RE: [PATCH 1/5] config/riscv: add flag for using Zbc extension

[Daniel Gregory <daniel.gregory@bytedance.com>]

On Wed, Jun 19, 2024 at 09:08:14AM +0200, Morten Brørup wrote:
> > From: Stephen Hemminger [mailto:stephen@networkplumber.org]
> 1/5] config/riscv: add flag for using Zbc extension
> > 
> > On Tue, 18 Jun 2024 18:41:29 +0100
> > Daniel Gregory <daniel.gregory@bytedance.com> wrote:
> > 
> > > diff --git a/config/riscv/meson.build b/config/riscv/meson.build
> > > index 07d7d9da23..4bda4089bd 100644
> > > --- a/config/riscv/meson.build
> > > +++ b/config/riscv/meson.build
> > > @@ -26,6 +26,13 @@ flags_common = [
> > >      # read from /proc/device-tree/cpus/timebase-frequency. This property is
> > >      # guaranteed on Linux, as riscv time_init() requires it.
> > >      ['RTE_RISCV_TIME_FREQ', 0],
> > > +
> > > +    # Use RISC-V Carry-less multiplication extension (Zbc) for hardware
> > > +    # implementations of CRC-32C (lib/hash/rte_crc_riscv64.h), CRC-32 and
> > CRC-16
> > > +    # (lib/net/net_crc_zbc.c). Requires intrinsics available in GCC 14.1.0+
> > and
> > > +    # Clang 18.1.0+
> > > +    # Make sure to add '_zbc' to your target's -march below
> > > +    ['RTE_RISCV_ZBC', false],
> > >  ]
> > 
> > Please do not add more config options via compile flags.
> > It makes it impossible for distros to ship one version.
> > 
> > Instead, detect at compile or runtime
> 
> Build time detection is not possible for cross builds.
> 

How about build time detection based on the target's configured
instruction set (either specified by cross-file or passed in through
-Dinstruction_set)? We could have a map from extensions present in the
ISA string to compile flags that should be enabled.

I suggested this whilst discussing a previous patch adding support for
the Zawrs extension, but haven't heard back from Stanisław yet:
https://lore.kernel.org/dpdk-dev/20240520094854.GA3672529@ste-uk-lab-gw/

As for runtime detection, newer kernel versions have a hardware probing
interface for detecting the presence of extensions, support could be
added to rte_cpuflags.c?
https://docs.kernel.org/arch/riscv/hwprobe.html

In combination, distros on newer kernels could ship a version that has
these optimisations baked in that falls back to a generic implementation
when the extension is detected to not be present, and systems without
the latest GCC/Clang can still compile by specifying a target ISA that
doesn't include "_zbc".