i40e: support generic devlink param "max_mac_per_vf"

Currently the i40e driver enforces its own internally calculated per-VF MAC
filter limit, derived from the number of allocated VFs and available
hardware resources. This limit is not configurable by the administrator,
which makes it difficult to control how many MAC addresses each VF may
use.

This patch adds support for the new generic devlink runtime parameter
"max_mac_per_vf" which provides administrators with a way to cap the
number of MAC addresses a VF can use:

- When the parameter is set to 0 (default), the driver continues to use
  its internally calculated limit.

- When set to a non-zero value, the driver applies this value as a strict
  cap for VFs, overriding the internal calculation.

Important notes:

- The configured value is a theoretical maximum. Hardware limits may
  still prevent additional MAC addresses from being added, even if the
  parameter allows it.

- Since MAC filters are a shared hardware resource across all VFs,
  setting a high value may cause resource contention and starve other
  VFs.

- This change gives administrators predictable and flexible control over
  VF resource allocation, while still respecting hardware limitations.

- Previous discussion about this change:
  https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20250805134042.2604897-2-dhill@redhat.com
  https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20250823094952.182181-1-mheib@redhat.com

Signed-off-by: Mohammad Heib <mheib@redhat.com>
Reviewed-by: Jacob Keller <jacob.e.keller@intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Aleksandr Loktionov <aleksandr.loktionov@intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Simon Horman <horms@kernel.org>
Tested-by: Rafal Romanowski <rafal.romanowski@intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Jacob Keller <jacob.e.keller@intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Tony Nguyen <anthony.l.nguyen@intel.com>

1 files changed, 34 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/Documentation/networking/devlink/i40e.rst b/Documentation/networking/devlink/i40e.rst
index d3cb5bb5197e..51c887f0dc83 100644
--- a/Documentation/networking/devlink/i40e.rst
+++ b/Documentation/networking/devlink/i40e.rst
@@ -7,6 +7,40 @@ i40e devlink support
 This document describes the devlink features implemented by the ``i40e``
 device driver.
 
+Parameters
+==========
+
+.. list-table:: Generic parameters implemented
+    :widths: 5 5 90
+
+    * - Name
+      - Mode
+      - Notes
+    * - ``max_mac_per_vf``
+      - runtime
+      - Controls the maximum number of MAC addresses a VF can use
+        on i40e devices.
+
+        By default (``0``), the driver enforces its internally calculated per-VF
+        MAC filter limit, which is based on the number of allocated VFS.
+
+        If set to a non-zero value, this parameter acts as a strict cap:
+        the driver will use the user-provided value instead of its internal
+        calculation.
+
+        **Important notes:**
+
+        - This value **must be set before enabling SR-IOV**.
+          Attempting to change it while SR-IOV is enabled will return an error.
+        - MAC filters are a **shared hardware resource** across all VFs.
+          Setting a high value may cause other VFs to be starved of filters.
+        - This value is a **Administrative policy**. The hardware may return
+          errors when its absolute limit is reached, regardless of the value
+          set here.
+
+        The default value is ``0`` (internal calculation is used).
+
+
 Info versions
 =============