From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from smtp1.linuxfoundation.org (smtp1.linux-foundation.org [172.17.192.35]) by mail.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8F310934 for ; Fri, 13 Jun 2014 01:30:21 +0000 (UTC) Received: from smtp.tuxdriver.com (charlotte.tuxdriver.com [70.61.120.58]) by smtp1.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id E59DF1F8AB for ; Fri, 13 Jun 2014 01:30:20 +0000 (UTC) Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 09:35:54 -0400 From: "John W. Linville" To: Greg KH Message-ID: <20140612133554.GB4073@tuxdriver.com> References: <20140611194504.GA2683@kroah.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20140611194504.GA2683@kroah.com> Cc: ksummit-discuss@lists.linuxfoundation.org Subject: Re: [Ksummit-discuss] [CORE TOPIC] Redesign Memory Management layer and more core subsystem List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 12:45:04PM -0700, Greg KH wrote: > On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 02:03:05PM -0500, Christoph Lameter wrote: > > 6. Direct hardware access > > > > Often the kernel subsystems are impeding performance. In high speed > > computing we regularly bypass the kernel network subsystems, block I/O > > etc. Direct hardware access means though that one is explosed to the ugly > > particularities of how a certain device has to be handled. Can we have the > > cake and eat it too by defining APIs that allow low level hardware access > > but also provide hardware abstraction (maybe limited to certain types of > > devices). > > What type of devices are you wanting here, block and networking or > something else? We have the uio interface if you want to (and know how > to) talk to your hardware directly from userspace, what else do you want > to do here that this doesn't provide? AF_PACKET provides some level of hardware abstraction without a lot of overhead for networking apps that are prepared to deal with raw frames. Is this the kind of networking API you would propose? John -- John W. Linville Someday the world will need a hero, and you linville@tuxdriver.com might be all we have. Be ready.