[RFC PATCH 3/3] nvme: add the "debug" host driver

[Chaitanya Kulkarni]

On 2/3/22 22:28, Damien Le Moal wrote:
> On 2/4/22 12:12, Chaitanya Kulkarni wrote:
>>
>>>>> One can instantiate scsi devices with qemu by using fake scsi devices,
>>>>> but one can also just use scsi_debug to do the same. I see both efforts
>>>>> as desirable, so long as someone mantains this.
>>>>>
>>
>> Why do you think both efforts are desirable ?
> 
> When testing code using the functionality, it is far easier to get said
> functionality doing a simple "modprobe" rather than having to setup a
> VM. C.f. running blktests or fstests.
> 

agree on simplicity but then why do we have QEMU implementations for
the NVMe features (e.g. ZNS, NVMe Simple Copy) ? we can just build
memoery backed NVMeOF test target for NVMe controller features.

Also, recognizing the simplicity I proposed initially NVMe ZNS
fabrics based emulation over QEMU (I think I still have initial state
machine implementation code for ZNS somewhere), those were "nacked" for
the right reason, since we've decided go with QEMU and use that as a
primary platform for testing, so I failed to understand what has
changed.. since given that QEMU already supports NVMe simple copy ...

> So personally, I also think it would be great to have a kernel-based
> emulation of copy offload. And that should be very easy to implement
> with the fabric code. Then loopback onto a nullblk device and you get a
> quick and easy to setup copy-offload device that can even be of the ZNS
> variant if you want since nullblk supports zones.
> 

One can do that with creating null_blk based NVMeOF target namespace,
no need to emulate simple copy memory backed code in the fabrics
with nvme-loop.. it is as simple as inserting module and configuring
ns with nvmetcli once we have finalized the solution for copy offload.
If you remember, I already have patches for that...

>>
>> NVMe ZNS QEMU implementation proved to be perfect and works just
>> fine for testing, copy offload is not an exception.
>>
>>>>> For instance, blktests uses scsi_debug for simplicity.
>>>>>
>>>>> In the end you decide what you want to use.
>>>>
>>>> Can we use the nvme-loop target instead?
>>>
>>> I am advocating for this approach as well. It presentas a virtual nvme
>>> controller already.
>>>
>>
>> It does that assuming underlying block device such as null_blk or
>> QEMU implementation supports required features not to bloat the the
>> NVMeOF target.
>>
>> -ck
>>

-ck