Files
nebula/flow_tx.go
T
Ryan Huber 51591b0cec tun: Hold one transmit mode per routine
With staged transmit, an idle reader encrypted and sent a small read
itself, while larger reads went to the workers and left from the
ordered sender. Each read chose on its own, so under load a routine
alternated between the two paths. Their packets left from different
CPUs, and the receiver's TCP saw them out of order: on 100 GbE, summed
over four hosts, dsack_dups rose from 0-1 on master to about 25k and
reord_seen from 0 to 13k-19k.

Each routine now holds one mode, inline on the reader or fanout to the
workers and the sender. It switches only after tun.staged.gate_hold
(default 64) reads in a row want the other mode, and before going
inline it waits until every batch in flight is on the wire, so a
switch never lets a later packet overtake an earlier one. Going to
fanout nothing is in flight. flow.tx.gate_switches counts the switches.
On the same hosts dsack_dups fell to 20-52 and reord_seen to 0-2,
while throughput matched or beat per-read mixing (many-to-one 34.9
instead of 30.7 Gbit/s).

The affinity test waited only for the previous batch's packets to be
captured before the next read, but the sender returns the slot after
its write, so the reader could still see it in flight and stage the
small read. Switching to inline now drains, which makes the inline
send deterministic there.
2026-10-16 21:24:57 +00:00

554 lines
18 KiB
Go

package nebula
import (
"errors"
"net/netip"
"time"
"github.com/rcrowley/go-metrics"
"github.com/slackhq/nebula/firewall"
"github.com/slackhq/nebula/header"
"github.com/slackhq/nebula/noiseutil"
"github.com/slackhq/nebula/overlay/batch"
"github.com/slackhq/nebula/overlay/tio"
"github.com/slackhq/nebula/udp"
)
var errFlowSegmentOverrun = errors.New("superpacket has more segments than counters reserved for it")
// txItem is one firewall-approved inside packet (or superpacket) with everything needed to encrypt it. A nonzero
// counter is the first of the segs counters reserved for it on ci, relayCounter the same on the relay tunnel when
// relayHI is set. Zero counters are allocated per segment while encrypting, as inline sends do.
type txItem struct {
pkt tio.Packet
hostinfo *HostInfo
ci *ConnectionState
remote netip.AddrPort
segs uint64
counter uint64
relayHI *HostInfo
relay *Relay
relayCounter uint64
}
// prepareTxItem does the per-packet work sendInsideMessage does before it encrypts, and resolves where the packet goes.
func (f *Interface) prepareTxItem(it *txItem, hostinfo *HostInfo, pkt tio.Packet) bool {
ci := hostinfo.ConnectionState
if ci.eKey == nil {
return false
}
f.recordOutbound(hostinfo)
it.pkt, it.hostinfo, it.ci = pkt, hostinfo, ci
it.remote = hostinfo.GetRemote()
if it.remote.IsValid() {
return true
}
it.relayHI, it.relay = f.findRelay(hostinfo)
if it.relayHI == nil || it.relay == nil {
return false
}
it.remote = it.relayHI.GetRemote()
return true
}
// encryptTxItem segments and encrypts it into sb, for inline and staged sends alike.
func (f *Interface) encryptTxItem(it *txItem, nb []byte, sb *batch.SendBatch) {
reserved := it.counter != 0
c, rc, end := it.counter, it.relayCounter, it.counter+it.segs
err := tio.SegmentSuperpacket(it.pkt, func(seg []byte) error {
if reserved && c >= end {
// More segments than counters reserved for them, never encrypt past the reservation
return errFlowSegmentOverrun
}
if it.relayHI == nil {
// header + plaintext + AEAD tag (16 bytes for both AES-GCM and ChaCha20-Poly1305)
if out := f.encryptTxSegment(it, c, seg, nb, sb.Reserve(header.Len+len(seg)+16)); out != nil {
sb.Commit(out, it.remote)
}
} else {
f.encryptTxSegmentVia(it, c, rc, seg, nb, sb)
}
if reserved {
c++
rc++
}
return nil
})
if err != nil {
it.hostinfo.logger(f.l).Error("Failed to segment superpacket for send", "error", err)
}
}
// encryptTxSegment encrypts one segment into out with counter c, or with the next counter of the tunnel when c is
// zero. It returns nil when encryption failed, which is already logged.
