linux-kernel - Re: virtio-pci new configuration proposal

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Date:	Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:28:46 +1030
From:	Rusty Russell <rusty@...tcorp.com.au>
To:	Sasha Levin <levinsasha928@...il.com>,
	"Michael S. Tsirkin" <mst@...hat.com>
Cc:	linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	kvm <kvm@...r.kernel.org>,
	virtualization <virtualization@...ts.linux-foundation.org>,
	Anthony Liguori <anthony@...emonkey.ws>
Subject: Re: virtio-pci new configuration proposal

On Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:49:27 +0200, Sasha Levin <levinsasha928@...il.com> wrote:
> This is a proposal for a new layout of the virtio-pci config space.
> 
> We will separate the current configuration into two: A virtio-pci common
> configuration and a device specific configuration. This allows more flexibility
> with adding features and makes usage easier, specifically in cases like the
> ones in virtio-net where device specific configurations depend on device
> specific features.

Thanks for this Sasha.  Several general comments:

1) How to we distinguish the two layouts?  In theory, we need to do this
   forever.  In practice we can deprecate the old layout in several
   years' time.

2) I don't think we want to turn the device-specific config into a
   linked list.  We haven't needed variable-length config (yet!), and
   it's (slightly) more complex.  That's also the part of the spec which
   is shared with non-PCI virtio implementations.

3) If we're changing the queue layout, it's a chance to fix a
   longstanding bug: let the guest notify the host of preferred
   queue size and alignment.

Cheers,
Rusty.
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