Subject: Re: [PATCH V2 09/12] net/eipoib: Add main driver functionality

From: Ali Ayoub <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2012 17:02:35 -0700

On 8/3/2012 3:39 PM, Ali Ayoub wrote:
> On 8/3/2012 2:33 PM, David Miller wrote:
>> From: Ali Ayoub <[email-masked]>
>> Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:31:35 -0700
>>
>>> With eIPoIB architecture, the VM sees standard Ethernet emulator,
>>> allowing the administrator to enslave eIPoIB PIF to the vSwitch/vBridge
>>> as if it was standard Ethernet. Other approaches that exposes IB QP to
>>> the VM (with w/o bypassing the kernel) won't be possible with the
>>> current emulators and management tools.
>>
>> So then fix the emulators and management tools to handle IB instead
>> of adding this bogus new protocol?
>>
>> This new protocol seems to exist only because you don't want to have
>> to enhance the emulators and tools, and I'm sorry that isn't a valid
>> reason to do something like this.
> 
> This driver exists to allow the user to have an Ethernet interface on
> top of a high-speed InfiniBand (IB) interconnect.
> Users would like to use sockets API from the VM without re-writing their
> applications on top of IB verbs, this driver meant to allow such a user
> to do so.
> 
> Exposing IB emulators and having IB support in the management tools for
> the VM/Hypervisor won't address the usecases that this driver meant for.
> 
> With this driver, existing VMs, and their existing IP applications, can
> run as-is on InfiniBand network.

This driver exists to allow the user to have an Ethernet interface on
top of a high-speed InfiniBand (IB) interconnect.
Users would like to use sockets API from the VM without re-writing their
applications on top of IB verbs, this driver meant to allow such a user
to do so.

Exposing IB emulators and having IB support in the management tools for
the VM/Hypervisor won't address the usecases that this driver meant for.

With this driver, existing VMs, and their existing IP applications, can
run as-is on InfiniBand network.