public inbox for linux-doc@vger.kernel.org
 help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: Robert Richter <rrichter@amd.com>
To: Alison Schofield <alison.schofield@intel.com>,
	Vishal Verma <vishal.l.verma@intel.com>,
	Ira Weiny <ira.weiny@intel.com>,
	Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@intel.com>,
	Jonathan Cameron <jonathan.cameron@huawei.com>,
	Dave Jiang <dave.jiang@intel.com>,
	Davidlohr Bueso <dave@stgolabs.net>,
	Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
Cc: <linux-cxl@vger.kernel.org>, <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
	Gregory Price <gourry@gourry.net>,
	"Fabio M. De Francesco" <fabio.m.de.francesco@linux.intel.com>,
	Terry Bowman <terry.bowman@amd.com>,
	Joshua Hahn <joshua.hahnjy@gmail.com>,
	Robert Richter <rrichter@amd.com>, <linux-doc@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: [PATCH v5 2/3] cxl, doc: Moving conventions in separate files
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2026 18:35:59 +0100	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260203173604.1440334-2-rrichter@amd.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20260203173604.1440334-1-rrichter@amd.com>

Moving conventions in separate files.

Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
Reviewed-by: Dave Jiang <dave.jiang@intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Jonathan Cameron <jonathan.cameron@huawei.com>
Reviewed-by: Alison Schofield <alison.schofield@intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Robert Richter <rrichter@amd.com>
---
v4:
 * updated sob-chain,
v3:
 * updated sob-chain,
 * move isonum.txt removal to separate patch (Jonathan Cameron),
 * kept intro in conventions.rst (Jonathan Cameron),
 * removed additional blank line in template (Jonathan Cameron),
v2:
 * removed include:: <isonum.txt> line (Jonathan Corbet).
---
 Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions.rst  | 176 +-----------------
 .../driver-api/cxl/conventions/cxl-lmh.rst    | 135 ++++++++++++++
 .../driver-api/cxl/conventions/template.rst   |  37 ++++
 3 files changed, 178 insertions(+), 170 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions/cxl-lmh.rst
 create mode 100644 Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions/template.rst

diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions.rst
index ed4237583d36..9267a697b2fe 100644
--- a/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions.rst
+++ b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions.rst
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 .. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
 
-=======================================
 Compute Express Link: Linux Conventions
-=======================================
+#######################################
 
 There exists shipping platforms that bend or break CXL specification
 expectations. Record the details and the rationale for those deviations.
@@ -10,172 +9,9 @@ Borrow the ACPI Code First template format to capture the assumptions
 and tradeoffs such that multiple platform implementations can follow the
 same convention.
 
-<(template) Title>
-==================
+.. toctree::
+   :maxdepth: 1
+   :caption: Contents
 
