Re: [patch 21/32] NTB/msi: Convert to msi_on_each_desc()

Jason Gunthorpe
2021-12-02T14:45:42Z

On Thu, Dec 02, 2021 at 03:23:38PM +0100, Greg Kroah-Hartman wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 02, 2021 at 09:55:02AM -0400, Jason Gunthorpe wrote:
> > Further, there is no reason why IMS should be reserved exclusively for
> > VFIO! Why shouldn't the cdev be able to use IMS vectors too? It is
> > just a feature of the PCI device like MSI. If the queue has a PASID it
> > can use IDXD's IMS.
>
> No, sorry, but a cdev is not for anything resembling any real resource
> at all.

My point is that when the user asks the driver to allocate a queue
through a cdev ioctl it should be able to get the queue attached to an
IMS, today it can only get a queue attached to a MSI.

> It is ONLY for the /dev/NODE interface that controls the character
> device api to userspace. The struct device involved in it is ONLY for
> that, nothing else. Any attempt to add things to it will be gleefully
> rejected.

I agree with you!

> > If we really need a 2nd struct device to turn on IMS then, I'd suggest
> > picking the cdev, as it keeps IMS and its allocator inside the IDXD
> > PCIe driver and not in the VFIO world.
>
> No! Again, a cdev is to control the lifespan/lifecycle of the /dev/NODE
> only. Anything other than that is not ok to do at all.

Said the same thing in a prior email - which is why I think the only
logical choice here is to make IMS work on the pci_device

FWIW I feel the same way about the VFIO mdev - its *ONLY* purpose is
to control the lifecycle and we are close to stripping away all the
other abuses using it for other things.

Jason