss this first period will be deferred until the next release.

Updated versions of patches (v2, v3, etc.) will be submitted to address comments. The new features must be properly reviewed, tested and accepted before the integration deadline. Otherwise, they will be postponed to the next releases.

At the end of the merge windows, the first release candidates are out.

The last period is approximately 1 month long and is dedicated to bug fixing.

Scheduling

22.03

• Proposal deadline (RFC/v1 patches): 31 December 2021
• API freeze (-rc1): 9 February 2022
• PMD features freeze (-rc2): 23 February 2022
• Builtin applications features freeze (-rc3): 2 March 2022
• Release: 11 March 2022

22.07

• Proposal deadline (RFC/v1 patches): 10 April 2022
• API freeze (-rc1): 30 May 2022
• PMD features freeze (-rc2): 20 June 2022
• Builtin applications features freeze (-rc3): 27 June 2022
• Release: 13 July 2022

22.11

• Proposal deadline (RFC/v1 patches): 14 August 2022
• API freeze (-rc1): 3 October 2022
• PMD features freeze (-rc2): 24 October 2022
• Builtin applications features freeze (-rc3): 31 October 2022
• Release: 16 November 2022

Stable Releases

There is a documentation page describing the guidelines of the stable releases.

Stable point releases follow mainline releases.

After each -rc tag and after the final version, relevant bug fixes get backported by the stable maintainers into the respective branches in “bursts”.

Developers can provide stable-specific patches by sending them to stable@dpdk.org only (avoiding dev@dpdk.org).

After all the relevant bugfixes have been backported, regression tests are run, and if clear, the stable release is announced.

Typically a new stable release version follows a mainline release by 1-2 weeks, depending on the test results.