dcb-buffer - Linux

Overview

dcb-buffer manages Data Center Bridging (DCB) priority functions for traffic classes. It gives users fine-grained control over network performance by allocating specific bandwidth, latency, and loss characteristics to different traffic flows. DCB provides enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities in data center environments where network management and optimization are vital for performance-demanding workloads.

Syntax

dcb-buffer [options] <command> [args]

Options/Flags

-d, –device: Device name or netdev name (default: eth0)
-s, –show: Show the current buffer configuration
-c, –config: Configure the buffer with the specified priority mapping
-l, –limit: Set the max/min bandwidth percentage for a specific priority (range: 0-100)
-p, –parent: Specify the parent priority for a sub-priority (range: 0-15)
-w, –weight: Set the bandwidth weight for a specific priority (range: 1-65535)


## Examples

**Show the current buffer configuration:**

dcb-buffer -s


**Configure the buffer with custom priority mapping:**

dcb-buffer -c p0=1,p1=2,p2=3,p3=4


**Set max bandwidth limit for priority 1:**

dcb-buffer -l 1max=50


**Set parent priority for sub-priority 2:**

dcb-buffer -p 2=1


**Configure buffer weight for priority 3:**

dcb-buffer -w 3=20000


## Common Issues

* **Insufficient permissions:** Ensure you have root or sudo privileges to configure DCB parameters.
* **Unsupported device:** Confirm that the device supports DCB functions.
* **Conflicting configurations:** Avoid overlapping or invalid priority settings.

## Integration

**With other DCB tools:**

* Use **dcb-test** to verify the configured DCB settings.
* Integrate with **tc** (Traffic Control) to manage traffic shaping and queue disciplines.

## Related Commands

* tc
* dcb-test
* ethtool

**Resources:**

* [DCB Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Center_Bridging)