-Document
---------
-CXL Revision <rev>, Version <ver>
-
-License
--------
-SPDX-License Identifier: CC-BY-4.0
-
-Creator/Contributors
---------------------
-
-Summary of the Change
----------------------
-
-<Detail the conflict with the specification and where available the
-assumptions and tradeoffs taken by the hardware platform.>
-
-
-Benefits of the Change
-----------------------
-
-<Detail what happens if platforms and Linux do not adopt this
-convention.>
-
-References
-----------
-
-Detailed Description of the Change
-----------------------------------
-
-<Propose spec language that corrects the conflict.>
-
-
-Resolve conflict between CFMWS, Platform Memory Holes, and Endpoint Decoders
-============================================================================
-
-Document
---------
-
-CXL Revision 3.2, Version 1.0
-
-License
--------
-
-SPDX-License Identifier: CC-BY-4.0
-
-Creator/Contributors
---------------------
-
-- Fabio M. De Francesco, Intel
-- Dan J. Williams, Intel
-- Mahesh Natu, Intel
-
-Summary of the Change
----------------------
-
-According to the current Compute Express Link (CXL) Specifications (Revision
-3.2, Version 1.0), the CXL Fixed Memory Window Structure (CFMWS) describes zero
-or more Host Physical Address (HPA) windows associated with each CXL Host
-Bridge. Each window represents a contiguous HPA range that may be interleaved
-across one or more targets, including CXL Host Bridges. Each window has a set
-of restrictions that govern its usage. It is the Operating System-directed
-configuration and Power Management (OSPM) responsibility to utilize each window
-for the specified use.
-
-Table 9-22 of the current CXL Specifications states that the Window Size field
-contains the total number of consecutive bytes of HPA this window describes.
-This value must be a multiple of the Number of Interleave Ways (NIW) * 256 MB.
-
-Platform Firmware (BIOS) might reserve physical addresses below 4 GB where a
-memory gap such as the Low Memory Hole for PCIe MMIO may exist. In such cases,
-the CFMWS Range Size may not adhere to the NIW * 256 MB rule.
-
-The HPA represents the actual physical memory address space that the CXL devices
-can decode and respond to, while the System Physical Address (SPA), a related
-but distinct concept, represents the system-visible address space that users can
-direct transaction to and so it excludes reserved regions.
-
-BIOS publishes CFMWS to communicate the active SPA ranges that, on platforms
-with LMH's, map to a strict subset of the HPA. The SPA range trims out the hole,
-resulting in lost capacity in the Endpoints with no SPA to map to that part of
-the HPA range that intersects the hole.
-
-E.g, an x86 platform with two CFMWS and an LMH starting at 2 GB:
-
- +--------+------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+------+
- | Window | CFMWS Base |    CFMWS Size     | HDM Decoder Base |  HDM Decoder Size | Ways |
- +========+============+===================+==================+===================+======+
- |   0    |   0 GB     |       2 GB        |      0 GB        |       3 GB        |  12  |
- +--------+------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+------+
- |   1    |   4 GB     | NIW*256MB Aligned |      4 GB        | NIW*256MB Aligned |  12  |
- +--------+------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+------+
-
-HDM decoder base and HDM decoder size represent all the 12 Endpoint Decoders of
-a 12 ways region and all the intermediate Switch Decoders. They are configured
-by the BIOS according to the NIW * 256MB rule, resulting in a HPA range size of
-3GB. Instead, the CFMWS Base and CFMWS Size are used to configure the Root
-Decoder HPA range that results smaller (2GB) than that of the Switch and
-Endpoint Decoders in the hierarchy (3GB).
-
-This creates 2 issues which lead to a failure to construct a region:
-
-1) A mismatch in region size between root and any HDM decoder. The root decoders
-   will always be smaller due to the trim.
-
-2) The trim causes the root decoder to violate the (NIW * 256MB) rule.
-
-This change allows a region with a base address of 0GB to bypass these checks to
-allow for region creation with the trimmed root decoder address range.
-
-This change does not allow for any other arbitrary region to violate these
-checks - it is intended exclusively to enable x86 platforms which map CXL memory
-under 4GB.
-
-Despite the HDM decoders covering the PCIE hole HPA region, it is expected that
-the platform will never route address accesses to the CXL complex because the
-root decoder only covers the trimmed region (which excludes this). This is
-outside the ability of Linux to enforce.
-
-On the example platform, only the first 2GB will be potentially usable, but
-Linux, aiming to adhere to the current specifications, fails to construct
-Regions and attach Endpoint and intermediate Switch Decoders to them.
-
-There are several points of failure that due to the expectation that the Root
-Decoder HPA size, that is equal to the CFMWS from which it is configured, has
-to be greater or equal to the matching Switch and Endpoint HDM Decoders.
-
-In order to succeed with construction and attachment, Linux must construct a
-Region with Root Decoder HPA range size, and then attach to that all the
-intermediate Switch Decoders and Endpoint Decoders that belong to the hierarchy
-regardless of their range sizes.
-
-Benefits of the Change
-----------------------
-
-Without the change, the OSPM wouldn't match intermediate Switch and Endpoint
-Decoders with Root Decoders configured with CFMWS HPA sizes that don't align
-with the NIW * 256MB constraint, and so it leads to lost memdev capacity.
-
-This change allows the OSPM to construct Regions and attach intermediate Switch
-and Endpoint Decoders to them, so that the addressable part of the memory
-devices total capacity is made available to the users.
-
-References
-----------
-
-Compute Express Link Specification Revision 3.2, Version 1.0
-<https://www.computeexpresslink.org/>
-
-Detailed Description of the Change
-----------------------------------
-
-The description of the Window Size field in table 9-22 needs to account for
-platforms with Low Memory Holes, where SPA ranges might be subsets of the
-endpoints HPA. Therefore, it has to be changed to the following:
-
-"The total number of consecutive bytes of HPA this window represents. This value
-shall be a multiple of NIW * 256 MB.
-
-On platforms that reserve physical addresses below 4 GB, such as the Low Memory
-Hole for PCIe MMIO on x86, an instance of CFMWS whose Base HPA range is 0 might
-have a size that doesn't align with the NIW * 256 MB constraint.
-
-Note that the matching intermediate Switch Decoders and the Endpoint Decoders
-HPA range sizes must still align to the above-mentioned rule, but the memory
-capacity that exceeds the CFMWS window size won't be accessible.".
+   conventions/cxl-lmh.rst
+   conventions/template.rst
diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions/cxl-lmh.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions/cxl-lmh.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..baece5c35345
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions/cxl-lmh.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+Resolve conflict between CFMWS, Platform Memory Holes, and Endpoint Decoders
