1. Introduction

This document describes how to install and configure the Data Plane Development Kit Test Suite (DPDK Test Suite) in a Linux environment. Users can refer this document to enable this test infrastructure in their environment and don’t need go deeply with too much details about this framework. DPDK Test Suite is an automation test tool for DPDK software, a python-base library. It can run on the tester machine, and communicate/manage DUT by SSH connection. DTF supports different kind of traffic generators, including DPDK-based PacketGen, third-party professional tester equipment (IXIA®). Data Plane Development Kit Test Suite (DPDK Test Suite) includes one set of test cases and DPDK generic test framework. DPDK Test Suite provides test example, references and framework for open source community. Based on DPDK Test Suite, everyone can develop their test plan, automation script and configuration for own features and platform. In addition, DPDK Test Suite provides a solution to allow that DPDK developers contribute their function test to certify their patch integration. It only requires limited effort to maintain test cases once merged into DPDK Test Suite. Everyone can utilize DPDK Test Suite to measure performance and functionality for features.

Please see DPDK Test Suite architecture in the following figures:

_images/dts_soft_arch.png

As generic test framework, DPDK Test Suite provides the following functions:

  • Able to work with DUT (Device Under Test), which installed Fedora, Ubuntu, WindRiver, FreeBSD, RedHat and SUSE.
  • Support virtualization hypervisors like Xen and Qemu.
  • Support both software and hardware traffic generators, including Scapy, DPDK-based PacketGen and IXIA traffic generator, even third party packet generator via TCL or Python library.
  • Provide configure files to customize test suite and test cases to run under DUT.
  • Provide debug and log functionalities for tracking test cases execution process.
  • Support to output test result by excel, log text file, etc.
  • DPDK Test Suite provides one set of basic library to manage tester, DUT, test case, exception, generate report, and configure test plan by user configure files. It’s easy to develop user-defined test suite and test plan by self, and these test cases are able to integrate into DPDK Test Suite.
  • With this test framework, user can automatically identify network topology, and easy to configure/deploy environment for DUT and tester, and provides flexibility to scale test capability by configuration.

DPDK Test Suite environment includes DUT (Device under Test), Tester and packet generator. DPDK software will deployed and run on DUT. DPDK Test Suite should run on the Tester.

Please see architecture in the following figures:

_images/dts_network_arch.png

This architecture provides automatically mechanism to manage tester, DUT and packet generators, and remove dependency between test script and test environment/hardware. It defines one abstraction layer for DPDK Test Suite, and provides extensibility to add more test script. In the DPDK Test Suite Test Framework, it provides the following modules to help to manage device, platform, configure and test results.

Beside Framework tool, DPDK Test Suite also defines one set of test cases. It includes basic test suite to verify basic functionality of DPDK library. These test script provides example and reference. Everyone can develop their test cases, verify their features functionality, and commit generic test report to maintainer. However, user-defined test cases, test plans and scripts must follow DPDK Test Suite standard including code standard, naming conventions, configure format, rst test plan, API.

Please see test cases, which are included in the DPDK compliance test suites:

Test Suite Descriptions
Command line Define a demo example of command line interface in RTE
hello_world Print a helloworld message on every enabled logic core.
Multi process Demonstrates the basics of sharing information between DPDK processes.
Timer Shows how timer can be used in a RTE application.
Blacklist/WhiteList Tests Whitelist/Blacklist Features by Poll Mode Drivers.
checksum_offload Tests RX/TX L3/L4 Checksum offload features by Poll Mode Drivers
jumbo_frame Tests jumbo frames features by Poll Mode Drivers
testpmd Provides benchmark tests for the Intel Ethernet Controller (Niantic) Poll Mode Driver.
l2fwd Provides a basic packet processing application using DPDK. It is a layer-2 (L2) forwarding application which takes traffic from a single RX port and transmits it with few modification on a single TX port.
L3fwd Verifies Layer-3 Forwarding results using l3fwd application.
IP fragment Verifies IPv4 fragmentation using ipv4_frag application.
Flow direction Verifies the Flow Director feature of the Intel 82599 10GbE Ethernet Controller
link_flowctrl Verifies Ethernet Link Flow Control Features by Poll Mode Drivers
ieee1588 Tests the IEEE1588 Precise Time Protocol offload supported in Poll Mode Drivers.