127 lines
6.3 KiB
Text
127 lines
6.3 KiB
Text
# NTB Drivers
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NTB (Non-Transparent Bridge) is a type of PCI-Express bridge chip that connects
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the separate memory systems of two computers to the same PCI-Express fabric.
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Existing NTB hardware supports a common feature set, including scratchpad
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registers, doorbell registers, and memory translation windows. Scratchpad
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registers are read-and-writable registers that are accessible from either side
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of the device, so that peers can exchange a small amount of information at a
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fixed address. Doorbell registers provide a way for peers to send interrupt
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events. Memory windows allow translated read and write access to the peer
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memory.
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## NTB Core Driver (ntb)
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The NTB core driver defines an api wrapping the common feature set, and allows
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clients interested in NTB features to discover NTB the devices supported by
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hardware drivers. The term "client" is used here to mean an upper layer
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component making use of the NTB api. The term "driver," or "hardware driver,"
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is used here to mean a driver for a specific vendor and model of NTB hardware.
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## NTB Client Drivers
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NTB client drivers should register with the NTB core driver. After
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registering, the client probe and remove functions will be called appropriately
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as ntb hardware, or hardware drivers, are inserted and removed. The
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registration uses the Linux Device framework, so it should feel familiar to
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anyone who has written a pci driver.
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### NTB Transport Client (ntb\_transport) and NTB Netdev (ntb\_netdev)
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The primary client for NTB is the Transport client, used in tandem with NTB
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Netdev. These drivers function together to create a logical link to the peer,
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across the ntb, to exchange packets of network data. The Transport client
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establishes a logical link to the peer, and creates queue pairs to exchange
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messages and data. The NTB Netdev then creates an ethernet device using a
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Transport queue pair. Network data is copied between socket buffers and the
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Transport queue pair buffer. The Transport client may be used for other things
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besides Netdev, however no other applications have yet been written.
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### NTB Ping Pong Test Client (ntb\_pingpong)
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The Ping Pong test client serves as a demonstration to exercise the doorbell
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and scratchpad registers of NTB hardware, and as an example simple NTB client.
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Ping Pong enables the link when started, waits for the NTB link to come up, and
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then proceeds to read and write the doorbell scratchpad registers of the NTB.
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The peers interrupt each other using a bit mask of doorbell bits, which is
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shifted by one in each round, to test the behavior of multiple doorbell bits
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and interrupt vectors. The Ping Pong driver also reads the first local
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scratchpad, and writes the value plus one to the first peer scratchpad, each
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round before writing the peer doorbell register.
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Module Parameters:
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* unsafe - Some hardware has known issues with scratchpad and doorbell
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registers. By default, Ping Pong will not attempt to exercise such
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hardware. You may override this behavior at your own risk by setting
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unsafe=1.
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* delay\_ms - Specify the delay between receiving a doorbell
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interrupt event and setting the peer doorbell register for the next
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round.
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* init\_db - Specify the doorbell bits to start new series of rounds. A new
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series begins once all the doorbell bits have been shifted out of
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range.
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* dyndbg - It is suggested to specify dyndbg=+p when loading this module, and
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then to observe debugging output on the console.
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### NTB Tool Test Client (ntb\_tool)
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The Tool test client serves for debugging, primarily, ntb hardware and drivers.
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The Tool provides access through debugfs for reading, setting, and clearing the
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NTB doorbell, and reading and writing scratchpads.
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The Tool does not currently have any module parameters.
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Debugfs Files:
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* *debugfs*/ntb\_tool/*hw*/ - A directory in debugfs will be created for each
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NTB device probed by the tool. This directory is shortened to *hw*
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below.
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* *hw*/db - This file is used to read, set, and clear the local doorbell. Not
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all operations may be supported by all hardware. To read the doorbell,
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read the file. To set the doorbell, write `s` followed by the bits to
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set (eg: `echo 's 0x0101' > db`). To clear the doorbell, write `c`
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followed by the bits to clear.
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* *hw*/mask - This file is used to read, set, and clear the local doorbell mask.
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See *db* for details.
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* *hw*/peer\_db - This file is used to read, set, and clear the peer doorbell.
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See *db* for details.
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* *hw*/peer\_mask - This file is used to read, set, and clear the peer doorbell
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mask. See *db* for details.
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* *hw*/spad - This file is used to read and write local scratchpads. To read
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the values of all scratchpads, read the file. To write values, write a
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series of pairs of scratchpad number and value
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(eg: `echo '4 0x123 7 0xabc' > spad`
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# to set scratchpads `4` and `7` to `0x123` and `0xabc`, respectively).
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* *hw*/peer\_spad - This file is used to read and write peer scratchpads. See
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*spad* for details.
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## NTB Hardware Drivers
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NTB hardware drivers should register devices with the NTB core driver. After
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registering, clients probe and remove functions will be called.
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### NTB Intel Hardware Driver (ntb\_hw\_intel)
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The Intel hardware driver supports NTB on Xeon and Atom CPUs.
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Module Parameters:
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* b2b\_mw\_idx - If the peer ntb is to be accessed via a memory window, then use
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this memory window to access the peer ntb. A value of zero or positive
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starts from the first mw idx, and a negative value starts from the last
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mw idx. Both sides MUST set the same value here! The default value is
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`-1`.
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* b2b\_mw\_share - If the peer ntb is to be accessed via a memory window, and if
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the memory window is large enough, still allow the client to use the
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second half of the memory window for address translation to the peer.
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* xeon\_b2b\_usd\_bar2\_addr64 - If using B2B topology on Xeon hardware, use
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this 64 bit address on the bus between the NTB devices for the window
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at BAR2, on the upstream side of the link.
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* xeon\_b2b\_usd\_bar4\_addr64 - See *xeon\_b2b\_bar2\_addr64*.
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* xeon\_b2b\_usd\_bar4\_addr32 - See *xeon\_b2b\_bar2\_addr64*.
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* xeon\_b2b\_usd\_bar5\_addr32 - See *xeon\_b2b\_bar2\_addr64*.
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* xeon\_b2b\_dsd\_bar2\_addr64 - See *xeon\_b2b\_bar2\_addr64*.
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* xeon\_b2b\_dsd\_bar4\_addr64 - See *xeon\_b2b\_bar2\_addr64*.
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* xeon\_b2b\_dsd\_bar4\_addr32 - See *xeon\_b2b\_bar2\_addr64*.
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* xeon\_b2b\_dsd\_bar5\_addr32 - See *xeon\_b2b\_bar2\_addr64*.
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