Add documentation on how to resolve conflicts between CXL Fixed Memory
Windows, Platform Low Memory Holes, intermediate Switch and Endpoint
Decoders.
Signed-off-by: Fabio M. De Francesco <fabio.m.de.francesco@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
v4 -> v5: Fix grammar and syntactic errors (Dave)
Spell out CXL, OSPM, on first use (Dave)
Rewrite a few sentences for better clarity (Dave)
Talk about SPA vs HPA and SPA's relationship to CFMWS (Dave)
Adjust a table for htmldocs output (Bagas)
Use bullet list (Bagas)
Correct the CFMWS[1] HPA range to not overlap CFMWS[0] (Robert)
Correct the CFMWS[1] HPA range to the NIW*256MB rule (Robert)
v3 -> v4: Show and explain how CFMWS, Root Decoders, Intermediate
Switch and Endpoint Decoders match and attach Regions in
x86 platforms with Low Memory Holes (Dave, Gregory, Ira)
Remove a wrong argument about large interleaves (Jonathan)
v2 -> v3: Rework a few phrases for better clarity.
Fix grammar and syntactic errors (Randy, Alok).
Fix semantic errors ("size does not comply", Alok).
Fix technical errors ("decoder's total memory?", Alok).
v1 -> v2: Rewrite "Summary of the Change" section, 3r paragraph.
Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions.rst | 118 +++++++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 118 insertions(+)
diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions.rst
index da347a81a237..f5ccb5c3b7b9 100644
--- a/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions.rst
+++ b/Documentation/driver-api/cxl/conventions.rst
@@ -45,3 +45,121 @@ Detailed Description of the Change
----------------------------------
<Propose spec language that corrects the conflict.>
+
+
+Resolve conflict between CFMWS, Platform Memory Holes, and Endpoint Decoders
+============================================================================
+
+Document
+--------
+
+CXL Revision 3.2, Version 1.0
+
+License
+-------
+
+SPDX-License Identifier: CC-BY-4.0
+
+Creator/Contributors
+--------------------
+
+- Fabio M. De Francesco, Intel
+- Dan J. Williams, Intel
+- Mahesh Natu, Intel
+
+Summary of the Change
+---------------------
+
+According to the current Compute Express Link (CXL) Specifications (Revision
+3.2, Version 1.0), the CXL Fixed Memory Window Structure (CFMWS) describes zero
+or more Host Physical Address (HPA) windows associated with each CXL Host
+Bridge. Each window represents a contiguous HPA range that may be interleaved
+across one or more targets, including CXL Host Bridges. Each window has a set
+of restrictions that govern its usage. It is the Operating System-directed
+configuration and Power Management (OSPM) responsibility to utilize each window
+for the specified use.
+
+Table 9-22 of the current CXL Specifications states that the Window Size field
+contains the total number of consecutive bytes of HPA this window describes.
+This value must be a multiple of the Number of Interleave Ways (NIW) * 256 MB.
+
+Platform Firmware (BIOS) might reserve physical addresses below 4 GB where a
+memory gap such as the Low Memory Hole for PCIe MMIO may exist. In such cases,
+the CFMWS Range Size may not adhere to the NIW * 256 MB rule.
+
+The HPA represents the actual physical memory address space that the CXL devices
+can decode and respond to, while the System Physical Address (SPA), a related
+but distinct concept, represents the system-visible address space that users can
+direct transaction to and so it excludes reserved regions.
+
+BIOS publishes CFMWS to communicate the active SPA ranges that, on platforms
+with LMH's, map to a strict subset of the HPA. The SPA range trims out the hole,
+resulting in lost capacity in the Endpoints with no SPA to map to that part of
+the HPA range that intersects the hole.
+
+E.g, an x86 platform with two CFMWS and an LMH starting at 2 GB::
+
+ +--------+------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+------+
+ | Window | CFMWS Base | CFMWS Size | HDM Decoder Base | HDM Decoder Size | Ways |
+ +========+============+===================+==================+===================+======+
+ | 0 | 0 GB | 2 GB | 0 GB | 3 GB | 12 |
+ +--------+------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+------+
+ | 1 | 4 GB | NIW*256MB Aligned | 4 GB | NIW*256MB Aligned | 12 |
+ +--------+------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------+------+
+
+HDM decoder base and HDM decoder size represent all the 12 Endpoint Decoders of
+a 12 ways region and all the intermediate Switch Decoders. They are configured
+by the BIOS according to the NIW * 256MB rule, resulting in a HPA range size of
+3GB.
+
+The CFMWS Base and CFMWS Size are used to configure the Root Decoder HPA range
+base and size. CFMWS cannot intersect Memory Holes, then the CFMWS[0] size is
+smaller (2GB) than that of the Switch and Endpoint Decoders that make the
+hierarchy (3GB).
+
+On that platform, only the first 2GB will be potentially usable, but Linux,
+aiming to adhere to the current specifications, fails to construct Regions and
+to attach Endpoint and intermediate Switch Decoders to them. The several points
+of failure are due to the expectation that the Root Decoder HPA size, that is
+equal to the CFMWS from which it is configured, has to be greater or equal to
+the matching Switch and Endpoint HDM Decoders.
+
+In order to succeed with construction and attachment, Linux must construct a
+Region with Root Decoder HPA range size, and then attach to that all the
+intermediate Switch Decoders and Endpoint Decoders that belong to the hierarchy
+regardless of their range sizes.
+
+Benefits of the Change
+----------------------
+
+Without the change, the OSPM wouldn't match intermediate Switch and Endpoint
+Decoders with Root Decoders configured with CFMWS HPA sizes that don't align
+with the NIW * 256MB constraint, and so it leads to lost memdev capacity.
+
+This change allows the OSPM to construct Regions and attach intermediate Switch
+and Endpoint Decoders to them, so that the addressable part of the memory
+devices total capacity is made available to the users.
+
+References
+----------
+
+Compute Express Link Specification Revision 3.2, Version 1.0
+<https://www.computeexpresslink.org/>
+
+Detailed Description of the Change
+----------------------------------
+
+The description of the Window Size field in table 9-22 needs to account for
+platforms with Low Memory Holes, where SPA ranges might be subsets of the
+endpoints HPA. Therefore, it has to be changed to the following:
+
+"The total number of consecutive bytes of HPA this window represents. This value
+shall be a multiple of NIW * 256 MB.
+
+On platforms that reserve physical addresses below 4 GB, such as the Low Memory
+Hole for PCIe MMIO on x86, an instance of CFMWS whose Base HPA range is 0 might
+have a size that doesn't align with the NIW * 256 MB constraint.
+
+Note that the matching intermediate Switch Decoders and the Endpoint Decoders
+HPA range sizes must still align to the above-mentioned rule, but the memory
+capacity that exceeds the CFMWS window size won't be accessible.".
--
2.50.1
