Scatter/gather DMA is used for the buffer system in Napatech SmartNICs running Link-Inline™ Software.
Scatter/gather DMA
In inline frame processing, contents and length of frames are typically modified. In addition when frames are received and transmitted, the order of frames can be changed in the host as each frame may require different processing. Scatter/gather DMA is used for the buffer system in Napatech SmartNICs running Link-Inline™ Software, which is optimal for inline frame processing. When using scatter/gather DMA, data is forwarded frame by frame as frames are forwarded to the host. The SmartNIC doesn't have to wait for segments to be filled or for timeout. This results in optimal forwarding latency.