[Rdma-developers] Re: [openib-general] OpenIB and OpenRDMA: Convergence on common RDMA APIs and ULPs for Linux

[Grant Grundler]

On Fri, May 27, 2005 at 07:24:44AM -0700, Michael Krause wrote:
...
> Again, Sockets is an application API and not how one communicates to a TOE 
> or RDMA component.

Mike,
What address family is used to open a socket over iWARP? AF_INET?
Or something else?

I understand most of what you wrote but am still missing one bit:
How is the RNIC told what the peer IP is it should communicate with?


> The RNIC PI has been proposed as an interface to the 
> RDMA functionality.  The PI supports all of the iWARP and IB v 1.2 verbs.

That's good. Folks from RDMA consortium will have to look at
openib implementations and see whats missing/wrong.
Then submit proposals to fill in the gaps.
I'm obviously not the first one to say this.

I expect most of the principals involved with openib.org do NOT
have time to browse through RNIC PI at this point. They
are struggling to get openib.org filled in sufficiently
so it can go into a commercial distro (RH/SuSE primarily).

Revenue for them comes from selling IB equipment. Having
openib.org code in kernel.org is a key enabler for getting
into commercial distros.  I expect the same is true for RNIC
vendors as well.

RNIC Vendors (and related switch Vendors) will have to decide which
path is the right one for them to get the support into kernel.org.
Several openib.org people have suggested one (like I have).
RNIC folks need to listen and decide if the advice is good or not.
If RNIC folks think they know better, then please take another look
at where openib.org is today and where rdmaconsortium is.

I'm certain openib.org would be dead now if policies and direction
changes had not made last year as demanded by several key linux
developers and "users" (Gov Labs).

grant