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 2B346A01 for ; Fri, 13 Jun 2014 16:56:13 +0000 (UTC) Received: from qmta09.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net (qmta09.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net [76.96.30.96]) by smtp1.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3EF1520247 for ; Fri, 13 Jun 2014 16:56:11 +0000 (UTC) Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 11:56:08 -0500 (CDT) From: Christoph Lameter To: Greg KH In-Reply-To: <20140611194504.GA2683@kroah.com> Message-ID: References: <20140611194504.GA2683@kroah.com> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII 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, 11 Jun 2014, Greg KH wrote: > > 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? Block and networking mainly. The userspace VFIO API exposes device specific registers. We need something that is a decent abstraction. IBverbs is something like that but it could be done much better.