Re: [RFCv2 00/15] RFCv2: Consolidated userspace RDMA library repo

[Jason Gunthorpe <jgunthorpe-ePGOBjL8dl3ta4EC/59zMFaTQe2KTcn/@public.gmane.org>]

On Mon, Aug 29, 2016 at 09:39:01AM -0500, Steve Wise wrote:

> > Again, it doesn't matter. The distros will take from upstream whenever
> > they are ready and upstream is 'continuously releasable'. This way the
> > distros can get everything and not have to hunt down 15 different git
> > trees randomly sprinkled across the internet
> 
> Please walk us through this scenario:  Vendor X has very important changes to
> their provider lib that enables new a hw device.  There is no dependency on any
> other rdma-plumbing library.  How will that new important enhancement get made
> available to downstream distros in a timely manner? 

Post the patch. Tag it with a Fixes: line. Doug/etc pick it
up. Distros notice the new commit on git, marked for backporting and
consider backporting it into their distro.

The vendor will still probably have to lobby the distros to include
the specific change quickly, that is no different of course. At least
now there is a better chance the non-lobbied distros will keep pace..

Same basic process as the kernel.

End-users observing the single tree can get the change very quickly by
grabbing the single git and building it to their distro's packages.

The state today is pretty sad. For example, libmlx4 is up to 1.2.1,
while the best I can get from Debian is 1.0.6.

In your specific case, you've kind of missed the large problem.
libcxgb4 isn't even packaged in Debian (or derived). A big swath of
Linux users don't even have your code available from their distro *at
all* - and that is a direct consequence of this mess we have made
upstream.

The distros are obviously not acceptably keeping pace with our
upstream mess. It looks like only Doug and RH are able to keep
up. IIRC John at SuSE just uses OFED (bleck) rather than sort this all
out by hand.

Further, we have another pending 2-3 upstream kernel drivers coming
and I have no idea where to find their userspace components..

We need to grow up and provide something sensible for our downstreams,
so our users can get the software easily..

Jason
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