func (f *Interface) encryptTxSegment(it *txItem, c uint64, seg, nb, out []byte) []byte {
if c != 0 {
// Reserved counters are unique, so the encryption needs no lock
return f.encryptMessage(header.Message, 0, it.hostinfo, it.ci, c, seg, nb, out, it.remote)
}
if noiseutil.EncryptLockNeeded {
it.ci.writeLock.Lock()
}
c = it.ci.messageCounter.Add(1)
out = f.encryptMessage(header.Message, 0, it.hostinfo, it.ci, c, seg, nb, out, it.remote)
if noiseutil.EncryptLockNeeded {
it.ci.writeLock.Unlock()
}
return out
}
// encryptTxSegmentVia encrypts one segment for the relayed tunnel, then wraps it for the relay with counter rc, both
// allocated on demand when zero like encryptTxSegment does.
func (f *Interface) encryptTxSegmentVia(it *txItem, c, rc uint64, seg, nb []byte, sb *batch.SendBatch) {
//relay header + header + plaintext + AEAD tag + relay tag
scratch := sb.Reserve(len(seg) + header.MaxOverhead)
out := f.encryptTxSegment(it, c, seg, nb, scratch[header.Len:])
if out == nil {
return
}
toSend, err := f.prepareSendVia(it.relayHI, it.relay, out, nb, scratch, true, rc)
if err != nil {
return
}
remote := it.remote
if rc == 0 {
// Unreserved sends follow the relay's current remote, like sendNoMetrics
remote = it.relayHI.GetRemote()
}
sb.Commit(toSend, remote)
}
// txTunnel accumulates one tunnel's counter needs across a batch so the batch reserves them with one atomic add.
type txTunnel struct {
ci *ConnectionState
hostinfo *HostInfo
n uint64
base uint64
exhausted bool
}
// txReserver turns one tun read into txItems with message counters reserved for them. Only the reader goroutine
// collects and reserves counters.
type txReserver struct {
f *Interface
tunnels []txTunnel
owner uint64
}
// collect runs the filter over pkts and appends the sendable ones to items, tallying each tunnel's counter needs.
func (r *txReserver) collect(items []txItem, pkts []tio.Packet, fwPacket *firewall.ParsedPacket, rejectBuf []byte, q int, localCache firewall.ConntrackCache) []txItem {
f := r.f
r.tunnels = r.tunnels[:0]
for _, pkt := range pkts {
hostinfo := f.filterInsidePacket(pkt, fwPacket, rejectBuf, q, localCache)
if hostinfo == nil {
continue
}
var it txItem
if !f.prepareTxItem(&it, hostinfo, pkt) {
continue
}
it.segs = uint64(pkt.SegmentCount())
it.counter = r.need(it.hostinfo, it.ci, it.segs)
if it.relayHI != nil {
// The relay bookkeeping inline sends do per segment in prepareSendVia, once per item
f.connectionManager.OutNoRebind(it.relayHI)
f.connectionManager.RelayUsed(it.relay.LocalIndex)
it.relayCounter = r.need(it.relayHI, it.relayHI.ConnectionState, it.segs)
}
items = append(items, it)
}
return items
}
// need adds n counters to ci's tally for this batch and returns the offset of the first one within it.
func (r *txReserver) need(hostinfo *HostInfo, ci *ConnectionState, n uint64) uint64 {
t := r.tunnel(ci)
if t == nil {
r.tunnels = append(r.tunnels, txTunnel{ci: ci, hostinfo: hostinfo})
t = &r.tunnels[len(r.tunnels)-1]
}
off := t.n
t.n += n
return off
}
// tunnel finds ci's tally, a batch rarely touches more than a couple of tunnels so a scan beats a map.
func (r *txReserver) tunnel(ci *ConnectionState) *txTunnel {
for i := range r.tunnels {
if r.tunnels[i].ci == ci {
return &r.tunnels[i]
}
}
return nil
}
// reserve takes the counters collect tallied and stamps them onto items, dropping the items of any tunnel whose
// counter is exhausted. It returns the items that are left.
