[openib-general] [PATCH v2 0/11] [RFC] Support for QLogic Virtual Ethernet I/O Controller (VEx)

[Madhu Lakshmanan]

> From: openib-general-bounces at openib.org
[mailto:openib-general-bounces at openib.org] On Behalf Of
> Michael S. Tsirkin
> Subject: Re: [openib-general] [PATCH v2 0/11] [RFC] Support for QLogic
Virtual Ethernet I/O
> Controller (VEx)
> 
> Quoting Ramachandra K <ramachandra.kuchimanchi at qlogic.com>:
> > Subject: [PATCH v2 0/11] [RFC] Support for QLogic Virtual Ethernet
I/O Controller (VEx)
> >
> > This patch set adds support for the QLogic Virtual Ethernet I/O
> > controller (VEx), which presents a true Ethernet NIC to the host.
> >
> > This driver provides a standard Ethernet NIC interface to the system
and
> > treats IB as an I/O bus to allow a host CPU to use the VEx card as
its NIC.
> 
> Is the VEx wire protocol documented somewhere? For example, what is a
viport?
> What is a netpath?  It's somewhat hard to understand the code without
the
> protocol spec it is trying to implement.
> 
> --
> MST

The VNIC software is a device driver for a remote device on the IB
fabric, the VEx. 
We have followed the convention and standard set by previous submitters
of device driver
code to either OpenFabrics or the Linux kernel, in that the code is the
documentation. 
The device drivers for mthca, ehca, ipath, or for that matter, Ethernet
NICs like the 
Intel Pro 1000, do not document the "protocol" they implement when
managing their device
over PCI or PCI-X. The VNIC manages the VEx over the IB bus and as such
it is a device 
driver in the same class as those mentioned above.

Madhu