RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE)

Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) is the remote memory management capability that allows server-to-server data movement directly between application memory without any CPU involvement. RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) is a mechanism to provide this efficient data transfer with very low latencies on lossless Ethernet networks. With advances in data center convergence over reliable Ethernet, ConnectX® Ethernet adapter cards family with RoCE uses the proven and efficient RDMA transport to provide the platform for deploying RDMA technology in mainstream data center application at 10GigE and 40GigE link-speed. ConnectX® Ethernet adapter cards family with its hardware offload support takes advantage of this efficient RDMA transport (InfiniBand) services over Ethernet to deliver ultra-low latency for performance-critical and transaction-intensive applications such as financial, database, storage, and content delivery networks.
When working with RDMA applications over Ethernet link layer the following points should be noted:

• The presence of a Subnet Manager (SM) is not required in the fabric. Thus, operations that require communication with the SM are managed in a different way in RoCE. This does not affect the API but only the actions such as joining the multicast group, that need to be taken when using the API

• Since LID is a layer 2 attribute of the InfiniBand protocol stack, it is not set for a port and is displayed as zero when querying the port

• With RoCE, the alternate path is not set for RC QP. Therefore, APM (another type of High Availability and part of the InfiniBand protocol) is not supported

• Since the SM is not present, querying a path is impossible. Therefore, the path record structure must be filled with relevant values before establishing a connection. Hence, it is recommended working with RDMA-CM to establish a connection as it takes care of filling the path record structure

• VLAN tagged Ethernet frames carry a 3-bit priority field. The value of this field is derived from the IB SL field by taking the 3 least significant bits of the SL field

• RoCE traffic is not shown in the associated Ethernet device's counters since it is offloaded by the hardware and does not go through Ethernet network driver. RoCE traffic is counted in the same place where InfiniBand traffic is counted; /sys/class/infiniband/<device>/ports/<port number>/counters/

RoCE encapsulates IB transport in one of the following Ethernet packets:

• RoCEv1 - dedicated ether type (0x8915)

• RoCEv2 - UDP and dedicated UDP port (4791)

RoCEv1 and RoCEv2 Protocol Stack

RoCEv1

RoCE v1 protocol is defined as RDMA over Ethernet header (as shown in the figure above). It uses ethertype 0x8915 and can be used with or without the VLAN tag. The regular Ethernet MTU applies on the RoCE frame.

RoCEv2

A straightforward extension of the RoCE protocol enables traffic to operate in IP layer 3 environments. This capability is obtained via a simple modification of the RoCE packet format. Instead of the GRH used in RoCE, IP routable RoCE packets carry an IP header which allows traversal of IP L3 Routers and a UDP header (RoCEv2 only) that serves as a stateless encapsulation layer for the RDMA Transport Protocol Packets over IP.

The proposed RoCEv2 packets use a well-known UDP destination port value that unequivocally distinguishes the datagram. Similar to other protocols that use UDP encapsulation, the UDP source port field is used to carry an opaque flow-identifier that allows network devices to implement packet forwarding optimizations (e.g. ECMP) while staying agnostic to the specifics of the protocol header format.
Furthermore, since this change exclusively affects the packet format on the wire, and due to the fact that with RDMA semantics packets are generated and consumed below the AP, applications can seamlessly operate over any form of RDMA service, in a completely transparent way.

GID table entries are created whenever an IP address is configured on one of the Ethernet devices of the NIC's ports. Each entry in the GID table for RoCE ports has the following fields:

• GID value

• GID type

• Network device

The GID table is occupied with two GIDs, both with the same GID value but with different types. The network device in an entry is the Ethernet device with the IP address that GID is associated with. The GID format can be of 2 types; IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 GID is an IPv4-mapped IPv6 address, while IPv6 GID is the IPv6 address itself. Layer 3 header for packets associated with IPv4 GIDs will be IPv4 (for RoCEv2) and IPv6/GRH for packets associated with IPv6 GIDs and IPv4 GIDs for RoCEv1.

