linux-kernel - Re: [RFC PATCH v2 07/18] cxl: docs/linux

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Message-ID: <8db7a29a-740a-4ebd-bc86-41d92a9101a6@infradead.org>
Date: Sat, 10 May 2025 19:11:29 -0700
From: Randy Dunlap <rdunlap@...radead.org>
To: Gregory Price <gourry@...rry.net>, 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: Re: [RFC PATCH v2 07/18] cxl: docs/linux - early boot configuration



On 4/30/25 11:10 AM, Gregory Price wrote:
> Document __init time configurations that affect CXL driver probe
> process and memory region configuration.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Gregory Price <gourry@...rry.net>
> ---
>  Documentation/driver-api/cxl/index.rst        |   1 +
>  .../driver-api/cxl/linux/early-boot.rst       | 130 ++++++++++++++++++
>  2 files changed, 131 insertions(+)
>  create mode 100644 Documentation/driver-api/cxl/linux/early-boot.rst
> 


> diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/linux/early-boot.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/linux/early-boot.rst
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..275174d5b0bb
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/linux/early-boot.rst
> @@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
> +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
> +
> +=======================
> +Linux Init (Early Boot)
> +=======================
> +
> +Linux configuration is split into two major steps: Early-Boot and everything else.
> +
> +During early boot, Linux sets up immutable resources (such as numa nodes), while
> +later operations include things like driver probe and memory hotplug.  Linux may
> +read EFI and ACPI information throughout this process to configure logical
> +representations of the devices.
> +
> +During Linux Early Boot stage (functions in the kernel that have the __init
> +decorator), the system takes the resources created by EFI/BIOS (ACPI tables)
> +and turns them into resources that the kernel can consume.
> +
> +
> +BIOS, Build and Boot Options
> +============================
> +
> +There are 4 pre-boot options that need to be considered during kernel build
> +which dictate how memory will be managed by Linux during early boot.
> +
> +* EFI_MEMORY_SP
> +
> +  * BIOS/EFI Option that dictates whether memory is SystemRAM or
> +    Specific Purpose.  Specific Purpose memory will be deferred to
> +    drivers to manage - and not immediately exposed as system RAM.
> +
> +* CONFIG_EFI_SOFT_RESERVE
> +
> +  * Linux Build config option that dictates whether the kernel supports
> +    Specific Purpose memory.
> +
> +* CONFIG_MHP_DEFAULT_ONLINE_TYPE
> +
> +  * Linux Build config that dictates whether and how Specific Purpose memory
> +    converted to a dax device should be managed (left as DAX or onlined as
> +    SystemRAM in ZONE_NORMAL or ZONE_MOVABLE).
> +
> +* nosoftreserve
> +
> +  * Linux kernel boot option that dictates whether Soft Reserve should be
> +    supported.  Similar to CONFIG_EFI_SOFT_RESERVE.
> +
> +Memory Map Creation
> +===================
> +
> +While the kernel parses the EFI memory map, if :code:`Specific Purpose` memory
> +is supported and detect, it will set this region aside as :code:`SOFT_RESERVED`.

                    detected,

> +
> +If :code:`EFI_MEMORY_SP=0`, :code:`CONFIG_EFI_SOFT_RESERVE=n`, or
> +:code:`nosoftreserve=y` - Linux will default a CXL device memory region to
> +SystemRAM.  This will expose the memory to the kernel page allocator in
> +:code:`ZONE_NORMAL`, making it available for use for most allocations (including
> +:code:`struct page` and page tables).
> +
> +If `Specific Purpose` is set and supported, :code:`CONFIG_MHP_DEFAULT_ONLINE_TYPE_*`
> +dictates whether the memory is onlined by default (:code:`_OFFLINE` or
> +:code:`_ONLINE_*`), and if online which zone to online this memory to by default
> +(:code:`_NORMAL` or :code:`_MOVABLE`).
> +
> +If placed in :code:`ZONE_MOVABLE`, the memory will not be available for most
> +kernel allocations (such as :code:`struct page` or page tables).  This may
> +significant impact performance depending on the memory capacity of the system.
> +
> +
> +NUMA Node Reservation
> +=====================
> +
> +Linux refers to the proximity domains (:code:`PXM`) defined in the SRAT to
> +create NUMA nodes in :code:`acpi_numa_init`. Typically, there is a 1:1 relation
> +between :code:`PXM` and NUMA node IDs.
> +
> +SRAT is the only ACPI defined way of defining Proximity Domains. Linux chooses
> +to, at most, map those 1:1 with NUMA nodes. CEDT adds a description of SPA
> +ranges which Linux may wish to map to one or more NUMA nodes

Add ending period above.

> +
> +If there are CXL ranges in the CFMWS but not in SRAT, then a fake :code:`PXM`
> +is created (as of v6.15). In the future, Linux may reject CFMWS not described
> +by SRAT due to the ambiguity of proximity domain association.


-- 
~Randy