netdev - Re: [PATCH v3 net-next 1/5] devlink: Add macro for "fw.api" to info

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Message-ID: <582ed17d-8776-2f83-413c-37cf132c5e59@intel.com>
Date:   Thu, 26 Mar 2020 16:39:31 -0700
From:   Jacob Keller <jacob.e.keller@...el.com>
To:     Michael Chan <michael.chan@...adcom.com>,
        Jakub Kicinski <kuba@...nel.org>
Cc:     Vasundhara Volam <vasundhara-v.volam@...adcom.com>,
        David Miller <davem@...emloft.net>,
        Netdev <netdev@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v3 net-next 1/5] devlink: Add macro for "fw.api" to
 info_get cb.



On 3/26/2020 4:09 PM, Michael Chan wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 26, 2020 at 1:40 PM Jakub Kicinski <kuba@...nel.org> wrote:
>>
>> On Thu, 26 Mar 2020 17:32:34 +0530 Vasundhara Volam wrote:
>>> Add definition and documentation for the new generic info "fw.api".
>>> "fw.api" specifies the version of the software interfaces between
>>> driver and overall firmware.
>>>
>>> Cc: Jakub Kicinski <kuba@...nel.org>
>>> Cc: Jacob Keller <jacob.e.keller@...el.com>
>>> Reviewed-by: Jiri Pirko <jiri@...lanox.com>
>>> Signed-off-by: Vasundhara Volam <vasundhara-v.volam@...adcom.com>
>>> Signed-off-by: Michael Chan <michael.chan@...adcom.com>
>>> ---
>>> v1->v2: Rename macro to "fw.api" from "drv.spec".
>>
>> I suggested "fw.mgmt.api", like Intel has. What else those this API
>> number covers beyond management? Do you negotiated descriptor formats
>> for the datapath?
> 
> To us, "management" firmware usually means firmware such as IPMI that
> interfaces with the BMC.  Here, we're trying to convey the API between
> the driver and the main firmware.  Yes, this main firmware also
> "manages" things such as rings, MAC, the physical port, etc.  But
> again, we want to distinguish it from the platform management type of
> firmware.
> 

Documentation for "fw.mgmt":

fw.mgmt
-------

Control unit firmware version. This firmware is responsible for house
keeping tasks, PHY control etc. but not the packet-by-packet data path
operation.

To me, platform management would need a new name, as the term "fw.mgmt"
has already been used by multiple drivers.

Thanks,
Jake