Subject: Re: [PATCH net-next] net/mlx5e: Enable mac forwarding on uplink representor

From: Saeed Mahameed <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:10:37 -0700

On 17 Mar 14:36, Jakub Kicinski wrote:
>On Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:12:15 -0700 Saeed Mahameed wrote:
>> On 11 Mar 20:33, Jakub Kicinski wrote:
>> >On Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:48:41 +0200 Tariq Toukan wrote:
>> >> This small patch enables mac forwarding to MPFs via uplink representor,
>> >
>> >"mac forwarding to MPF via uplink representor"
>> >Can't wrap my head around this "via". Could you explain this better?
>> >Perhaps some tool can spit out a little diagram to make the flow clear?
>> >
>>
>> Mac forwarding in the sense of linux bridge mac forwarding mechanism which
>> requires set_rx_mode ndo to be implemented.
>>
>> Linux-bridge --> mlx5-uplink-rep --> set_rx_mode --> set up mac in HW.
>
>And the actual forwarding happens in SW bridge? This is just to
>configure the Rx filter not to discard on Rx?

Yes Forwarding happens on the SW bridge, just to register the mac so it
won't get dropped.