diff --git a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_ethdev.c
index 74b0f3d1dc..d7c8b3ec07 100644
--- a/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/bnxt/bnxt_ethdev.c
@@ -5586,6 +5586,13 @@ static int bnxt_rep_port_probe(struct rte_pci_device *pci_dev,
 	int i, ret = 0;
 	struct rte_kvargs *kvlist = NULL;
 
+	if (eth_da->type == RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_NONE)
+		return 0;
+	if (eth_da->type != RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_VF) {
+		PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "unsupported representor type %d\n",
+			    eth_da->type);
+		return -ENOTSUP;
+	}
 	num_rep = eth_da->nb_representor_ports;
 	if (num_rep > BNXT_MAX_VF_REPS) {
 		PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "nb_representor_ports = %d > %d MAX VF REPS\n",
diff --git a/drivers/net/enic/enic_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/enic/enic_ethdev.c
index d041a6bee9..dd085caa93 100644
--- a/drivers/net/enic/enic_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/enic/enic_ethdev.c
@@ -1303,6 +1303,13 @@ static int eth_enic_pci_probe(struct rte_pci_driver *pci_drv __rte_unused,
 		if (retval)
 			return retval;
 	}
+	if (eth_da.type == RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_NONE)
+		return 0;
+	if (eth_da.type != RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_VF) {
+		ENICPMD_LOG(ERR, "unsupported representor type: %s\n",
+			    pci_dev->device.devargs->args);
+		return -ENOTSUP;
+	}
 	retval = rte_eth_dev_create(&pci_dev->device, pci_dev->device.name,
 		sizeof(struct enic),
 		eth_dev_pci_specific_init, pci_dev,
diff --git a/drivers/net/i40e/i40e_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/i40e/i40e_ethdev.c
index f083ac52fa..eb55d64585 100644
--- a/drivers/net/i40e/i40e_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/i40e/i40e_ethdev.c
@@ -638,6 +638,14 @@ eth_i40e_pci_probe(struct rte_pci_driver *pci_drv __rte_unused,
 			return retval;
 	}
 
+	if (eth_da.type == RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_NONE)
+		return 0;
+	if (eth_da.type != RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_VF) {
+		PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "unsupported representor type: %s\n",
+			    pci_dev->device.devargs->args);
+		return -ENOTSUP;
+	}
+
 	retval = rte_eth_dev_create(&pci_dev->device, pci_dev->device.name,
 		sizeof(struct i40e_adapter),
 		eth_dev_pci_specific_init, pci_dev,
diff --git a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c
index fa0f5afd03..6f1a710dae 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c
@@ -1717,6 +1717,14 @@ eth_ixgbe_pci_probe(struct rte_pci_driver *pci_drv __rte_unused,
 	} else
 		memset(&eth_da, 0, sizeof(eth_da));
 
+	if (eth_da.type == RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_NONE)
+		return 0;
+	if (eth_da.type != RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_VF) {
+		PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "unsupported representor type: %s\n",
+			    pci_dev->device.devargs->args);
+		return -ENOTSUP;
+	}
+
 	retval = rte_eth_dev_create(&pci_dev->device, pci_dev->device.name,
 		sizeof(struct ixgbe_adapter),
 		eth_dev_pci_specific_init, pci_dev,
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx5/linux/mlx5_os.c b/drivers/net/mlx5/linux/mlx5_os.c
index 9ac1d46b1b..caead107b0 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx5/linux/mlx5_os.c
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx5/linux/mlx5_os.c
@@ -705,6 +705,17 @@ mlx5_dev_spawn(struct rte_device *dpdk_dev,
 				strerror(rte_errno));
 			return NULL;
 		}
+		if (eth_da.type != RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_NONE) {
+			/* Representor not specified. */
+			rte_errno = EBUSY;
+			return NULL;
+		}
+		if (eth_da.type != RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_VF) {
+			rte_errno = ENOTSUP;
+			DRV_LOG(ERR, "unsupported representor type: %s",
+				dpdk_dev->devargs->args);
+			return NULL;
+		}
 		for (i = 0; i < eth_da.nb_representor_ports; ++i)
 			if (eth_da.representor_ports[i] ==
 			    (uint16_t)switch_info->port_name)
diff --git a/lib/librte_ethdev/ethdev_private.c b/lib/librte_ethdev/ethdev_private.c
index 162a502fe7..c1a411dba4 100644
--- a/lib/librte_ethdev/ethdev_private.c
+++ b/lib/librte_ethdev/ethdev_private.c
@@ -111,11 +111,16 @@ rte_eth_devargs_process_range(char *str, uint16_t *list, uint16_t *len_list,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/*
+ * representor format:
+ *   #: range or single number of VF representor
+ */
 int
 rte_eth_devargs_parse_representor_ports(char *str, void *data)
 {
 	struct rte_eth_devargs *eth_da = data;
 
+	eth_da->type = RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_VF;
 	return rte_eth_devargs_process_range(str, eth_da->representor_ports,
 		&eth_da->nb_representor_ports, RTE_MAX_ETHPORTS);
 }
diff --git a/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev_driver.h b/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev_driver.h
index 0eacfd8425..cd33184f17 100644
--- a/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev_driver.h
+++ b/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev_driver.h
@@ -1193,6 +1193,14 @@ __rte_internal
 int
 rte_eth_switch_domain_free(uint16_t domain_id);
 
+/** Ethernet device representor port type */
+enum rte_eth_representor_type {
+	RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_NONE, /**< not a representor. */
+	RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_VF,   /**< representor of Virtual Function. */
+	RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_SF,   /**< representor of Sub Function. */
+	RTE_ETH_REPRESENTOR_PF,   /**< representor of host Physical Function. */
+};
+
 /** Generic Ethernet device arguments  */
 struct rte_eth_devargs {
 	uint16_t ports[RTE_MAX_ETHPORTS];
@@ -1203,6 +1211,7 @@ struct rte_eth_devargs {
 	/** representor port/s identifier to enable on device */
 	uint16_t nb_representor_ports;
 	/** number of ports in representor port field */
+	enum rte_eth_representor_type type; /* type of representor */
 };
 
 /**
