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Subject: Re: [virtio-comment] [PATCH 1/3] shared memory: Define shared memory regions
* Halil Pasic (pasic@linux.ibm.com) wrote: > On Fri, 11 Jan 2019 13:15:40 +0100 > Cornelia Huck <cohuck@redhat.com> wrote: > > > On Fri, 11 Jan 2019 11:41:58 +0000 > > "Dr. David Alan Gilbert (git)" <dgilbert@redhat.com> wrote: > > > > > From: "Dr. David Alan Gilbert" <dgilbert@redhat.com> > > > > > > Define the requirements and idea behind shared memory regions. > > > > > > Signed-off-by: Dr. David Alan Gilbert <dgilbert@redhat.com> > > > --- > > > content.tex | 3 +++ > > > shared-mem.tex | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > > 2 files changed, 28 insertions(+) > > > create mode 100644 shared-mem.tex > > > > > > diff --git a/content.tex b/content.tex > > > index b101d1b..321a2f4 100644 > > > --- a/content.tex > > > +++ b/content.tex > > > @@ -331,6 +331,9 @@ Virtqueue format, or both. > > > \input{split-ring.tex} > > > > > > \input{packed-ring.tex} > > > + > > > +\input{shared-mem.tex} > > > + > > > \chapter{General Initialization And Device Operation}\label{sec:General Initialization And Device Operation} > > > > > > We start with an overview of device initialization, then expand on the > > > diff --git a/shared-mem.tex b/shared-mem.tex > > > new file mode 100644 > > > index 0000000..6da249c > > > --- /dev/null > > > +++ b/shared-mem.tex > > > @@ -0,0 +1,25 @@ > > > +\section{Shared Memory Regions}\label{sec:Basic Facilities of a Virtio Device / Shared Memory Regions} > > > + > > > +Shared memory regions are an additional facility > > > +available to devices that need a region of memory that's > > > +continuously shared between the host and the guest, rather > > > +than passed between them in the way virtqueue elements are. > > > + > > Kind of like the rings, just without any (common) pre-defined purpose and > semantics? Yes, the difference is that all the data in the rings involves handing over 'ownership' of data from one side to the other and then doing something and handing it back; these regions are designed for data that's in use concurrently by both sides. > > > +Example uses include shared caches and version pools for versioned > > > +data structures. > > > + > > > +Shared memory regions MUST NOT be used to control the operation > > > +of the device, nor to stream data; those should still be performed > > > +using virtqueues. > > > + > > I will have to think about this paragraph some more... It's intended to stop people using these regions for things that should be done in the rings. > > > +A device may have multiple shared memory regions associated with > > > +it. Each region has a \field{shmid} to identify it, the meaning > > > +of which is device specific. > > > + > > > +Enumeration and location of shared memory regions is performed > > > +using a transport-specific data structure. > > > > "data structure and mechanism"? > > > > > + > > > +The guest physical address and the host virtual address MUST NOT > > > +be used to identify structures within the memory regions; all > > > +addressing MUST be relative to the start of a particular region. > > > + > > > > Is the intended implementation that the device provides a certain > > memory region (in host memory) and exposes it to the driver? Are there > > supposed to be any notifications of writes? Or do both simply write to > > the region and get whatever updates the other side has made when they > > read from the region again? > > > > I'm a bit unsure how to implement this for the ccw transport. Maybe a > > new pair of ccws to read/write shared memory regions? But we'd also > > need a mechanism to discover the ids of those shared memory regions, I > > think. > > > > Halil, do you have any thoughts? > > > > I hope to develop more some. I've missed these discussions unfortunately, > and the memory stuff is not my forte. But we do seem to need a mechanism > to discover/expose (driver/device) these. Yes, agreed; I added the PCI and mmio discovery in the next patches but didn't know where to start for ccw. > Do we want to change the device initialization (3.1) subsection? I'm not > sure if this shared memory region discovery is something that's > supposed to be a part of the initialization. At the moment, I would guess > is the device not supposed to be able to provide new regions at any time > (as I don't see how the device is supposed to tell the driver: hey > please re-do discovery). Yes, it's part of initialisation; although since the enumeration is specific to the transport and the use is specific to the device, I'm not sure what goes in a common initialization section. Dave > Regards, > Halil > -- Dr. David Alan Gilbert / dgilbert@redhat.com / Manchester, UK
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