[ofw] HCA Description field format differences between Windows & Linux?

[Smith, Stan]

Fab Tillier wrote:
> Smith, Stan wrote on Thu, 3 Jun 2010 at 09:10:25
>
>>
>> Hello,
>>   The Linux ibnetdiscover lists HCAs in the format 'hostname portnum
>> HCA-description'. Windows ibnetdiscover lists HCAs as
>> 'HCA-description'.
>>
>> I would like to enhance the Windows HCA driver, NodeDescription I
>> believe, to include the 'hostname port' in order to provide format
>> consistency for management tools which expect this format.
>>
>> I was thinking along the lines of adding 'hostname portnum' to the
>> NodeDescription string when the port goes Active.
>> Is this a good/correct choice?

Actually portnum should be HCA-#, as in HCA-1, HCA-2, reflecting multiple HCAs attached to the local system.

>
> How do the Linux drivers set this?  Isn't there a local MAD you issue
> to the HCA to set the node description?

I don't recollect finding a user-mode pgm to generate a local MAD to set NodeDescription nor an IF to HCA drivers to handle said local MAD.

Sending a local MAD seems like a bit of over-engineering, when the HCA driver has access to hostname & node_desc?

Currently the windows HCA drivers user the .DeviceDesc string from their .inf files (mthca.inf or mlx4_hca.inf).

>
> Is the NodeDescription different for each port of an HCA?
>
>> Suggestions?
>
> I would mimic whatever the Linux code does for consistency, in how it
> pushes the node description into the HCA.  Look at
> __read_machine_name in bus_driver.c for how the hostname was read
> from the registry.  Heck, you can even just reference node_desc (it's
> declared as an extern char in al_smi.c)
>
> Perhaps push it into the HCA when the SMI client gets initialized?

New IF required?

>
> -Fab