Date:   Tue, 1 Sep 2020 08:53:23 +0000
From:   Parav Pandit <parav@...dia.com>
To:     Jiri Pirko <jiri@...nulli.us>
CC:     Jakub Kicinski <kuba@...nel.org>,
        Parav Pandit <parav@...lanox.com>,
        "davem@...emloft.net" <davem@...emloft.net>,
        "netdev@...r.kernel.org" <netdev@...r.kernel.org>,
        "roid@...lanox.com" <roid@...lanox.com>,
        "saeedm@...lanox.com" <saeedm@...lanox.com>,
        Jiri Pirko <jiri@...dia.com>
Subject: RE: [PATCH net-next 2/3] devlink: Consider other controller while
 building phys_port_name


> From: Jiri Pirko <jiri@...nulli.us>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 1, 2020 1:49 PM
> 
> >> > How? How do we tell that pfnum A means external system.
> >> > Want to avoid such 'implicit' notion.
> >>
> >> How do you tell that controller A means external system?
> 
> Perhaps the attr name could be explicitly containing "external" word?
> Like:
> "ext_controller" or "extnum" (similar to "pfnum" and "vfnum") something
> like that.

How about ecnum "external controller number"?
Tiny change in the phys_port_name below example.

> 
> 
> >Which is why I started with annotating only external controllers, mainly to
> avoid renaming and breaking current scheme for non_smartnic cases which
> possibly is the most user base.
> >
> >But probably external pcipf/vf/sf port flavours are more intuitive combined
> with controller number.
> >More below.
> >
> >>
> >> > > > > I can see how having multiple controllers may make things
> >> > > > > clearer, but adding another layer of IDs while the one under
> >> > > > > it is unused
> >> > > > > (pfnum=0) feels very unnecessary.
> >> > > > pfnum=0 is used today. not sure I understand your comment about
> >> > > > being unused. Can you please explain?
> >> > >
> >> > > You examples only ever have pfnum 0:
> >> > >
> >> > Because both controllers have pfnum 0.
> >> >
> >> > > From patch 2:
> >> > >
> >> > > $ devlink port show pci/0000:00:08.0/2
> >> > > pci/0000:00:08.0/2: type eth netdev eth7 controller 0 flavour
> >> > > pcivf pfnum 0 vfnum 1 splittable false
> >> > >   function:
> >> > >     hw_addr 00:00:00:00:00:00
> >> > >
> >> > > $ devlink port show -jp pci/0000:00:08.0/2 {
> >> > >     "port": {
> >> > >         "pci/0000:00:08.0/1": {
> >> > >             "type": "eth",
> >> > >             "netdev": "eth7",
> >> > >             "controller": 0,
> >> > >             "flavour": "pcivf",
> >> > >             "pfnum": 0,
> >> > >             "vfnum": 1,
> >> > >             "splittable": false,
> >> > >             "function": {
> >> > >                 "hw_addr": "00:00:00:00:00:00"
> >> > >             }
> >> > >         }
> >> > >     }
> >> > > }
> >> > >
> >> > > From earlier email:
> >> > >
> >> > > pci/0000:00:08.0/1: type eth netdev eth6 flavour pcipf pfnum 0
> >> > > pci/0000:00:08.0/2: type eth netdev eth7 flavour pcipf pfnum 0
> >> > >
> >> > > If you never use pfnum, you can just put the controller ID there,
> >> > > like
> >> Netronome.
> >> > >
> >> > It likely not going to work for us. Because pfnum is not some
> >> > randomly
> >> generated number.
> >> > It is linked to the underlying PCI pf number. {pf0, pf1...}
> >> > Orchestration sw uses this to identify representor of a PF-VF pair.
> >>
> >> For orchestration software which is unaware of controllers ports will
> >> still alias on pf/vf nums.
> >>
> >Yes.
> >Orchestration which will be aware of controller, will use it.
> >
> >> Besides you have one devlink instance per port currently so I'm
> >> guessing there is no pf1 ever, in your case...
> >>
> >Currently there are multiple devlink instance. One for pf0, other for pf1.
> >Ports of both instances have the same switch id.
> >
> >> > Replacing pfnum with controller number breaks this; and it still
> >> > doesn't tell user
> >> that it's the pf on other_host.
> >>
> >> Neither does the opaque controller id.
> >Which is why I tossed the epcipf (external pci pf) port flavour that fits in
> current model.
