[openib-general] basic IB doubt

[Greg Lindahl]

On Thu, Aug 24, 2006 at 01:57:39PM -0700, Sean Hefty wrote:
> >OK, great. I'm fine with people using things which are supported, but
> >then we need the big, blinking "Warning! This program is non-standard, and
> >won't work with many of the devices supported by Open Fabrics!" sign.
> 
> If an application were written to use Myrinet, would you consider it
> non-standard?

Er, this question is a bit existential for my taste. Myrinet has its
own standards. We're trying to create *inter-operable* hardware and
software in this community. So we follow the IB standard. Myricom is
doing their own thing, although of course they have software which
obeys the Ethernet, VIA, DAPL, and other standards. And I expect that
if they say they obey a standard, that they do. They're good people
that way.

> It's up to the application to verify that the hardware that they're
> using provides the required features, or adjust accordingly, and
> publish those requirements to the end users.

If that was being done (and it isn't), it would still be bad for the
ecosystem as a whole. But, basically, that's about the same as what I
proposed, quoted above.

-- g