Messages in this thread | | | Subject | Re: [PATCH RFC 0/7] block: Introduce CBD (CXL Block Device) | From | Dongsheng Yang <> | Date | Thu, 9 May 2024 21:03:41 +0800 |
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在 2024/5/9 星期四 下午 8:21, Jonathan Cameron 写道: > On Thu, 9 May 2024 19:24:28 +0800 > Dongsheng Yang <dongsheng.yang@easystack.cn> wrote: > .. >>> Yes. I think we are going to have to wait on architecture specific clarifications >>> before any software coherent use case can be guaranteed to work beyond the 3.1 ones >>> for temporal sharing (only one accessing host at a time) and read only sharing where >>> writes are dropped anyway so clean write back is irrelevant beyond some noise in >>> logs possibly (if they do get logged it is considered so rare we don't care!). >> >> Hi Jonathan, >> Allow me to discuss further. As described in CXL 3.1: >> ``` >> Software-managed coherency schemes are complicated by any host or device >> whose caching agents generate clean writebacks. A “No Clean Writebacks” >> capability bit is available for a host in the CXL System Description >> Structure (CSDS; see Section 9.18.1.6) or for a device in the DVSEC CXL >> Capability2 register (see Section 8.1.3.7). >> ``` >> >> If we check and find that the "No clean writeback" bit in both CSDS and >> DVSEC is set, can we then assume that software cache-coherency is >> feasible, as outlined below: >> >> (1) Both the writer and reader ensure cache flushes. Since there are no >> clean writebacks, there will be no background data writes. >> >> (2) The writer writes data to shared memory and then executes a cache >> flush. If we trust the "No clean writeback" bit, we can assume that the >> data in shared memory is coherent. >> >> (3) Before reading the data, the reader performs cache invalidation. >> Since there are no clean writebacks, this invalidation operation will >> not destroy the data written by the writer. Therefore, the data read by >> the reader should be the data written by the writer, and since the >> writer's cache is clean, it will not write data to shared memory during >> the reader's reading process. Additionally, data integrity can be ensured. >> >> The first step for CBD should depend on hardware cache coherence, which >> is clearer and more feasible. Here, I am just exploring the possibility >> of software cache coherence, not insisting on implementing software >> cache-coherency right away. :) > > Yes, if a platform sets that bit, you 'should' be fine. What exact flush > is needed is architecture specific however and the DMA related ones > may not be sufficient. I'd keep an eye open for arch doc update from the > various vendors. > > Also, the architecture that motivated that bit existing is a 'moderately > large' chip vendor so I'd go so far as to say adoption will be limited > unless they resolve that in a future implementation :)
Great, I think we've had a good discussion and reached a consensus on this issue. The remaining aspect will depend on hardware updates. Thank you for the information, that helps a lot.
Thanx > > Jonathan > >> >> Thanx >>> >>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> CBD can initially support (3), and then transition to (1) when hardware >>>>>> supports cache-coherency. If there's sufficient market demand, we can >>>>>> also consider supporting (2). >>>>> I'd assume only (3) works. The others rely on assumptions I don't think >>>> >>>> I guess you mean (1), the hardware cache-coherency way, right? >>> >>> Indeed - oops! >>> Hardware coherency is the way to go, or a well defined and clearly document >>> description of how to play with the various host architectures. >>> >>> Jonathan >>> >>> >>>> >>>> :) >>>> Thanx >>>> >>>>> you can rely on. >>>>> >>>>> Fun fun fun, >>>>> >>>>> Jonathan >>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> How does this approach sound? >>>>>> >>>>>> Thanx >>>>>>> >>>>>>> J >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Keep in mind that I don't think anybody has cxl 3 devices or CPUs yet, and >>>>>>>> shared memory is not explicitly legal in cxl 2, so there are things a cpu >>>>>>>> could do (or not do) in a cxl 2 environment that are not illegal because >>>>>>>> they should not be observable in a no-shared-memory environment. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> CBD is interesting work, though for some of the reasons above I'm somewhat >>>>>>>> skeptical of shared memory as an IPC mechanism. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Regards, >>>>>>>> John >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> . >>>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> . >>>>> >>> >>> >
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