func (r *txReserver) reserve(items []txItem) []txItem {
f := r.f
// One atomic add per tunnel reserves the whole batch's counters before any worker sees it, so counter order on a
// tunnel is dispatch order, which is the order the batches are flushed in. Reservation and the sender's order are
// both taken on the reader goroutine, so there is no window for another batch to slip in between.
for i := range r.tunnels {
t := &r.tunnels[i]
end := t.ci.messageCounter.Add(t.n)
t.base = end - t.n + 1
if end >= RejectAfterMessages {
t.ci.messageCounter.Store(RejectAfterMessages)
t.exhausted = true
f.messageMetrics.TxExhausted(int64(t.n))
if t.base <= RejectAfterMessages {
t.hostinfo.logger(f.l).Error("Dropping outbound packets, tunnel message counter is exhausted")
}
}
}
n := 0
for _, it := range items {
t := r.tunnel(it.ci)
if t.exhausted {
continue
}
it.counter += t.base
if it.relayHI != nil {
rt := r.tunnel(it.relayHI.ConnectionState)
if rt.exhausted {
continue
}
it.relayCounter += rt.base
}
items[n] = it
n++
}
clear(items[n:])
return items[:n]
}
// handoffQueue is a tun queue that can give up the buffer its last Read filled. SwapRxBuf(nil) allocates a
// correctly sized replacement; later swaps recycle the buffers handed back.
type handoffQueue interface {
tio.Queue
SwapRxBuf([]byte) []byte
}
// txSlot is one staged batch. The reader fills items, a worker encrypts them into sb and signals done, and the
// ordered sender flushes sb.
type txSlot struct {
f *Interface
items []txItem
// buf owns the queue receive buffer the items point into, swapped out at dispatch
buf []byte
sb *batch.SendBatch
done chan struct{}
// reservations hold shared tunnel credit until the flush, including for dropped counters
reservations []txTunnel
}
func (s *txSlot) run(nb []byte) {
for i := range s.items {
s.f.encryptTxItem(&s.items[i], nb, s.sb)
}
s.done <- struct{}{}
}
// stagedTx is the staged transmit pipeline of one tun reader. Everything but the workers and the sender runs on the
// reader goroutine.
type stagedTx struct {
txReserver
q int
cpu int // reader CPU, inline sends stay here
senderCPU int // -1 leaves the sender within its inherited affinity
queue handoffQueue
pool *flowPool
// sb and nb are the reader's own, for the sends it does itself
sb *batch.SendBatch
nb []byte
// free holds the reader's idle slots. A dispatched slot goes to the workers and, in the same order, to the
// sender on ordered; the sender gives it back on returned once it is on the wire.
free []*txSlot
ordered chan *txSlot
returned chan *txSlot
inFlight int
senderDone chan struct{}
// gateInline is the routine's transmit mode, gateStreak how many reads in a row wanted the other one
gateInline bool
gateStreak int
metricGateSwitches metrics.Counter
readBusy, encryptBusy, sendBusy metrics.Counter
metricBatches metrics.Counter
metricInline metrics.Counter
}
// newStagedTx needs a queue that hands over whole read batches, the offload (TSO/USO) queue on linux. On any other
// queue a read is one packet, and staging it would cost a handoff per packet.
func newStagedTx(f *Interface, queue handoffQueue, q int) *stagedTx {
p := &stagedTx{
txReserver: txReserver{f: f, tunnels: make([]txTunnel, 0, 4), owner: txBudgetOwner(q)},
q: q,
senderCPU: -1,
queue: queue,
sb: batch.NewSendBatch(f.writers[q], batch.SendBatchCap, batch.SendBatchCap*(udp.MTU+32)),
nb: make([]byte, 12),
ordered: make(chan *txSlot, f.staged.txSlots),
returned: make(chan *txSlot, f.staged.txSlots),
senderDone: make(chan struct{}),
readBusy: stageBusy("tx_read", q),
encryptBusy: stageBusy("tx_encrypt", q),
sendBusy: stageBusy("tx_send", q),
metricBatches: metrics.GetOrRegisterCounter("flow.tx.batches", nil),
metricInline: metrics.GetOrRegisterCounter("flow.tx.inline", nil),
// Starts inline, the pipeline is empty, unless the threshold never allows it
gateInline: f.staged.inlineBelow > 0,
metricGateSwitches: metrics.GetOrRegisterCounter("flow.tx.gate_switches", nil),
}
if f.pinThreads {
p.cpu = f.threadCPU(q)
// Only an explicit list pins the sender, and never onto its reader's CPU, where the two would serialise.
