RE: [EXT] Re: [PATCH net-next v1 1/2] octeon_ep: implement device unload control net API

[Shinas Rasheed]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jakub Kicinski <kuba@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2023 9:57 PM
> To: Shinas Rasheed <srasheed@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: netdev@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; Haseeb Gani
> On Tue, 28 Nov 2023 04:22:11 +0000 Shinas Rasheed wrote:
> > > On Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:21:34 -0800 Shinas Rasheed wrote:
> > > > Device unload control net function should inform firmware
> > >
> > > What is "control net" again?
> >
> > Control net is just a software layer which is used by the host driver
> > as well as the firmware to communicate with each other, given in the
> > source file octep_ctrl_net.c and the corresponding octep_ctrl_net.h
> > interface, which is already part of upstreamed driver.
> 
> Yes, I think it went in before I had time to nack it.
> I'm strongly against using the IP stack to talk to FW,
> if you read the ML you would know it.
> 
> No new patches to octep_ctrl_net will be accepted.

Control net doesn't use the IP stack at all. It's a simple producer-consumer based ring mechanism using PCIe BAR4 memory. Sorry maybe the nomenclature suggests something of that nature.