diff --git a/profiles/realtime/realtime-variables.conf b/profiles/realtime/realtime-variables.conf

index c2da595..9d929e0 100644

--- a/profiles/realtime/realtime-variables.conf

+++ b/profiles/realtime/realtime-variables.conf

@@ -9,3 +9,11 @@

 # kernel supports it.

 #

 # isolate_managed_irq=Y

+#

+#

+# Set the desired combined queue count value using the parameter provided

+# below. Ideally this should be set to the number of housekeeping CPUs i.e.,

+# in the example given below it is assumed that the system has 4 housekeeping

+# (non-isolated) CPUs.

+#

+# netdev_queue_count=4

diff --git a/profiles/realtime/tuned.conf b/profiles/realtime/tuned.conf

index 8eed36e..2400849 100644

--- a/profiles/realtime/tuned.conf

+++ b/profiles/realtime/tuned.conf

@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@ assert2=${f:assertion:isolated_cores contains online CPU(s):${isolated_cores_exp

 isolate_managed_irq = ${isolate_managed_irq}

 managed_irq=${f:regex_search_ternary:${isolate_managed_irq}:\b[y,Y,1,t,T]\b:managed_irq,domain,:}

+[net]

+channels=combined ${f:check_net_queue_count:${netdev_queue_count}}

+

 [sysctl]

 kernel.hung_task_timeout_secs = 600

 kernel.nmi_watchdog = 0

diff --git a/tuned/profiles/functions/function_check_net_queue_count.py b/tuned/profiles/functions/function_check_net_queue_count.py

new file mode 100644

index 0000000..eb54f98

--- /dev/null

+++ b/tuned/profiles/functions/function_check_net_queue_count.py

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@

+import tuned.logs

+from . import base

+

+log = tuned.logs.get()

+

+class check_net_queue_count(base.Function):

+	"""

+	Checks whether the user has specified a queue count for net devices. If

+        not, return the number of housekeeping CPUs.

+	"""

+	def __init__(self):

+		# 1 argument

+		super(check_net_queue_count, self).__init__("check_net_queue_count", 1, 1)

+

+	def execute(self, args):

+		if not super(check_net_queue_count, self).execute(args):

+			return None

+		if args[0].isdigit():

+			return args[0]

+		(ret, out) = self._cmd.execute(["nproc"])

+		log.warn("net-dev queue count is not correctly specified, setting it to HK CPUs %s" % (out))

+		return out

diff --git a/tuned/plugins/plugin_net.py b/tuned/plugins/plugin_net.py

index 4d4c19e..a20d87e 100644

--- a/tuned/plugins/plugin_net.py

+++ b/tuned/plugins/plugin_net.py

@@ -122,6 +122,13 @@ class NetTuningPlugin(base.Plugin):

 			"rx-jumbo": None,

 			"tx": None }

+	@classmethod

+	def _get_config_options_channels(cls):

+		return { "rx": None,

+			"tx": None,

+			"other": None,

+			"combined": None }

+

 	@classmethod

 	def _get_config_options(cls):

 		return {

@@ -132,6 +139,7 @@ class NetTuningPlugin(base.Plugin):

 			"coalesce": None,

 			"pause": None,

 			"ring": None,

+			"channels": None,

 		}

 	def _init_stats_and_idle(self, instance, device):

@@ -282,7 +290,8 @@ class NetTuningPlugin(base.Plugin):

 		params = set(d.keys())

 		supported_getter = { "coalesce": self._get_config_options_coalesce, \

 				"pause": self._get_config_options_pause, \

-				"ring": self._get_config_options_ring }

+				"ring": self._get_config_options_ring, \

+				"channels": self._get_config_options_channels }

 		supported = set(supported_getter[context]().keys())

 		if not params.issubset(supported):

 			log.error("unknown %s parameter(s): %s" % (context, str(params - supported)))

@@ -313,6 +322,29 @@ class NetTuningPlugin(base.Plugin):

 		l = [x for x in [re.split(r":\s*", x) for x in l] if len(x) == 2]

 		return dict(l)

+	# parse output of ethtool -l

+	def _parse_channels_parameters(self, s):

+		a = re.split(r"^Current hardware settings:$", s, flags=re.MULTILINE)

+		s = a[1]

+		s = self._cmd.multiple_re_replace(\

+				{"RX": "rx",

+				"TX": "tx",

+				"Other": "other",

+				"Combined": "combined"}, s)

+		l = s.split("\n")

+		l = [x for x in l if x != '']

+		l = [x for x in [re.split(r":\s*", x) for x in l] if len(x) == 2]

+		return dict(l)

+

+	def _replace_channels_parameters(self, context, params_list, dev_params):

+		mod_params_list = []

+		if "combined" in params_list:

+			mod_params_list.extend(["rx", params_list[1], "tx", params_list[1]])

+		else:

+			cnt = str(max(int(params_list[1]), int(params_list[3])))

+			mod_params_list.extend(["combined", cnt])

+		return dict(list(zip(mod_params_list[::2], mod_params_list[1::2])))

+

 	def _check_device_support(self, context, parameters, device, dev_params):

 		"""Filter unsupported parameters and log warnings about it

@@ -337,7 +369,8 @@ class NetTuningPlugin(base.Plugin):

 			parameters.pop(param, None)

 	def _get_device_parameters(self, context, device):

-		context2opt = { "coalesce": "-c", "features": "-k", "pause": "-a", "ring": "-g" }

+		context2opt = { "coalesce": "-c", "features": "-k", "pause": "-a", "ring": "-g", \

+				"channels": "-l"}

 		opt = context2opt[context]

 		ret, value = self._cmd.execute(["ethtool", opt, device])

 		if ret != 0 or len(value) == 0:

@@ -345,7 +378,8 @@ class NetTuningPlugin(base.Plugin):

 		context2parser = { "coalesce": self._parse_device_parameters, \

 				"features": self._parse_device_parameters, \

 				"pause": self._parse_pause_parameters, \

-				"ring": self._parse_ring_parameters }

+				"ring": self._parse_ring_parameters, \

+				"channels": self._parse_channels_parameters }

 		parser = context2parser[context]

 		d = parser(value)

 		if context == "coalesce" and not self._check_parameters(context, d):

@@ -362,10 +396,14 @@ class NetTuningPlugin(base.Plugin):

 		# check if device supports parameters and filter out unsupported ones

 		if dev_params:

 			self._check_device_support(context, d, device, dev_params)

+			# replace the channel parameters based on the device support

+			if context == "channels" and int(dev_params[next(iter(d))]) == 0:

+				d = self._replace_channels_parameters(context, self._cmd.dict2list(d), dev_params)

 		if not sim and len(d) != 0:

 			log.debug("setting %s: %s" % (context, str(d)))

-			context2opt = { "coalesce": "-C", "features": "-K", "pause": "-A", "ring": "-G" }

+			context2opt = { "coalesce": "-C", "features": "-K", "pause": "-A", "ring": "-G", \

+                                "channels": "-L"}

 			opt = context2opt[context]

 			# ignore ethtool return code 80, it means parameter is already set

 			self._cmd.execute(["ethtool", opt, device] + self._cmd.dict2list(d), no_errors = [80])

@@ -422,3 +460,7 @@ class NetTuningPlugin(base.Plugin):

 	@command_custom("ring", per_device = True)

 	def _ring(self, start, value, device, verify, ignore_missing):

 		return self._custom_parameters("ring", start, value, device, verify)

+

+	@command_custom("channels", per_device = True)

+	def _channels(self, start, value, device, verify, ignore_missing):

+		return self._custom_parameters("channels", start, value, device, verify)