linux-kernel - [RFC PATCH 06/17] cxl: docs/linux

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <20250430001224.1028656-7-gourry@gourry.net>
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:12:13 -0400
From: Gregory Price <gourry@...rry.net>
To: linux-cxl@...r.kernel.org
Cc: linux-doc@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	kernel-team@...a.com,
	dave@...olabs.net,
	jonathan.cameron@...wei.com,
	dave.jiang@...el.com,
	alison.schofield@...el.com,
	vishal.l.verma@...el.com,
	ira.weiny@...el.com,
	dan.j.williams@...el.com,
	corbet@....net
Subject: [RFC PATCH 06/17] cxl: docs/linux - overview

Add type-3 device configuration overview that explains the probe
process for a type-3 device from early-boot through memory-hotplug.

Signed-off-by: Gregory Price <gourry@...rry.net>
---
 Documentation/driver-api/cxl/index.rst        |   3 +-
 .../driver-api/cxl/linux/overview.rst         | 104 ++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 106 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/driver-api/cxl/linux/overview.rst

diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/index.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/index.rst
index afc66759eed2..01c0284fc273 100644
--- a/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/index.rst
+++ b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/index.rst
@@ -32,9 +32,10 @@ that have impacts on each other.  The docs here break up configurations steps.
    platform/example-configs
 
 .. toctree::
-   :maxdepth: 1
+   :maxdepth: 2
    :caption: Linux Kernel Configuration
 
+   linux/overview
    linux/access-coordinates
 
 
diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/linux/overview.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/linux/overview.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..33017ccb84f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/linux/overview.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+Overview
+########
+
+This section presents the configuration process of a CXL Type-3 memory device,
+and how it is ultimately exposed to users as either a :code:`DAX` device or
+normal memory pages via the kernel's page allocator.
+
+Portions marked with a bullet are points at which certain kernel objects
+are generated.
+
+1) Early Boot
+
+  a) BIOS, Build, and Boot Parameters
+
+    i) EFI_MEMORY_SP
+    ii) CONFIG_EFI_SOFT_RESERVE
+    iii) CONFIG_MHP_DEFAULT_ONLINE_TYPE
+    iv) nosoftreserve
+
+  b) Memory Map Creation
+
+    i) EFI Memory Map / E820 Consulted for Soft-Reserved
+
+      * CXL Memory is set aside to be handled by the CXL driver
+
+      * IO Resources are created for CFMWS entry
+
+  c) NUMA Node Creation
+
+    * ACPI CEDT and SRAT table are used to create Nodes from Proximity domains (PXM)
+
+  d) Memory Tier Creation
+
+    * A default memory_tier is created with all nodes.
+
+  e) Contiguous Memory Allocation
+
+    * Any requested CMA is allocated from Online nodes
+
+  f) Init Finishes, Drivers start probing
+
+2) ACPI and PCI Drivers
+
+  a) Detect CXL device, marking it for probe by CXL driver
+
+  b) This portion will not be covered specifically.
+
+3) CXL Driver Operation
+
+  a) Base device creation
+
+    * root, port, and memdev devices created
+    * CEDT CFMWS IO Resource creation
+
+  b) Decoder creation
+
+    * root, switch, and endpoint decoders created
+
+  c) Logical device creation
+
+    * memory_region and endpoint devices created
+
+  d) Devices are associated with each other
+
+    * If auto-decoder (BIOS-programmed decoders), driver validates
+      configurations, builds associations, and locks configs at probe time.
+
+    * If user-configured, validation and associations are built at
+      decoder-commit time.
+
+  e) Regions surfaced as DAX region
+
+    * dax_region created
+
+    * DAX device created via DAX driver
+
+4) DAX Driver Operation
+
+  a) DAX driver surfaces DAX region as one of two dax device modes
+
+    * kmem - dax device is converted to hotplug memory blocks
+
+      * DAX kmem IO resource creation
+
+    * hmem - dax device is left as daxdev to be accessed as a file.
+
+      * If hmem, journey ends here.
+
+  b) DAX kmem surfaces memory region to Memory Hotplug to add to page
+     allocator as "driver managed memory"
+
+5) Memory Hotplug
+
+  a) mhp component surfaces a dax device memory region as multiple memory
+     blocks to the page allocator
+
+    * blocks appear in :code:`/sys/bus/memory/devices` and linked to a NUMA node
+
+  b) blocks are onlined into the requested zone (NORMAL or MOVABLE)
+
+    * Memory is marked "Driver Managed" to avoid kexec from using it as region
+      for kernel updates
-- 
2.49.0