Discover the Open Programmable Infrastructure Project: Join and Shape the Future!

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Overview of the Open Programmable Infrastructure Project (OPI)
3. Working Group Leaders and Roles in OPI
4. SNIA: An Overview
5. Legal Disclaimer
6. OPI Working Groups
   1. Life Cycle and Provisioning
      • Provisioning of DPU and IPO Devices
      • Inventory Collection from DPU and IPO Devices
      • Boot Sequencing
      • Lifecycle Management
      • Monitoring and Telemetry
   2. API
      • Storage APIs
      • Security APIs
      • Networking APIs
      • AIML APIs
7. Use Case Group
8. Proof of Concept Group and Developer Platform
9. Simulation Environment in OPI
10. Joining the OPI Project
11. Conclusion

Introduction

Welcome to the Asana Network Storage Forum! In this article, we will provide an overview of the Open Programmable Infrastructure Project (OPI) and its working groups. We will also discuss the roles of the OPI Working Group leaders and the projects they are working on. Additionally, we will explore the use cases, the proof of concept group, and the simulation environment in OPI. Finally, we will provide information on how you can join the OPI project. Let's dive in!

Overview of the Open Programmable Infrastructure Project (OPI)

The Open Programmable Infrastructure Project (OPI) is an initiative aimed at developing an open ecosystem for Data Processing Units (DPUs) and Infrastructure Processing Units (IPUs). The project's goal is to establish standards and frameworks for the provisioning, life cycle management, and monitoring of these programmable infrastructure components. OPI is hosted by the Linux Foundation and consists of various working groups focusing on different aspects of the project.

Working Group Leaders and Roles in OPI

The OPI project is led by a team of working group leaders who oversee the different aspects of the project. Here are the key leaders and their roles:

1. Joseph White (Dell, OPI TSC Chair): As the OPI Technical Steering Committee (TSC) Chair, Joseph is responsible for providing overall technical guidance and leadership to the project.

2. Paul Pindell (F5): Paul is the Principal Architect in charge of Business Development and plays a key role in overseeing the technical aspects of partner solutions. He is also the leader of the Outreach working group.

3. Boris Blumcher (Dell): Boris is a Distinguished Engineer at Dell and the leader of the Life Cycle and Provisioning working group. He focuses on the provisioning, inventory collection, boot sequencing, lifecycle management, and monitoring aspects of dpus and ipus.

4. Stephen Royers (Red Hat): Stephen is a Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat and leads the Proof of Concept group and Developer Platform working group. He focuses on providing a simulation environment and a developer platform for testing and development purposes.

5. Ella Blatt (Nvidia): Ella is the leader of the Use Case group and is responsible for engaging with end clients and deployment partners. She strives to gather feedback and align project goals with the industry's needs.

SNIA: An Overview

The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) is a large organization with over 180 member organizations and thousands of contributors. SNIA covers all aspects of server, storage, and networking technologies and aims to provide educational and informative content to its members. SNIA follows educational and informative approaches and does not provide any warranties for the information shared.

Legal Disclaimer

Please note that the information presented in this article is for educational and informative purposes only. No warranties are implied, and the content should not be considered as professional advice. Always consult with qualified professionals before making any decisions based on the information provided.

OPI Working Groups

OPI consists of several working groups focused on different aspects of DPUs and IPUs. Let's explore each working group in detail.

Life Cycle and Provisioning

The Life Cycle and Provisioning working group is responsible for ensuring smooth provisioning, inventory collection, boot sequencing, lifecycle management, and monitoring of DPUs and IPUs. Here are the key focus areas of this group:

Provisioning of DPU and IPO Devices

The working group is dedicated to finding the best way to provision DPUs and IPUs, ensuring that devices are validated by the network and verified as authentic. The group adopted the RFC a572 standard for secure zero-touch provisioning, which enables automated provisioning without manual intervention.