GID Table in sysfs

GID table is exposed to userspace via sysfs

• GID values can be read from:

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  /sys/class/infiniband/{device}/ports/{port}/gids/{index}
          

• GID type can be read from:

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  /sys/class/infiniband/{device}/ports/{port}/gid_attrs/types/{index}
          

• GID net_device can be read from:

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  /sys/class/infiniband/{device}/ports/{port}/gid_attrs/ndevs/{index}
          

Setting the RoCE Mode for a Queue Pair (QP)

Setting RoCE mode for devices that support two RoCE modes is different for RC/UC QPs (connected QP types) and UD QP.

To modify an RC/UC QP (connected QP) from INIT to RTR, an Address Vector (AV) must be given. The AV, among other attributes, should specify the index of the port's GID table for the source GID of the QP. The GID type in that index will be used to set the RoCE type of the QP.

Setting RoCE Mode of RDMA_CM Applications

RDMA_CM interface requires only the active side of the peer to pass the IP address of the passive side. The RDMA_CM decides upon the source GID to be used and obtains it from the GID table. Since more than one instance of the GID value is possible, the lookup should be also according to the GID type. The type to use for the lookup is defined as a global value of the RDMA_CM module. Changing the value of the GID type for the GID table lookups is done using the cma_roce_mode script.

To print the current RoCE mode for a device port:

            

            
cma_roce_mode -d <dev> -p <port>
        

To set the RoCE mode for a device port:

            

            
cma_roce_mode -d <dev> -p <port> -m <1|2>
        

GID Table Example

The following is an example of the GID table.

where:

• Entries on port 1 index 0/1 are the default GIDs, one for each supported RoCE type

• Entries on port 1 index 2/3 belong to IP address 192.168.1.70 on eth1

• Entries on port 1 index 4/5 belong to IP address 193.168.1.70 on eth1.100

• Packets from a QP that is associated with these GID indexes will have a VLAN header (VID=100)

• Entries on port 1 index 6/7 are IPv6 GID. Packets from a QP that is associated with these GID indexes will have an IPv6 header

In order to function reliably, RoCE requires a form of flow control. While it is possible to use global flow control, this is normally undesirable, for performance reasons.
The normal and optimal way to use RoCE is to use Priority Flow Control (PFC). To use PFC, it must be enabled on all endpoints and switches in the flow path.

Configuring SwitchX® Based Switch System

To enable RoCE, the SwitchX should be configured as follows:

• Ports facing the host should be configured as access ports, and either use global pause or Port Control Protocol (PCP) for priority flow control

• Ports facing the network should be configured as trunk ports, and use Port Control Protocol (PCP) for priority flow control

• For further information on how to configure SwitchX, please refer to SwitchX User Manual

To install and load the driver:

1. Install MLNX_OFED (See Installation section for further details).
   RoCE is installed as part of mlx5 and other modules upon driver's installation.

   Warning

   The list of the modules that will be loaded automatically upon boot can be found in the configuration file /etc/infiniband/openib.conf.

2. Query for the device's information. Example:

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   ibv_devinfo MLNX_OFED_LINUX-5.0-2.1.8.0:
           

3. Display the existing MLNX_OFED version.

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   ofed_info -s			
   hca_id: mlx5_0
           transport:                      InfiniBand (0)
           fw_ver:                         16.28.0578
           node_guid:                      ec0d:9a03:0044:3764
           sys_image_guid:                 ec0d:9a03:0044:3764
           vendor_id:                      0x02c9
           vendor_part_id:                 4121
           hw_ver:                         0x0
           board_id:                       MT_0000000009
           phys_port_cnt:                  1
                   port:   1
                           state:                  PORT_ACTIVE (4)
                           max_mtu:                4096 (5)
                           active_mtu:             1024 (3)
                           sm_lid:                 0
                           port_lid:               0
                           port_lmc:               0x00
                           link_layer:             Ethernet
           

Output Notes:

Associating InfiniBand Ports to Ethernet Ports

The mlx5_ib driver holds a reference to the net device for getting notifications about the state of the port, as well as using the mlx5_core driver to resolve IP addresses to MAC that are required for address vector creation. However, RoCE traffic does not go through the mlx5_core driver; it is completely offloaded by the hardware.

