Comparison of NETD and NETH
NETD and NETH provide different mechanisms to expose network adapters to Linux and differ in their configuration characteristics.
The following table compares their key characteristics.
| Characteristic | NETH | NETD |
|---|---|---|
| PF controlled by | IBM firmware | Linux instance |
| VF configuration | Existence and properties of VFs are controlled through I/O configuration by using HCD or DPM. | Existence and some properties of VFs are controlled by the Linux instance that owns the PF. |
| Predictable interface names | Names derived from PCI function attributes | Names derived from PCI function attributes and PF/VF relationship, and the port |
| IBM INA 100G support | Not available | Available |
NETH provides a simpler device model with virtual functions, whereas NETD offers greater flexibility through PF/VF-based configuration managed by Linux.