[ofw] RE: skip ND components for IA64 ipoib driver load

[Fab Tillier]

>> ND depends on IPoIB for addressing/path resolution.
>
> I thought it depending on ibat, which isn't exactly the same thing.
> Winverbs also uses this service, but doesn't install with ipoib.

It depends on IBAT, more specifically IP addressing on the IB subnet, which does depend on IPoIB.  You can manually establish connections with WinVerbs without using the connection-related methods, so WinVerbs is usable without IP addresses.  The same is not true of NetworkDirect.

> This isn't an argument against an all in one installer, but one for also
> providing installers for separate components.  It is much more difficult
> to replace kernel drivers in a production environment than the userspace
> libraries.

Updating the IB drivers is a major pain point, though it's been getting better.  The switch from the 1.0 to 2.0 branches was pretty bad, with no good upgrade path due to the co-installer and change of ibbus to a filter driver.  2.1 looks like it will also be somewhat painful, as upper class filter drivers don't seem to get updated when you update the driver for an existing class (so the 2.0 to 2.1 upgrade is likely going to miss installing WinVerbs/WinMad filters, similar to how upgrade from 1.0 to 2.0 didn't unregister the co-installer.)

Note that I generally do my updates using command line tools like dpinst, not running MSI packages.

I've found that it's often just easier and faster to reimage the system - a few clicks and a half hour later you have a fresh system, with no old registry entries, etc.

-Fab