[openib-general] Re: [PATCHv2] kDAPL: remove DAT_RETURN

[Caitlin Bestler]

On 5/13/05, James Lentini <jlentini at netapp.com> wrote:
> 
> caitlin> DAT_RETURN serves two distinct purposes: it is an immediate return
> caitlin> to a kernel specific caller, and it is a standardized error encoding for
> caitlin> clients outside of the linux kernel (loadable modules and or proxied
> caitlin> user consumers).
> caitlin>
> caitlin> Even if the functional return to in-kernel clients is converted to comply
> caitlin> with kernel coding conventions, the information currently encoded
> caitlin> in the DAT_RETURN needs to be deliverable to DAPL clients that
> caitlin> are outside of the linux kernel.
> 
> DAPL clients outside the linux kernel, userspace clients, should use
> the uDAPL API. No changes are being proposed for the uDAPL API.
> 

What about kernel clients that are compiled separately from the kernel
that want to be OS neutral and use kdat.h as published by the DAT
Collaborative?

Secondly, many routines are identical in user and kernel (in fact the
common directory is bigger than either the udapl or kdapl directory
on the sourceforge implementation) requiring that this code be
maintained in parallel for the kernel and partner udapl librarires
seems like a lot of extra long term work.