// Automatic placement by queue index can put a busy sender on a slow core; unpinned, the scheduler moves it.
if n := len(f.cpuAffinity); n > 0 && f.cpuAffinity[(q+1)%n] != p.cpu {
p.senderCPU = f.cpuAffinity[(q+1)%n]
}
}
p.pool = newFlowPool(f.staged.workers, f.staged.txSlots, p.encryptBusy)
// Ciphertext adds per-segment headers and tags; the arena can grow for small segments.
buf := queue.SwapRxBuf(nil)
bufSize := len(buf)
for i := range f.staged.txSlots {
if i > 0 {
buf = make([]byte, bufSize)
}
p.free = append(p.free, &txSlot{
f: f,
buf: buf,
sb: batch.NewSendBatch(f.writers[q], 4*batch.SendBatchCap, bufSize+bufSize/4),
done: make(chan struct{}, 1),
})
}
go p.sender()
return p
}
// run is listenIn's loop with the staged pipeline: read, then hand each batch on, until the queue fails.
func (p *stagedTx) run(fwPacket *firewall.ParsedPacket, rejectBuf []byte, conntrackCache *firewall.ConntrackCacheTicker) error {
defer p.close()
if p.f.pinThreads {
p.f.pinThreadToCPU(p.q, p.cpu)
}
for {
pkts, err := p.queue.Read()
if err != nil {
return err
}
// Waiting for a slot is backpressure, not reader work, so it comes before the clock read. The loop reads the
// clock twice, more only when it waits for tunnel credit or drains, for an oversized read or a switch to inline.
p.ready()
t := time.Now()
stall := p.handle(pkts, fwPacket, rejectBuf, conntrackCache.Get())
p.readBusy.Inc(int64(time.Since(t) - stall))
}
}
// handle takes one tun read through the pipeline. It returns once the batch is queued, or sent when the reader sent
// it itself, with how long it waited for tunnel credit.
func (p *stagedTx) handle(pkts []tio.Packet, fwPacket *firewall.ParsedPacket, rejectBuf []byte, localCache firewall.ConntrackCache) time.Duration {
p.ready()
inline, stall := p.gate(p.small(pkts))
if inline && p.f.routines == 1 {
// With only one reader and an empty pipeline, no other staged reservation can be overtaken. Keep this common
// case inexpensive.
p.inlineSoleReader(pkts, fwPacket, rejectBuf, localCache)
return stall
}
slot := p.free[len(p.free)-1]
p.free = p.free[:len(p.free)-1]
items := p.collect(slot.items[:0], pkts, fwPacket, rejectBuf, p.q, localCache)
if len(items) == 0 {
slot.items = items
p.free = append(p.free, slot)
return stall
}
if p.oversized() {
p.metricInline.Inc(1)
stall += p.sendLarge(items)
slot.items = items[:0]
p.free = append(p.free, slot)
return stall
}
d, ok := p.waitBudget()
stall += d
if !ok {
clear(items)
slot.items = items[:0]
p.free = append(p.free, slot)
return stall
}
slot.reservations = append(slot.reservations[:0], p.tunnels...)
items = p.reserve(items)
slot.items = items
if len(items) == 0 {
slot.releaseBudget()
p.free = append(p.free, slot)
return stall
}
if inline {
p.inline(slot)
p.free = append(p.free, slot)
return stall
}
// The packets now live in the slot, and the queue reads into the slot's old buffer
slot.buf = p.queue.SwapRxBuf(slot.buf)
p.inFlight++
p.metricBatches.Inc(1)
// Counters were reserved above on this goroutine and the slot takes its place in the sender's order right here,
// before any other batch can, so the sender puts them on the wire in counter order.