            

            
# ibdev2netdev
mlx5_0 port 1 <===> eth2
# 
        

Configuring an IP Address to the netdev Interface

To configure an IP address to the netdev interface:

1. Configure an IP address to the netdev interface on both sides of the link.

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   # ifconfig eth2 20.4.3.220
   # ifconfig eth2
   eth2 	Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:02:C9:08:E8:11
   	inet addr:20.4.3.220 Bcast:20.255.255.255 Mask:255.0.0.0
   	UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
   	RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
   	TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
   	collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
   	RX bytes:0 (0.0 b) TX bytes:0 (0.0 b)
           

2. Make sure that ping is working.

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   ping 20.4.3.219
   PING 20.4.3.219 (20.4.3.219) 56(84) bytes of data.
   64 bytes from 20.4.3.219: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.873 ms
   64 bytes from 20.4.3.219: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.198 ms
   64 bytes from 20.4.3.219: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.167 ms
   20.4.3.219 ping statistics —
   3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss, time 2000ms rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.167/0.412/0.873/0.326 ms
           

Adding VLANs

1. Make sure that the 8021.q module is loaded.

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   modprobe 8021q
           

2. Add VLAN.

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   # vconfig add eth2 7
   Added VLAN with VID == 7 to IF -:eth2:-
   #
           

3. Configure an IP address.

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   ifconfig eth2.7 7.4.3.220
           

Defining Ethernet Priority (PCP in 802.1q Headers)

1. Define Ethernet priority on the server.

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   # ibv_rc_pingpong -g 1 -i 2 -l 4
   local address: LID 0x0000, QPN 0x1c004f, PSN 0x9daf6c, GID fe80::202:c900:708:e799
   remote address: LID 0x0000, QPN 0x1c004f, PSN 0xb0a49b, GID fe80::202:c900:708:e811
   8192000 bytes in 0.01 seconds = 4840.89 Mbit/sec
   1000 iters in 0.01 seconds = 13.54 usec/iter
           

2. Define Ethernet priority on the client.

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   # ibv_rc_pingpong -g 1 -i 2 -l 4 sw419
   local address: LID 0x0000, QPN 0x1c004f, PSN 0xb0a49b, GID fe80::202:c900:708:e811
   remote address: LID 0x0000, QPN 0x1c004f, PSN 0x9daf6c, GID fe80::202:c900:708:e799
   8192000 bytes in 0.01 seconds = 4855.96 Mbit/sec
   1000 iters in 0.01 seconds = 13.50 usec/iter
           

Using rdma_cm Tests

1. Use rdma_cm test on the server.

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   # ucmatose
   cmatose: starting server
   initiating data transfers
   completing sends
   receiving data transfers
   data transfers complete
   cmatose: disconnecting
   disconnected
   test complete
   return status 0
   #
           

2. Use rdma_cm test on the client.

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   # ucmatose -s 20.4.3.219
   cmatose: starting client
   cmatose: connecting
   receiving data transfers
   sending replies
   data transfers complete
   test complete
   return status 0
   #
           

This server-client run is without PCP or VLAN because the IP address used does not belong to a VLAN interface. If you specify a VLAN IP address, then the traffic should go over VLAN.

Overview

The TOS field for rdma_cm sockets can be set using the rdma_set_option() API, just as it is set for regular sockets. If a TOS is not set, the default value (0) is used. Within the rdma_cm kernel driver, the TOS field is converted into an SL field. The conversion formula is as follows:

• SL = TOS >> 5 (e.g., take the 3 most significant bits of the TOS field)

In the hardware driver, the SL field is converted into PCP by the following formula:

• PCP = SL & 7 (take the 3 least significant bits of the TOS field)

DSCP

A new entry has been added to the RDMA-CM configfs that allows users to select default TOS for RDMA-CM QPs. This is useful for users that want to control the TOS field without changing their code. Other applications that set the TOS explicitly using the rdma_set_option API will continue to work as expected to override the configfs value.
For further information about DSCP marking, refer to HowTo Set Egress ToS/DSCP on RDMA- CM QPs Community post.

