diff --git a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c
index 73a406b..fa6f045 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c
@@ -515,6 +515,8 @@ static const struct rte_eth_desc_lim tx_desc_lim = {
 	.nb_max = IXGBE_MAX_RING_DESC,
 	.nb_min = IXGBE_MIN_RING_DESC,
 	.nb_align = IXGBE_TXD_ALIGN,
+	.nb_seg_max = IXGBE_TX_MAX_SEG,
+	.nb_mtu_seg_max = IXGBE_TX_MAX_SEG,
 };
 
 static const struct eth_dev_ops ixgbe_eth_dev_ops = {
@@ -1101,6 +1103,7 @@ eth_ixgbe_dev_init(struct rte_eth_dev *eth_dev)
 	eth_dev->dev_ops = &ixgbe_eth_dev_ops;
 	eth_dev->rx_pkt_burst = &ixgbe_recv_pkts;
 	eth_dev->tx_pkt_burst = &ixgbe_xmit_pkts;
+	eth_dev->tx_pkt_prep = &ixgbe_prep_pkts;
 
 	/*
 	 * For secondary processes, we don't initialise any further as primary
diff --git a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.h b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.h
index 4ff6338..09d96de 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.h
+++ b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.h
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*-
  *   BSD LICENSE
  *
- *   Copyright(c) 2010-2015 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *   Copyright(c) 2010-2016 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
  *   All rights reserved.
  *
  *   Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
@@ -396,6 +396,12 @@ uint16_t ixgbe_xmit_pkts(void *tx_queue, struct rte_mbuf **tx_pkts,
 uint16_t ixgbe_xmit_pkts_simple(void *tx_queue, struct rte_mbuf **tx_pkts,
 		uint16_t nb_pkts);
 
+uint16_t ixgbe_prep_pkts(void *tx_queue, struct rte_mbuf **tx_pkts,
+		uint16_t nb_pkts);
+
+uint16_t ixgbe_prep_pkts_simple(void *tx_queue, struct rte_mbuf **tx_pkts,
+		uint16_t nb_pkts);
+
 int ixgbe_dev_rss_hash_update(struct rte_eth_dev *dev,
 			      struct rte_eth_rss_conf *rss_conf);
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_rxtx.c b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_rxtx.c
index 8b99282..2489db4 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_rxtx.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_rxtx.c
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*-
  *   BSD LICENSE
  *
- *   Copyright(c) 2010-2015 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *   Copyright(c) 2010-2016 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
  *   Copyright 2014 6WIND S.A.
  *   All rights reserved.
  *
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@
 #include <rte_string_fns.h>
 #include <rte_errno.h>
 #include <rte_ip.h>
+#include <rte_pkt.h>
 
 #include "ixgbe_logs.h"
 #include "base/ixgbe_api.h"
@@ -87,6 +88,9 @@
 		PKT_TX_TCP_SEG |		 \
 		PKT_TX_OUTER_IP_CKSUM)
 
+#define IXGBE_TX_OFFLOAD_NOTSUP_MASK \
+		(PKT_TX_OFFLOAD_MASK ^ IXGBE_TX_OFFLOAD_MASK)
+
 #if 1
 #define RTE_PMD_USE_PREFETCH
 #endif
@@ -905,6 +909,83 @@ end_of_tx:
 
 /*********************************************************************
  *
+ *  TX prep functions
+ *
+ **********************************************************************/
+uint16_t
+ixgbe_prep_pkts(void *tx_queue, struct rte_mbuf **tx_pkts, uint16_t nb_pkts)
+{
+	int i, ret;
+	struct rte_mbuf *m;
+	struct ixgbe_tx_queue *txq = (struct ixgbe_tx_queue *)tx_queue;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < nb_pkts; i++) {
+		m = tx_pkts[i];
+
+		/**
+		 * Check if packet meets requirements for number of segments
+		 *
+		 * NOTE: for ixgbe it's always (40 - WTHRESH) for both TSO and non-TSO
+		 */
+
+		if (m->nb_segs > IXGBE_TX_MAX_SEG - txq->wthresh) {
+			rte_errno = -EINVAL;
+			return i;
+		}
+
+		if (m->ol_flags & IXGBE_TX_OFFLOAD_NOTSUP_MASK) {
+			rte_errno = -EINVAL;
+			return i;
+		}
+
+#ifdef RTE_LIBRTE_ETHDEV_DEBUG
+		ret = rte_validate_tx_offload(m);
+		if (ret != 0) {
+			rte_errno = ret;
+			return i;
+		}
+#endif
+		ret = rte_phdr_cksum_fix(m);
+		if (ret != 0) {
+			rte_errno = ret;
+			return i;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return i;
+}
+
+/* ixgbe simple path as well as vector TX doesn't support tx offloads */
+uint16_t
+ixgbe_prep_pkts_simple(void *tx_queue __rte_unused, struct rte_mbuf **tx_pkts,
+		uint16_t nb_pkts)
+{
+	int i;
+	struct rte_mbuf *m;
+	uint64_t ol_flags;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < nb_pkts; i++) {
+		m = tx_pkts[i];
+		ol_flags = m->ol_flags;
+
+		/* simple tx path doesn't support multi-segments */
+		if (m->nb_segs != 1) {
+			rte_errno = -EINVAL;
+			return i;
+		}
+
+		/* For simple path (simple and vector) no tx offloads are supported */
+		if (ol_flags & PKT_TX_OFFLOAD_MASK) {
+			rte_errno = -EINVAL;
+			return i;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return i;
+}
+
+/*********************************************************************
+ *
  *  RX functions
  *
  **********************************************************************/
@@ -2280,6 +2361,7 @@ ixgbe_set_tx_function(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, struct ixgbe_tx_queue *txq)
 	if (((txq->txq_flags & IXGBE_SIMPLE_FLAGS) == IXGBE_SIMPLE_FLAGS)
 			&& (txq->tx_rs_thresh >= RTE_PMD_IXGBE_TX_MAX_BURST)) {
 		PMD_INIT_LOG(DEBUG, "Using simple tx code path");
+		dev->tx_pkt_prep = ixgbe_prep_pkts_simple;
 #ifdef RTE_IXGBE_INC_VECTOR
 		if (txq->tx_rs_thresh <= RTE_IXGBE_TX_MAX_FREE_BUF_SZ &&
 				(rte_eal_process_type() != RTE_PROC_PRIMARY ||
@@ -2300,6 +2382,7 @@ ixgbe_set_tx_function(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, struct ixgbe_tx_queue *txq)
 				(unsigned long)txq->tx_rs_thresh,
 				(unsigned long)RTE_PMD_IXGBE_TX_MAX_BURST);
 		dev->tx_pkt_burst = ixgbe_xmit_pkts;
+		dev->tx_pkt_prep = ixgbe_prep_pkts;
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_rxtx.h b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_rxtx.h
index 2608b36..7bbd9b8 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_rxtx.h
+++ b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_rxtx.h
@@ -80,6 +80,8 @@
 #define RTE_IXGBE_WAIT_100_US               100
 #define RTE_IXGBE_VMTXSW_REGISTER_COUNT     2
 
+#define IXGBE_TX_MAX_SEG                    40
+
 #define IXGBE_PACKET_TYPE_MASK_82599        0X7F
 #define IXGBE_PACKET_TYPE_MASK_X550         0X10FF
 #define IXGBE_PACKET_TYPE_MASK_TUNNEL       0XFF