Inventory Collection from DPU and IPO Devices

To gather inventory information from DPUs and IPUs in a vendor-agnostic way, the working group focuses on local inventory, remote network inventory, and accessing inventory information from servers when DPUs and IPUs are inserted. They have adopted the DMI SM BIOS standard for local inventory and are exploring options for remote network inventory and server inventory.

Boot Sequencing

The group aims to coordinate the boot process between server and DPU parts to ensure proper synchronization. They are also exploring mechanisms for handling DPU reboots, host reboots, and crashes.

Lifecycle Management

Lifecycle management involves actions such as rebooting DPUs and IPUs, performing software and firmware updates, and recovering devices to a known state. The working group is developing standardized APIs for these actions in a vendor-agnostic way.

Monitoring and Telemetry

Standardizing monitoring and telemetry across all DPU and IPU vendors is essential for efficient management and troubleshooting. The working group adopted the Open Telemetry (otel) standard, which includes metrics, traces, and logs. They are also working on integrating open telemetry collectors with specific components such as SPDK for storage and system monitoring tools for CPU, network, and memory.

API

The API working group focuses on standardizing the APIs used for different functionalities of DPUs and IPUs. The group defines APIs for storage, security, networking, and AIML (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning). Here are the key areas covered by this group:

Storage APIs

The working group aims to standardize the APIs for emulated VIRTIO and NVMe storage devices. They have developed reference implementations using the SPDK (Storage Performance Development Kit) and vendor-specific bridges for Marvel and Nvidia. These APIs allow seamless communication between hosts and storage devices.

Security APIs

To ensure secure communication and offload security tasks, the working group is creating APIs for IPsec and rule-based filtering. They have implemented a bridge for the strongSwan application, which focuses on IPsec tunneling. The APIs are designed to be vendor-agnostic to allow easy deployment across different DPUs and IPUs.

Networking APIs

The working group is developing APIs for networking functionalities, including cloud-facing APIs, Telco-specific APIs, and Kubernetes networking APIs. These APIs enable programmability and interoperability between different networking functions, such as routing and switching, in a vendor-agnostic way.

AIML APIs

While still in the early stages, the working group has plans to develop APIs for AIML functionalities. These APIs will help facilitate the integration of DPUs and IPUs with GPUs and other devices to enhance AI and ML applications' performance.

Use Case Group

The Use Case Group plays a vital role in engaging with end clients and deployment partners to understand their needs and pain points. The group collects feedback, identifies potential use cases, and ensures that the projects align with the industry's demands. By fostering open discussions and collaborations, the Use Case Group aims to build an open community where members contribute to the development of innovative and practical solutions.

Proof of Concept Group and Developer Platform

The Proof of Concept (POC) Group focuses on creating a simulation environment and a developer platform for testing and development purposes. The simulation environment allows developers to try out the OPI software without having access to the actual hardware. It provides a platform for automated testing and development of new services and features. The POC Group is also working on defining lab environments using real hardware to extend the continuous integration (CI) process.

Simulation Environment in OPI

The simulation environment in OPI allows developers and users to test and experiment with the OPI software without the need for physical hardware. It provides a Docker-based simulation environment where different services are deployed in separate containers, simulating real-world network configurations. The simulation environment also enables running automated tests on the services and components, ensuring the proper functionality and interoperability within the OPI ecosystem.

Joining the OPI Project

If you are interested in joining the OPI project, there are several ways to get involved. The project is open to individuals and organizations who want to contribute to the development and expansion of the OPI ecosystem. You can join the OPI project as a formal participant or join the mailing lists and Slack channels to stay updated and engage in discussions. The Linux Foundation hosts the OPI project and can provide more information on joining and becoming an active participant.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Open Programmable Infrastructure Project (OPI) is an exciting and collaborative initiative that aims to establish an open ecosystem for DPUs and IPUs. The project consists of various working groups focused on different aspects of provisioning, life cycle management, and monitoring. By joining the OPI project, you can contribute to the development and standardization of APIs, infrastructure components, simulation environments, and more. We encourage you to participate, share your insights, and help shape the future of programmable infrastructure.