linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 0/5] Enable Drivers for Intel MIC X100 Coprocessors.

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Date:	Thu, 15 Aug 2013 12:14:55 +0200
From:	Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>
To:	Sudeep Dutt <sudeep.dutt@...el.com>
Cc:	Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
	Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>,
	Rusty Russell <rusty@...tcorp.com.au>,
	"Michael S. Tsirkin" <mst@...hat.com>,
	Rob Landley <rob@...dley.net>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	virtualization@...ts.linux-foundation.org,
	linux-doc@...r.kernel.org, Nikhil Rao <nikhil.rao@...el.com>,
	Ashutosh Dixit <ashutosh.dixit@...el.com>,
	Caz Yokoyama <Caz.Yokoyama@...el.com>,
	Dasaratharaman Chandramouli 
	<dasaratharaman.chandramouli@...el.com>,
	Harshavardhan R Kharche <harshavardhan.r.kharche@...el.com>,
	"Yaozu (Eddie) Dong" <eddie.dong@...el.com>,
	Peter P Waskiewicz Jr <peter.p.waskiewicz.jr@...el.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 0/5] Enable Drivers for Intel MIC X100 Coprocessors.

Hi!

> > > Since it is a PCIe card, it does not have the ability to host hardware
> > > devices for networking, storage and console. We provide these devices
> > > on X100 coprocessors thus enabling a self-bootable equivalent environment
> > > for applications. A key benefit of our solution is that it leverages
> > > the standard virtio framework for network, disk and console devices,
> > > though in our case the virtio framework is used across a PCIe bus.
> > 
> > Interesting...
> > 
> > >  Documentation/mic/mic_overview.txt   |   48 +
> > >  Documentation/mic/mpssd/.gitignore   |    1 +
> > >  Documentation/mic/mpssd/Makefile     |   20 +
> > >  Documentation/mic/mpssd/micctrl      |  157 +++
> > >  Documentation/mic/mpssd/mpss         |  246 +++++
> > >  Documentation/mic/mpssd/mpssd.c      | 1732 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> > >  Documentation/mic/mpssd/mpssd.h      |  105 +++
> > >  Documentation/mic/mpssd/sysfs.c      |  108 +++
> > >  drivers/misc/Kconfig                 |    1 +
> > >  drivers/misc/Makefile                |    1 +
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/Kconfig             |   56 ++
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/Makefile            |    6 +
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/card/Makefile       |   11 +
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/card/mic_common.h   |   43 +
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/card/mic_debugfs.c  |  139 +++
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/card/mic_debugfs.h  |   40 +
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/card/mic_device.c   |  311 ++++++
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/card/mic_device.h   |  106 +++
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/card/mic_virtio.c   |  643 +++++++++++++
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/card/mic_virtio.h   |   79 ++
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/card/mic_x100.c     |  253 +++++
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/card/mic_x100.h     |   53 ++
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/common/mic_device.h |   85 ++
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/host/Makefile       |   13 +
> > >  drivers/misc/mic/host/mic_boot.c     |  181 ++++
> > 
> > So... there are basically separate computers running on PCIe card
> > plugged into host computer, right?
> > 
> 
> They are PCIe form factor Coprocessors plugged into the host.
> 
> > Maybe we should have something more promintent than drivers/misc for
> > this, then? Like drivers/multicomputer?
> > 
> 
> multicomputer" is an interesting name for these kind of devices but has
> several issues:
> a) The definition I found for multicomputer online was "A computer made
> up of several computers. The term generally refers to an architecture in
> which each processor has its own memory rather than multiple processors
> with a shared memory. A multicore computer, although it sounds similar,
> would not be a multicomputer because the multiple cores share a common
> memory." Intel MIC X100 devices typically have upto 244 CPUs (61 cores)
> on the card sharing common card memory so multicomputer would not be
> accurate based on this definition.

Well... you have your "host" computer, and than (potentially several)
Intel MIC devices, which are basically separate computers. So X100 is
not a multicomputer, but machine with several X100 cards certainly is
multicomputer.

> b) X100 MIC devices have always been referred to Coprocessors and never
> as multicomputers in product specifications @
> http://software.intel.com/en-us/mic-developer

Coprocessor sounds like i487, but why not.

> c) multicomputer is a very long path name.

Agreed it is long. drivers/coproc? 

[I guess we'll get similar hardware from different vendors in
future. It would make sense having it at common place.]

								Pavel

-- 
(english) http://www.livejournal.com/~pavelmachek
(cesky, pictures) http://atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~pavel/picture/horses/blog.html
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