p.ordered <- slot
p.pool.jobs <- slot
return stall
}
// gate reports whether a read goes inline, and how long it waited for the pipeline to drain. Each routine holds one
// transmit mode, inline on the reader or fanout to the workers and the sender, until gateHold reads in a row want the
// other one, the last of which goes the new way. Choosing per read let small inline sends leave from the reader's CPU
// between staged ones leaving from the sender's, and the receiver's TCP saw them reordered. Going inline the reader
// first waits until everything in flight is on the wire and the sender is idle, so no inline send overtakes a staged
// one. Going to fanout nothing is in flight: inline sends finish before the reader moves on.
func (p *stagedTx) gate(small bool) (bool, time.Duration) {
if small == p.gateInline {
p.gateStreak = 0
return small, 0
}
if p.gateStreak++; p.gateStreak < p.f.staged.gateHold {
return p.gateInline, 0
}
p.gateInline, p.gateStreak = small, 0
p.metricGateSwitches.Inc(1)
if !small {
return false, 0
}
t := time.Now()
for p.flushOldest() {
}
return true, time.Since(t)
}
// ready takes back every slot the sender has finished with, and waits for one when all of them are in flight.
func (p *stagedTx) ready() {
p.reap()
if len(p.free) == 0 {
p.release(<-p.returned)
}
}
// reap takes back every slot the sender has finished with, without waiting.
func (p *stagedTx) reap() {
for {
select {
case s := <-p.returned:
p.release(s)
default:
return
}
}
}
// flushOldest waits for the oldest batch in flight to reach the wire and takes its slot back. It reports false when
// nothing is in flight.
func (p *stagedTx) flushOldest() bool {
if p.inFlight == 0 {
return false
}
p.release(<-p.returned)
return true
}
func (p *stagedTx) release(s *txSlot) {
p.inFlight--
p.free = append(p.free, s)
}
// sender is the ordered send stage: it puts each batch on the wire once its worker is done, in dispatch order.
func (p *stagedTx) sender() {
defer close(p.senderDone)
if p.senderCPU >= 0 {
p.f.pinThreadToCPU(p.q, p.senderCPU)
}
for s := range p.ordered {
<-s.done
t := time.Now()
if p.f.closed.Load() {
// The sockets are gone, a flush would only log errors
s.sb.Reset()
} else {
p.f.flushSendBatch(s.sb, p.q)
}
s.releaseBudget()
p.sendBusy.Inc(int64(time.Since(t)))
clear(s.items)
s.items = s.items[:0]
p.returned <- s
}
}
// close sends everything still in flight, in order, and stops the sender and the workers.
func (p *stagedTx) close() {
close(p.ordered)
<-p.senderDone
p.pool.close()
}
// small counts segments against the inline threshold.
func (p *stagedTx) small(pkts []tio.Packet) bool {
below := uint64(p.f.staged.inlineBelow)
if below == 0 {
return false
}
var n uint64
for _, pkt := range pkts {
if n += uint64(pkt.SegmentCount()); n >= below {
return false
}
}
return true
}
// inline encrypts a budgeted batch on the reader, with no worker handoff or buffer swap. The local sender is idle,
// but other readers may hold reservations on these tunnels, so keep our credit until the flush completes.
func (p *stagedTx) inline(slot *txSlot) {
p.metricInline.Inc(1)
for i := range slot.items {
p.f.encryptTxItem(&slot.items[i], p.nb, p.sb)
if p.sb.Len() >= batch.SendBatchCap {
p.f.flushSendBatch(p.sb, p.q)
}
}
p.f.flushSendBatch(p.sb, p.q)
slot.releaseBudget()
clear(slot.items)
slot.items = slot.items[:0]
}
// inlineSoleReader needs no credit: the interface has no other tun reader and this reader has drained every
// reservation before taking the inline path.
func (p *stagedTx) inlineSoleReader(pkts []tio.Packet, fwPacket *firewall.ParsedPacket, rejectBuf []byte, localCache firewall.ConntrackCache) {
p.metricInline.Inc(1)
for _, pkt := range pkts {
p.f.consumeInsidePacket(pkt, fwPacket, p.nb, p.sb, rejectBuf, p.q, localCache)
if p.sb.Len() >= batch.SendBatchCap {
p.f.flushSendBatch(p.sb, p.q)
}
}
p.f.flushSendBatch(p.sb, p.q)
}