diff --git a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_crypto_sym.h b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_crypto_sym.h
index ffa038dc4..f5dd05ab0 100644
--- a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_crypto_sym.h
+++ b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_crypto_sym.h
@@ -25,6 +25,59 @@ extern "C" {
 #include <rte_mempool.h>
 #include <rte_common.h>
 
+/**
+ * Crypto IO Vector (in analogy with struct iovec)
+ * Supposed be used to pass input/output data buffers for crypto data-path
+ * functions.
+ */
+struct rte_crypto_vec {
+	/** virtual address of the data buffer */
+	void *base;
+	/** IOVA of the data buffer */
+	rte_iova_t *iova;
+	/** length of the data buffer */
+	uint32_t len;
+};
+
+struct rte_crypto_sgl {
+	/** start of an array of vectors */
+	struct rte_crypto_vec *vec;
+	/** size of an array of vectors */
+	uint32_t num;
+};
+
+struct rte_crypto_sym_vec {
+	/** array of SGL vectors */
+	struct rte_crypto_sgl *sgl;
+	/** array of pointers to IV */
+	void **iv;
+	/** array of pointers to AAD */
+	void **aad;
+	/** array of pointers to digest */
+	void **digest;
+	/**
+	 * array of statuses for each operation:
+	 *  - 0 on success
+	 *  - errno on error
+	 */
+	int32_t *status;
+	/** number of operations to perform */
+	uint32_t num;
+};
+
+/**
+ * used for cpu_crypto_process_bulk() to specify head/tail offsets
+ * for auth/cipher processing.
+ */
+union rte_crypto_sym_ofs {
+	uint64_t raw;
+	struct {
+		struct {
+			uint16_t head;
+			uint16_t tail;
+		} auth, cipher;
+	} ofs;
+};
 
 /** Symmetric Cipher Algorithms */
 enum rte_crypto_cipher_algorithm {
@@ -425,7 +478,14 @@ enum rte_crypto_sym_xform_type {
 	RTE_CRYPTO_SYM_XFORM_NOT_SPECIFIED = 0,	/**< No xform specified */
 	RTE_CRYPTO_SYM_XFORM_AUTH,		/**< Authentication xform */
 	RTE_CRYPTO_SYM_XFORM_CIPHER,		/**< Cipher xform  */
-	RTE_CRYPTO_SYM_XFORM_AEAD		/**< AEAD xform  */
+	RTE_CRYPTO_SYM_XFORM_AEAD,		/**< AEAD xform  */
+
+	RTE_CRYPTO_SYM_XFORM_TYPE_MASK = 0xFFFF,
+	/**< xform type mask value */
+	RTE_CRYPTO_SYM_XFORM_FLAG_MASK = 0xFFFF0000,
+	/**< xform flag mask value */
+	RTE_CRYPTO_SYM_CPU_CRYPTO = 0x80000000,
+	/**< xform flag for cpu-crypto */
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.c b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.c
index 89aa2ed3e..157fda890 100644
--- a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.c
+++ b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.c
@@ -1616,6 +1616,36 @@ rte_cryptodev_sym_session_get_user_data(
 	return (void *)(sess->sess_data + sess->nb_drivers);
 }
 
