Genode Is Developing A GPU Multiplexer For Intel Graphics Hardware

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Genode Is Developing A GPU Multiplexer For Intel Graphics Hardware

Besides talking about GNU Hurd in 2018 one of the other interesting talks in FOSDEM's micro-kernel track this year was on an Intel GPU resource multiplexer being developed by the Genode project...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Genode-GPU-Multiplexer

[cybertraveler]

I can already run multiple 3D apps concurrently on my Intel hardware. So what does this do special? Is the multiplexing done in hardware? Does it have security sandboxing features?

[numacross]

I can already run multiple 3D apps concurrently on my Intel hardware. So what does this do special? Is the multiplexing done in hardware? Does it have security sandboxing features?

Genode is not Linux

They have implemented in userspace what Linux does in the kernel - multiplexing of GPU resources. They did it just for Broadwell with possibility of Skylake+ later on while in Linux there's a lot more support for earlier hardware.

The video itself is a nice overview of how Linux graphics stack does handle this and how bad Intel's documentation is - they had to use the Linux driver code to fill the gaps in it.

[rene]

I can already run multiple 3D apps concurrently on my Intel hardware. So what does this do special? Is the multiplexing done in hardware? Does it have security sandboxing features?

this sounds more like the Intel virtual GPU KVM / Xen thing, iGVT-g or what they call it these days.

[cybertraveler]

Genode is not Linux

They have implemented in userspace what Linux does in the kernel - multiplexing of GPU resources. They did it just for Broadwell with possibility of Skylake+ later on while in Linux there's a lot more support for earlier hardware.

The video itself is a nice overview of how Linux graphics stack does handle this and how bad Intel's documentation is - they had to use the Linux driver code to fill the gaps in it.

Ah thanks. I thought Genode was an org doing Linux work.