On Thu, 2007-04-05 at 15:24, Hal Rosenstock wrote: > On Thu, 2007-04-05 at 14:24, Roland Dreier wrote: > > > Good point. At a minimum, the spec is unclear about this (if they are > > > totally separate mechanisms). > > > > When is the spec ever clear? :) > > > > But I think the only interpretation that has a chance at matching the > > current spec is to say that IsSMDisabled is not directly related to an > > SM in the NOT-ACTIVE state. > > > > Maybe it's worth asking the WG what the motivation for introducing > > IsSMDisabled was? > > Yes, I've already done that.
The explanation for the utility of IsSMdisabled is to block an SM from being able to be started. Quoting one of the architects, the scenario is as follows: "Consider a network with heterogeneous elements, hosting different vendors' stuff, with different vendors' SMs. But one vendor has a company ID number, used in its GUID, that is numerically higher than anybody else's. But GUID is always the tiebreaker in who wins out to be master SM. If the usually-expected thing happens in an installation and nobody bothers setting priorities, one of that vendor's SMs always ends up the master, just because it has a lower company ID. This was deemed Not Good. So there at least must be a way to ensure that, even if a node is capable of running an SM, it doesn't. That's C14-69. It's set by an unspecified out-of-band means (like a console, or even a dip switch). If it's disabled, the thing never sticks its head up; it's even prohibited from asserting IsSM." Does this make more sense now ? -- Hal > -- Hal > > > - R. > > _______________________________________________ > general mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.openfabrics.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/general > > To unsubscribe, please visit http://openib.org/mailman/listinfo/openib-general _______________________________________________ general mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openfabrics.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/general To unsubscribe, please visit http://openib.org/mailman/listinfo/openib-general
