InfiniBand HostTarget Channel Adapters

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InfiniBand Host/Target Channel Adapters

• End-Semester presentation

Anat Efron Ariel Merzer Supervised by Avi Yadgar
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Project Requirements

• Learning the InfiniBand Architecture.
• Learning the OPNET modeler tool.
• Implementing Host/Target modules using the OPNET
  environment
• Performing simulations to study the performance
  of the modules

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InfiniBand Overview

• A point-to-point, switched I/O fabric
• End node devices are interconnected by cascaded
  switch devices
• Provides a reliable transport mechanism at rates
  up to 2.5Gb/s
• (X410 Gb/s)
• Can implement from a single PC up to complex
  networks

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Objective

• Designing host/target channel adapters for the
  InfiniBand Architecture

Environment

• OPNET Modeler
• Under Windows 2000

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What are Channel Adapters ?

• Channel adapters are the interface between the
  end nodes (at the application level) and the
  fabric (at the physical layer), through the
  transport, network and link layers

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What are Channel Adapters ?

• Host Channel adapters are connected to the
  Consumer (Application) through Verbs interface to
  initiate commands to the I/O nodes.

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What are Channel Adapters ?

• Target Channel adapters receive commands from the
  Application (Consumer) and acts upon them.

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Block Diagram
Consumer Transactions (IBA Operations)
CQE
WQE
IBA Operations (IBA Packets)
IBA Packets
Transport
InfiniBand Fabric
Physical Link (Symbols)
Physical Link (Symbols)
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Connection description
Host Channel Adapter
Queue Pair
Local Address (PORT)
IBA Fabric
Target Channel Adapter
Local Address (PORT)
Queue Pair
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Implementation Down-Top Design
Data Stream
Establishing physical link, monitoring status of
the link
Physical Layer
SND / RCV _at_ packet level Addressing, buffering,
flow-control, error detection
Link Layer
Routing packets between IBA subnets not
implemented
Network Layer
Communication between Client Transport
Layer Implementing reliable connection type
Transport Layer
Verbs as Interface to HCA
Application
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Schedule - completed

• Learning the InfiniBand specifications
• Learning the OPNET modeler and running simulation
• Planning and designing the channel adapters
  specifications

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Schedule - future

• Implementing host and target channel adapters on
  the OPNET modeler (until March 2002)
• Running channel adapter simulations (until April
  2002)
• Writing the project book and final presentation
  (until April 2002)