Re: [RFC v4] PCI: PTM Driver

["Yong, Jonathan" <jonathan.yong@intel.com>]

On 04/29/2016 22:17, Bjorn Helgaas wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 19, 2016 at 06:29:17AM +0000, Yong, Jonathan wrote:
>> Hello LKML,
>>
>> This is a preliminary implementation of the PTM[1] support driver. This driver
>> has only been tested against a virtual PCI bus since there are no known
>> endpoints utilizing it yet.
>
> What sort of testing is this, exactly?  Is this using a software model
> of devices that support PTM?
>

We wrote another driver to fake the PCI config space with pci_scan_bus, 
with fake switches and fake devices. Convenient since the driver only 
deals with the config space.

> When will hardware that supports PTM be available to you for testing?
> When will it be available on the market?
>

I don't have any dates for when consumer endpoints will hit the market. 
PTM aware FPGA device models might come around Q3/Q4 this year, with 
exercisers around 2017.

> I'm trying to figure out whether there's any benefit to merging
> something before it is useful to anybody.
>

True it won't be useful to anybody until such a device is available. 
What is the general policy for future hardware standards?