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<TITLE>Re: [openfabrics-ewg] OFED 1.2 - request addition of VNIC as a feature</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>I would like others to comment on it. <BR>
<BR>
When the eHCA driver was requested for inclusion in OFED, we went through an informal approval process within EWG where the then chair of EWG Shawn Hansen made the recommendation and EWG members accepted.<BR>
<BR>
This time around, Jamie, the current chair can comment.<BR>
<BR>
I cannot debate what is the right way of bridging from IB to Ethernet LANs and FC SANs. For the latter, vendors have used one of the three HCA drivers with iSER or SRP over it. For the former, one of the three HCA drivers and IPoIB has been used by all gateway vendors except QLogic/SilverStorm. ISER, SRP and IPoIB are part of OFA and going into distros - thanks to the above common usage with gateways. Imagine if each gateway vendor (I am counting three) had chosen to have a VNIC equivalent for their Ethernet and SAN gateways - I can count at least three VNIC drivers, and six VHBA drivers (3 for SRP and 3 for iSER), besides the three basic drivers (ipath, mthca and ehca) - taking us to a potential total of 12 drivers when there are really only three kinds of HCAs (Mellanox, QLogic, eHCA) plugging in the server running the OFA software. That in essence is what I am trying to avoid.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Regards,<BR>
Sujal Das<BR>
(Sent from my Blackberry)<BR>
<BR>
----- Original Message -----<BR>
From: Madhu Lakshmanan <madhu.lakshmanan@qlogic.com><BR>
To: Sujal Das; openfabrics-ewg@openib.org <openfabrics-ewg@openib.org><BR>
Cc: openib-general@openib.org <openib-general@openib.org><BR>
Sent: Mon Nov 20 14:20:20 2006<BR>
Subject: RE: [openfabrics-ewg] OFED 1.2 - request addition of VNIC as a feature<BR>
<BR>
> From: Sujal Das [<A HREF="mailto:Sujal@mellanox.com">mailto:Sujal@mellanox.com</A>]<BR>
> Sent: Monday, November 20, 2006 3:56 PM<BR>
> To: Madhu Lakshmanan; openfabrics-ewg@openib.org<BR>
> Cc: openib-general@openib.org<BR>
> Subject: Re: [openfabrics-ewg] OFED 1.2 - request addition of VNIC as<BR>
a feature<BR>
><BR>
<BR>
>> Madhu Lakshmanan, wrote:<BR>
>> We, at QLogic, request that the VNIC be added as a feature to be<BR>
supported in OFED 1.2.<BR>
>> The VNIC software is a device driver for QLogic's Ethernet Virtual<BR>
I/O controller hardware, the >> VEx and the EVIC.<BR>
<BR>
> Hello Madhu et al,<BR>
><BR>
> I would propose that this be made a topic for board approval. Till<BR>
date, we have had drivers for<BR>
> HCAs and R-NICs only. The eHCA, iPath and MTHCA are accepted IB<BR>
drivers. <BR>
<BR>
I am relatively new to OpenFabrics. I was unaware that there was an<BR>
established practice of submitting all new device drivers for hardware,<BR>
for board approval. If I understand your statement correctly, when you<BR>
point out that the ehca, ipath, and mthca are accepted IB drivers, you<BR>
are stating that they underwent such an approval process?<BR>
<BR>
> We are afraid the EVIC<BR>
> etc are a new breed of drivers and we may set a precedence for more<BR>
such drivers in the future. I<BR>
> cannot judge whether this is a good or a bad thing, except that it is<BR>
different from what has been<BR>
> in OFA till date. Also, it seems like a proprietary way of<BR>
interfacing with gateways to the<BR>
> Ethernet LAN, the standard way being the use of an accepted protocol<BR>
such as IPoIB.<BR>
<BR>
A couple of comments regarding the above:<BR>
1. The VNIC source is not proprietary as it has been submitted for<BR>
review to OpenFabrics.<BR>
2. IPoIB is a recent standard in and of itself, but it would be quite a<BR>
stretch to say that IPoIB is a standard way for interfacing with IB<BR>
gateways to Ethernet LANs. There is nothing in the RFCs that suggest<BR>
this.<BR>
<BR>
We have chosen an approach that differs from what other vendors have<BR>
done. I believe that 2 approaches can co-exist, and gives users and<BR>
customers of IB products greater choice in implementing their IB<BR>
solutions. <BR>
<BR>
There are 2 inescapable facts behind our request for adding this feature<BR>
to OFED 1.2:<BR>
1. Our Ethernet Virtual I/O controller hardware will not work with OFED<BR>
without the VNIC device driver.<BR>
2. We are submitting this device driver to OpenFabrics as a direct<BR>
response to customer requests that we support the Ethernet Virtual I/O<BR>
controllers in OFED.<BR>
<BR>
I believe both the above reasons go to the heart of what the OFA is all<BR>
about, and strengthen, not weaken, the alliance.<BR>
<BR>
> Hence, we would request a discussion in the BOD on this.<BR>
><BR>
<BR>
By all means, if the BOD would like to take this issue up, we are all<BR>
for it. If any OFA members have misgivings about our code submission and<BR>
feature inclusion request, I'd be more than happy to hear from them.<BR>
<BR>
> Thanks<BR>
><BR>
> Sujal<BR>
<BR>
Thanks,<BR>
<BR>
Madhu<BR>
<BR>
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