+static inline void
+sym_crypto_fill_status(struct rte_crypto_sym_vec *vec, int32_t errnum)
+{
+	uint32_t i;
+	for (i = 0; i < vec->num; i++)
+		vec->status[i] = errnum;
+}
+
+uint32_t
+rte_cryptodev_sym_cpu_crypto_process(uint8_t dev_id,
+	struct rte_cryptodev_sym_session *sess, union rte_crypto_sym_ofs ofs,
+	struct rte_crypto_sym_vec *vec)
+{
+	struct rte_cryptodev *dev;
+
+	if (!rte_cryptodev_pmd_is_valid_dev(dev_id)) {
+		sym_crypto_fill_status(vec, EINVAL);
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	dev = rte_cryptodev_pmd_get_dev(dev_id);
+
+	if (*dev->dev_ops->sym_cpu_process == NULL) {
+		sym_crypto_fill_status(vec, ENOTSUP);
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	return dev->dev_ops->sym_cpu_process(dev, sess, ofs, vec);
+}
+
 /** Initialise rte_crypto_op mempool element */
 static void
 rte_crypto_op_init(struct rte_mempool *mempool,
diff --git a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.h b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.h
index c6ffa3b35..8786dfb90 100644
--- a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.h
+++ b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.h
@@ -450,6 +450,8 @@ rte_cryptodev_asym_get_xform_enum(enum rte_crypto_asym_xform_type *xform_enum,
 /**< Support encrypted-digest operations where digest is appended to data */
 #define RTE_CRYPTODEV_FF_ASYM_SESSIONLESS		(1ULL << 20)
 /**< Support asymmetric session-less operations */
+#define	RTE_CRYPTODEV_FF_SYM_CPU_CRYPTO			(1ULL << 21)
+/**< Support symmeteric cpu-crypto processing */
 
 
 /**
@@ -1274,6 +1276,24 @@ void *
 rte_cryptodev_sym_session_get_user_data(
 					struct rte_cryptodev_sym_session *sess);
 
+/**
+ * Perform actual crypto processing (encrypt/digest or auth/decrypt)
+ * on user provided data.
+ *
+ * @param	dev_id	The device identifier.
+ * @param	sess	Cryptodev session structure
+ * @param	ofs	Start and stop offsets for auth and cipher operations
+ * @param	vec	Vectorized operation descriptor
+ *
+ * @return
+ *  - Returns number of successfully processed packets.
+ */
+__rte_experimental
+uint32_t
+rte_cryptodev_sym_cpu_crypto_process(uint8_t dev_id,
+	struct rte_cryptodev_sym_session *sess, union rte_crypto_sym_ofs ofs,
+	struct rte_crypto_sym_vec *vec);
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev_pmd.h b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev_pmd.h
index fba14f2fa..5d9ee5fef 100644
--- a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev_pmd.h
+++ b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev_pmd.h
@@ -308,6 +308,23 @@ typedef void (*cryptodev_sym_free_session_t)(struct rte_cryptodev *dev,
  */
 typedef void (*cryptodev_asym_free_session_t)(struct rte_cryptodev *dev,
 		struct rte_cryptodev_asym_session *sess);
+/**
+ * Perform actual crypto processing (encrypt/digest or auth/decrypt)
+ * on user provided data.
+ *
+ * @param	dev	Crypto device pointer
+ * @param	sess	Cryptodev session structure
+ * @param	ofs	Start and stop offsets for auth and cipher operations
+ * @param	vec	Vectorized operation descriptor
+ *
+ * @return
+ *  - Returns number of successfully processed packets.
+ *
+ */
+typedef uint32_t (*cryptodev_sym_cpu_crypto_process_t)
+	(struct rte_cryptodev *dev, struct rte_cryptodev_sym_session *sess,
+	union rte_crypto_sym_ofs ofs, struct rte_crypto_sym_vec *vec);
+
 
 /** Crypto device operations function pointer table */
 struct rte_cryptodev_ops {
@@ -342,6 +359,8 @@ struct rte_cryptodev_ops {
 	/**< Clear a Crypto sessions private data. */
 	cryptodev_asym_free_session_t asym_session_clear;
 	/**< Clear a Crypto sessions private data. */
+	cryptodev_sym_cpu_crypto_process_t sym_cpu_process;
+	/**< process input data synchronously (cpu-crypto). */
 };
 
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev_version.map b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev_version.map
index 1dd1e259a..6e41b4be5 100644
--- a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev_version.map
+++ b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev_version.map
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ EXPERIMENTAL {
 	rte_cryptodev_asym_session_init;
 	rte_cryptodev_asym_xform_capability_check_modlen;
 	rte_cryptodev_asym_xform_capability_check_optype;
+	rte_cryptodev_sym_cpu_crypto_process;
 	rte_cryptodev_sym_get_existing_header_session_size;
 	rte_cryptodev_sym_session_get_user_data;
 	rte_cryptodev_sym_session_pool_create;