+============================================================================
+
+Document
+--------
+
+CXL Revision 3.2, Version 1.0
+
+License
+-------
+
+SPDX-License Identifier: CC-BY-4.0
+
+Creator/Contributors
+--------------------
+
+- Fabio M. De Francesco, Intel
+- Dan J. Williams, Intel
+- Mahesh Natu, Intel
+
+Summary of the Change
+---------------------
+
+According to the current Compute Express Link (CXL) Specifications (Revision
+3.2, Version 1.0), the CXL Fixed Memory Window Structure (CFMWS) describes zero
+or more Host Physical Address (HPA) windows associated with each CXL Host
+Bridge. Each window represents a contiguous HPA range that may be interleaved
+across one or more targets, including CXL Host Bridges. Each window has a set
+of restrictions that govern its usage. It is the Operating System-directed
+configuration and Power Management (OSPM) responsibility to utilize each window
+for the specified use.
+
+Table 9-22 of the current CXL Specifications states that the Window Size field
+contains the total number of consecutive bytes of HPA this window describes.
+This value must be a multiple of the Number of Interleave Ways (NIW) * 256 MB.
+
+Platform Firmware (BIOS) might reserve physical addresses below 4 GB where a
+memory gap such as the Low Memory Hole for PCIe MMIO may exist. In such cases,
+the CFMWS Range Size may not adhere to the NIW * 256 MB rule.
+
+The HPA represents the actual physical memory address space that the CXL devices
+can decode and respond to, while the System Physical Address (SPA), a related
+but distinct concept, represents the system-visible address space that users can
+direct transaction to and so it excludes reserved regions.
+
+BIOS publishes CFMWS to communicate the active SPA ranges that, on platforms
+with LMH's, map to a strict subset of the HPA. The SPA range trims out the hole,
+resulting in lost capacity in the Endpoints with no SPA to map to that part of
+the HPA range that intersects the hole.
+
+E.g, an x86 platform with two CFMWS and an LMH starting at 2 GB:
+
+ +--------+------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+------+
+ | Window | CFMWS Base |    CFMWS Size     | HDM Decoder Base |  HDM Decoder Size | Ways |
+ +========+============+===================+==================+===================+======+
+ |   0    |   0 GB     |       2 GB        |      0 GB        |       3 GB        |  12  |
+ +--------+------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+------+
+ |   1    |   4 GB     | NIW*256MB Aligned |      4 GB        | NIW*256MB Aligned |  12  |
+ +--------+------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+------+
+
+HDM decoder base and HDM decoder size represent all the 12 Endpoint Decoders of
+a 12 ways region and all the intermediate Switch Decoders. They are configured
+by the BIOS according to the NIW * 256MB rule, resulting in a HPA range size of
+3GB. Instead, the CFMWS Base and CFMWS Size are used to configure the Root
+Decoder HPA range that results smaller (2GB) than that of the Switch and
+Endpoint Decoders in the hierarchy (3GB).
+
+This creates 2 issues which lead to a failure to construct a region:
+
+1) A mismatch in region size between root and any HDM decoder. The root decoders
+   will always be smaller due to the trim.
+
+2) The trim causes the root decoder to violate the (NIW * 256MB) rule.
+
+This change allows a region with a base address of 0GB to bypass these checks to
+allow for region creation with the trimmed root decoder address range.
+
+This change does not allow for any other arbitrary region to violate these
+checks - it is intended exclusively to enable x86 platforms which map CXL memory
+under 4GB.
+
+Despite the HDM decoders covering the PCIE hole HPA region, it is expected that
+the platform will never route address accesses to the CXL complex because the
+root decoder only covers the trimmed region (which excludes this). This is
+outside the ability of Linux to enforce.
+
+On the example platform, only the first 2GB will be potentially usable, but
+Linux, aiming to adhere to the current specifications, fails to construct
+Regions and attach Endpoint and intermediate Switch Decoders to them.
+
+There are several points of failure that due to the expectation that the Root
+Decoder HPA size, that is equal to the CFMWS from which it is configured, has
+to be greater or equal to the matching Switch and Endpoint HDM Decoders.
+
+In order to succeed with construction and attachment, Linux must construct a
+Region with Root Decoder HPA range size, and then attach to that all the
+intermediate Switch Decoders and Endpoint Decoders that belong to the hierarchy
+regardless of their range sizes.
+
+Benefits of the Change
+----------------------
+
+Without the change, the OSPM wouldn't match intermediate Switch and Endpoint
+Decoders with Root Decoders configured with CFMWS HPA sizes that don't align
+with the NIW * 256MB constraint, and so it leads to lost memdev capacity.
+
+This change allows the OSPM to construct Regions and attach intermediate Switch
+and Endpoint Decoders to them, so that the addressable part of the memory
+devices total capacity is made available to the users.
+
+References
+----------
+
+Compute Express Link Specification Revision 3.2, Version 1.0
+<https://www.computeexpresslink.org/>
+
+Detailed Description of the Change
+----------------------------------
+
+The description of the Window Size field in table 9-22 needs to account for
+platforms with Low Memory Holes, where SPA ranges might be subsets of the
+endpoints HPA. Therefore, it has to be changed to the following:
+
+"The total number of consecutive bytes of HPA this window represents. This value
+shall be a multiple of NIW * 256 MB.
+
+On platforms that reserve physical addresses below 4 GB, such as the Low Memory
+Hole for PCIe MMIO on x86, an instance of CFMWS whose Base HPA range is 0 might
+have a size that doesn't align with the NIW * 256 MB constraint.
+
+Note that the matching intermediate Switch Decoders and the Endpoint Decoders
+HPA range sizes must still align to the above-mentioned rule, but the memory
+capacity that exceeds the CFMWS window size won't be accessible.".
diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions/template.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions/template.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ff2fcf1b5e24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions/template.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+.. :: Template Title here:
+
+Template File
+=============
+
+Document
+--------
+CXL Revision <rev>, Version <ver>
+
+License
+-------
+SPDX-License Identifier: CC-BY-4.0
+
+Creator/Contributors
+--------------------
+
+Summary of the Change
+---------------------
+
+<Detail the conflict with the specification and where available the
+assumptions and tradeoffs taken by the hardware platform.>
+
+Benefits of the Change
+----------------------
+
+<Detail what happens if platforms and Linux do not adopt this
+convention.>
+
+References
+----------
+
+Detailed Description of the Change
+----------------------------------
+
+<Propose spec language that corrects the conflict.>
-- 
2.47.3


