Jeff Garzik writes: > > Promise just gave permission to post the docs for their PDC20621 (i.e. > SX4) hardware: > http://gkernel.sourceforge.net/specs/promise/pdc20621-pguide-1.2.pdf.bz2 > > joining the existing PDC20621 DIMM and PLL docs: > http://gkernel.sourceforge.net/specs/promise/pdc20621-pguide-dimm-1.6.pdf.bz2 > http://gkernel.sourceforge.net/specs/promise/pdc20621-pguide-pll-ata-timing-1.2.pdf.bz2 > > > So, the SX4 is now open. Yay :) I am hoping to talk Mikael into > becoming the sata_sx4 maintainer, and finally integrating my 'new-eh' > conversion in libata-dev.git. The best solution would be if some storage driver person would take on the SX4 challenge and work towards integrating the SX4 into Linux' RAID framework. If no-one steps forward I'll take over Jeff's SX4 card and just maintain sata_sx4 as a plain non-RAID driver. Unfortunately I don't have the time needed to turn it into a decent RAID or RAID-offload driver myself. /Mikael > > But now is a good time to remind people how lame the sata_sx4 driver > software really is -- and I should know, I wrote it. > > The SX4 hardware, simplified, is three pieces: XOR engine (for raid5), > host<->board memcpy engine, and several ATA engines (and some helpful > transaction sequencing features). Data for each WRITE command is first > copied to the board RAM, then the ATA engines DMA to/from the board RAM. > Data for each READ command is copied to board RAM via the ATA engines, > then DMA'd across PCI to your host memory. > > Therefore, while it is not hardware RAID, the SX4 provides all the > pieces necessary to offload RAID1 and RAID5, and handle other RAID > levels optimally. RAID1 and 5 copies can be offloaded (provided all > copies go to SX4-attached devices of course). RAID5 XOR gen and > checking can be offloaded, allowing the OS to see a single request, > while the hardware processes a sequence of low-level requests sent in a > batch. > > This hardware presents an interesting challenge: it does not really fit > into software RAID (i.e. no RAID) /or/ hardware RAID categories. The > sata_sx4 driver presents the no-RAID configuration, while is terribly > inefficient: > > WRITE: > submit host DMA (copy to board) > host DMA completion via interrupt > submit ATA command > ATA command completion via interrupt > READ: > submit ATA command > ATA command completion via interrupt > submit host DMA (copy from board) > host DMA completion via interrupt > > Thus, the "SX4 challenge" is a challenge to developers to figure out the > most optimal configuration for this hardware, given the existing MD and > DM work going on. > > Now, it must be noted that the SX4 is not current-gen technology. Most > vendors have moved towards an "IOP" model, where the hw vendor puts most > of their hard work into an ARM/MIPS firmware, running on an embedded > chip specially tuned for storage purposes. (ref "hptiop" and "stex" > drivers, very very small SCSI drivers) > > I know Dan Williams @ Intel is working on very similar issues on the IOP > -- async memcpy, XOR offload, etc. -- and I am hoping that, due to that > current work, some of the good ideas can be reused with the SX4. > > Anyway... it's open, it's interesting, even if it's not current-gen > tech anymore. You can probably find them on Ebay or in an > out-of-the-way computer shop somewhere. > > Jeff - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-ide" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
