Re: [PATCH rdma-core 7/7] mlx5: Export mlx5 direct verbs interface

Jason Gunthorpe
2017-02-03T16:48:18Z

On Fri, Feb 03, 2017 at 08:04:19AM -0800, Christoph Hellwig wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 26, 2017 at 10:30:05AM -0700, Jason Gunthorpe wrote:
> > No, this is no longer just a provider so it doesn't get to use
> > provider.map
> >
> > mlx5 will need its own map file and the various magic I described to
> > become a proper library and a plugin at once.
>
> Honestly, I don't think it should be both at once. The library for
> direct access needs to be in /usr/lib and the provider hidden in the
> providers directory, and not export anything not in the providers API.

Provider libraries don't export any symbols at all. That is the main
reason having a library be both could potentially work out OK..

But it would have to be a proper /usr/lib/../ library first, and be
symlinked to a provider lib name second... And they will have to make
sure that dlopen figures this out and only loads one copy..

> I think what needs to happen is a new library for the direct access,
> and the provider should be layered on top of it.

I suspect that might just make a bigger mess, it looks like there is
some sharing of internal statics and what not - so the two libraries
would end up having their own private symbol interface, which is
looking like be a worse situation then the above...

Jason