RoCE LAG is a feature meant for mimicking Ethernet bonding for IB devices and is available for dual port cards only.
This feature is supported on kernel versions 4.9 and above.

RoCE LAG mode is entered when both Ethernet interfaces are configured as a bond in one of the following modes:

• active-backup (mode 1)

• balance-xor (mode 2)

• 802.3ad (LACP) (mode 4)

Any change of bonding configuration that negates one of the above rules (i.e, bonding mode is not 1, 2 or 4, or both Ethernet interfaces that belong to the same card are not the only slaves
of the bond interface), will result in exiting RoCE LAG mode and the return to normal IB device per port configuration.
Once RoCE LAG is enabled, instead of having two IB devices; mlx5_0 and mlx5_1, there will be one device named mlx5_bond_0.
For information on how to configure RoCE LAG, refer to HowTo Configure RoCE over LAG (ConnectX-4/ConnectX-5/ConnectX-6) Community post.

By default, RoCE is enabled on all mlx5 devices. When RoCE is enabled, all traffic to UDP port 4791 is treated as RoCE traffic by the device.

In case you are only interested in Ethernet (no RDMA) and wish to enable forwarding of traffic to this port, you can disable RoCE through sysfs:

            

            
echo <0|1> > /sys/devices/{pci-bus-address}/roce_enable
        

The current RoCE state can be queried by sysfs:

            

            
cat /sys/devices/{pci-bus-address}/roce_enable
        

By default, when configuring VFs on the hypervisor, all VFs will be enabled with RoCE. This means they require more OS memory (from the VM). In case you are only interested in Ethernet (no RDMA) on the VM, and you wish to save the VM memory, you can disable RoCE on the VF from the hypervisor. In addition, by disabling RoCE, a VM can have the capability of utilizing the RoCE UDP port (4791) for standard UDP traffic.

For details on how to enable/disable RoCE on a VF, refer to HowTo Enable/Disable RoCE on VMs via VFs Community post.

This feature enables setting a global traffic_class value for all RC QPs, or setting a specific traffic class based on several matching criteria.

Usage

• To set a single global traffic class to be applied to all QPs, write the desired global traffic_class value to /sys/class/infiniband/<dev>/tc/<port>/traffic_class.
  Note the following:

  • Negative values indicate that the feature is disabled. traffic_class value can be set using ibv_modify_qp()

  • Valid values range between 0 - 255

• To set multiple traffic class values based on source and/or destination IPs, write the desired rule to /sys/class/infiniband/<dev>/tc/<port>/traffic_class. For example:

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  echo "tclass=16,src_ip=1.1.1.2,dst_ip=1.1.1.0/24" > /sys/class/infiniband/mlx5_0/tc/1/traffic_class
          

  Note: Adding "tclass" prefix to tclass value is optional.

In the example above, traffic class 16 will be set to any QP with source IP 1.1.1.2 and destination IP 1.1.1.0/24.
Note that when setting a specific traffic class, the following rule precedence will apply:

• If a global traffic class value is set, it will be applied to all QPs

• If no global traffic class value is set, and there is a rule with matching source and destination IPs applicable to at least one QP, it will be applied

• Rules only with matching source and/or destination IPs have no defined precedence over other rules with matching source and/or destination IPs

Notes:

• A mask can be provided when using destination IPv4 addresses

• The rule precedence is not affected by the order in which rules are inserted

• Overlapping rules are entirely up to the administrator.

• "tclass=-1" will remove the rule from the database

This feature enables setting a global TTL value for all RC QPs.
Write the desired TTL value to /sys/class/infiniband/<dev>/tc/<port>/ttl. Valid values range between 0 - 255

In certain fabric configurations, RoCE traffic packets for a given QP may take up different paths in a network from the source to the destination. This results in packets being received in an out-of-order manner. In order to avoid retransmission, these packets can now be handled instead of being dropped by the doing the following:

• Achieving better network utilization

• Decreasing latency

Data will be placed into host memory in an out-of-order (OOO) manner when out-of-order messages are received.

For information on how to set up out-of-order processing over RoCE, contact support.