From the netdev mailing list:
Ido says:
This patchset aims to prepare the mlxsw driver for VRF offload. The follow-up patchsets that introduce VRF support can be found here: github idosch-next.
The first four patches are mainly concerned with the netdevice notification block. There are no functional changes, but merely restructuring to more easily integrate VRF enslavement.
Patches 5-10 remove various assumptions throughout the code about a single virtual router (VR) and also restructure the internal data structures to more accurately represent the device's operation.