> >But doesn't allow multiple external hosts under same eswitch for those
> devices which has same pci pf, vf numbers among those hosts. (and it is the
> case for mlnx).
> >
> >> Maybe now you understand better why I wanted peer objects :/
> >>
> >I wasn't against peer object. But showing netdev of peer object assumed
> no_smartnic, it also assume other_side is also similar Linux kernel.
> >Anyways, I make humble request get over the past to move forward. :-)
> >
> >> > So it is used, and would like to continue to use even if there are
> >> > multiple PFs
> >> port (that has same pfnum) under the same eswitch.
> >> >
> >> > In an alternative,
> >> > Currently we have pcipf, pcivf (and pcisf) flavours. May be if we
> >> > introduce new
> >> flavour say 'epcipf' to indicate external pci PF/VF/SF ports?
> >> > There can be better name than epcipf. I just put epcipf to differentiate
> it.
> >> > However these ports have same attributes as pcipf, pcivf, pcisf flavours.
> >>
> >> I don't think the controllers are a terrible idea. Seems like a
> >> fairly reasonable extension.
> >Ok.
> >> But MLX don't seem to need them. And you have a history of trying to
> >> make the Linux APIs look like your FW API.
> >>
> >Because there are two devlink instances for each PF?
> >I think for now an epcipf, epcivf flavour would just suffice due to lack of
> multiple devlink instances.
> >But in long run it is better to have the controller covering few topologies.
> >Otherwise we will break the rep naming later when multiple controllers are
> managed by single eswitch (without notion of controller).
> >
> >Sometime my text is confusing. :-) so adding example of the thoughts
> below.
> >Example: Eswitch side devlink port show for multi-host setup considering
> the smartnic.
> >
> >$ devlink port show
> >pci/0000:00:08.0/0: type eth netdev enp0s8f0 flavour physical
> >pci/0000:00:08.0/1: type eth netdev enp0s8f0_pf0 flavour pcipf pfnum 0
> >pci/0000:00:08.0/2: type eth netdev enp0s8f0_c0pf0 flavour epcipf pfnum 0
> >                                                                                                             ^^^^^ new port
> flavour.
> >pci/0000:00:08.1/0: type eth netdev enp0s8f1 flavour physical
> >pci/0000:00:08.1/1: type eth netdev enp0s8f1_pf1 flavour pcipf pfnum 1
> >pci/0000:00:08.1/2: type eth netdev enp0s8f1_c0pf1 flavour epcipf pfnum
> >1
> >
> >Here one controller has two pci pfs (0,1}. Eswitch shows that they are
> external pci ports.
> >Whenever (not sure when), mlnx converts to single devlink instance, this
> will continue to work.
> >It will also work when multiple controller(s) (of external host) ports have
> same switch_id (for orchestration).
> >And this doesn't break any backward compatibility for non multihost, non
> smatnic users.
> >
> >> Jiri, would you mind chiming in? What's your take?
> >
> >Will wait for his inputs..
> 
> I don't see the need for new flavour. The port is still pf same as the local pf, it
> only resides on a different host. We just need to make sure to resolve the
> conflict between PFX and PFX on 2 different hosts (local/ext or ext/ext)
> 
Yes. I agree. I do not have strong opinion on new flavour as long as we make clear that this is for the external controller.

> So I think that for local PFs, no change is needed.
Yep.

> The external PFs need to have an extra attribute with "external
> enumeration" what would be used for the representor netdev name as well.
> 
> pci/0000:00:08.0/0: type eth netdev enp0s8f0 flavour physical
> pci/0000:00:08.0/1: type eth netdev enp0s8f0_pf0 flavour pcipf pfnum 0
> pci/0000:00:08.0/2: type eth netdev enp0s8f0_e0pf0 flavour pcipf extnum 0
> pfnum 0

How about a prefix of "ec" instead of "e", like?
pci/0000:00:08.0/2: type eth netdev enp0s8f0_ec0pf0 flavour pcipf ecnum 0 pfnum 0
                                                                                     ^^^^
> pci/0000:00:08.0/3: type eth netdev enp0s8f0_e1pf0 flavour pcipf extnum 1
> pfnum 0

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