[dpdk-dev] [PATCH] gpudev: introduce memory API

[Wang, Haiyue]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: dev <dev-bounces at dpdk.org> On Behalf Of Thomas Monjalon
> Sent: Friday, June 4, 2021 23:51
> To: Jerin Jacob <jerinjacobk at gmail.com>
> Cc: Honnappa Nagarahalli <Honnappa.Nagarahalli at arm.com>; Andrew Rybchenko
> <andrew.rybchenko at oktetlabs.ru>; Yigit, Ferruh <ferruh.yigit at intel.com>; dpdk-dev <dev at dpdk.org>;
> Elena Agostini <eagostini at nvidia.com>; David Marchand <david.marchand at redhat.com>
> Subject: Re: [dpdk-dev] [PATCH] gpudev: introduce memory API
> 
> 04/06/2021 17:20, Jerin Jacob:
> > On Fri, Jun 4, 2021 at 7:39 PM Thomas Monjalon <thomas at monjalon.net> wrote:
> > > 04/06/2021 15:59, Andrew Rybchenko:
> > > > On 6/4/21 4:18 PM, Thomas Monjalon wrote:
> > > > > 04/06/2021 15:05, Andrew Rybchenko:
> > > > >> On 6/4/21 3:46 PM, Thomas Monjalon wrote:
> > > > >>> 04/06/2021 13:09, Jerin Jacob:
> > > > >>>> On Fri, Jun 4, 2021 at 3:58 PM Thomas Monjalon <thomas at monjalon.net> wrote:
> > > > >>>>> 03/06/2021 11:33, Ferruh Yigit:
> > > > >>>>>> On 6/3/2021 8:47 AM, Jerin Jacob wrote:
> > > > >>>>>>> On Thu, Jun 3, 2021 at 2:05 AM Thomas Monjalon <thomas at monjalon.net> wrote:
> > > > >>>>>>>> +  [gpudev]             (@ref rte_gpudev.h),
> > > > >>>>>>>
> > > > >>>>>>> Since this device does not have a queue etc? Shouldn't make it a
> > > > >>>>>>> library like mempool with vendor-defined ops?
> > > > >>>>>>
> > > > >>>>>> +1
> > > > >>>>>>
> > > > >>>>>> Current RFC announces additional memory allocation capabilities, which can suits
> > > > >>>>>> better as extension to existing memory related library instead of a new device
> > > > >>>>>> abstraction library.
> > > > >>>>>
> > > > >>>>> It is not replacing mempool.
> > > > >>>>> It is more at the same level as EAL memory management:
> > > > >>>>> allocate simple buffer, but with the exception it is done
> > > > >>>>> on a specific device, so it requires a device ID.
> > > > >>>>>
> > > > >>>>> The other reason it needs to be a full library is that
> > > > >>>>> it will start a workload on the GPU and get completion notification
> > > > >>>>> so we can integrate the GPU workload in a packet processing pipeline.
> > > > >>>>
> > > > >>>> I might have confused you. My intention is not to make to fit under mempool API.
> > > > >>>>
> > > > >>>> I agree that we need a separate library for this. My objection is only
> > > > >>>> to not call libgpudev and
> > > > >>>> call it libgpu. And have APIs with rte_gpu_ instead of rte_gpu_dev as
> > > > >>>> it not like existing "device libraries" in DPDK and
> > > > >>>> it like other "libraries" in DPDK.
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>> I think we should define a queue of processing actions,
> > > > >>> so it looks like other device libraries.
> > > > >>> And anyway I think a library managing a device class,
> > > > >>> and having some device drivers deserves the name of device library.
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>> I would like to read more opinions.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Since the library is an unified interface to GPU device drivers
> > > > >> I think it should be named as in the patch - gpudev.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Mempool looks like an exception here - initially it was pure SW
> > > > >> library, but not there are HW backends and corresponding device
> > > > >> drivers.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> What I don't understand where is GPU specifics here?
> > > > >
> > > > > That's an interesting question.
> > > > > Let's ask first what is a GPU for DPDK?
> > > > > I think it is like a sub-CPU with high parallel execution capabilities,
> > > > > and it is controlled by the CPU.
> > > >
> > > > I have no good ideas how to name it in accordance with
> > > > above description to avoid "G" which for "Graphics" if
> > > > understand correctly. However, may be it is not required.
> > > > No strong opinion on the topic, but unbinding from
> > > > "Graphics" would be nice.
> > >
> > > That's a question I ask myself for months now.
> > > I am not able to find a better name,
> > > and I start thinking that "GPU" is famous enough in high-load computing
> > > to convey the idea of what we can expect.
> >
> >
> > The closest I can think of is big-little architecture in ARM SoC.
> > https://www.arm.com/why-arm/technologies/big-little
> >
> > We do have similar architecture, Where the "coprocessor" is part of
> > the main CPU.
> > It is operations are:
> > - Download firmware
> > - Memory mapping for Main CPU memory by the co-processor
> > - Enq/Deq Jobs from/to Main CPU/Coprocessor CPU.
> 
> Yes it looks like the exact same scope.
> I like the word "co-processor" in this context.
> 
> > If your scope is something similar and No Graphics involved here then
> > we can remove G.
> 
> Indeed no graphics in DPDK :)
> By removing the G, you mean keeping only PU? like "pudev"?
> We could also define the G as "General".
> 
> > Coincidentally, Yesterday, I had an interaction with Elena for the
> > same for BaseBand related work in ORAN where
> > GPU used as Baseband processing instead of Graphics.(So I can
> > understand the big picture of this library)
> 
> Yes baseband processing is one possible usage of GPU with DPDK.
> We could also imagine some security analysis, or any machine learning...
> 
> > I can think of "coprocessor-dev" as one of the name.
> 
> "coprocessor" looks too long as prefix of the functions.
> 
> > We do have similar machine learning co-processors(for compute)
> > if we can keep a generic name and it is for the above functions we may
> > use this subsystem as well in the future.
> 

Accelerator, 'acce_dev' ? ;-)

> Yes that's the idea to share a common synchronization mechanism
> with different HW.
> 
> That's cool to have such a big interest in the community for this patch.
>