  reply	other threads:[~2026-02-03 17:36 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 5+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2026-02-03 17:35 [PATCH v5 1/3] cxl, doc: Remove isonum.txt inclusion Robert Richter
2026-02-03 17:35 ` Robert Richter [this message]
2026-02-03 17:36 ` [PATCH v5 3/3] Documentation/driver-api/cxl: ACPI PRM Address Translation Support and AMD Zen5 enablement Robert Richter
2026-02-03 18:50   ` dan.j.williams
2026-02-03 18:59     ` Robert Richter

Reply instructions:

You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:

* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
  and reply-to-all from there: mbox

  Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style

* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
  switches of git-send-email(1):

  git send-email \
    --in-reply-to=20260203173604.1440334-2-rrichter@amd.com \
    --to=rrichter@amd.com \
    --cc=alison.schofield@intel.com \
    --cc=corbet@lwn.net \
    --cc=dan.j.williams@intel.com \
    --cc=dave.jiang@intel.com \
    --cc=dave@stgolabs.net \
    --cc=fabio.m.de.francesco@linux.intel.com \
    --cc=gourry@gourry.net \
    --cc=ira.weiny@intel.com \
    --cc=jonathan.cameron@huawei.com \
    --cc=joshua.hahnjy@gmail.com \
    --cc=linux-cxl@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=linux-doc@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=terry.bowman@amd.com \
    --cc=vishal.l.verma@intel.com \
    /path/to/YOUR_REPLY

  https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html

* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
  via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox