Re: git: ff18000da3 - main - HW Relnotes: Add nvd to template

On 2025-11-05 22:10 -05:00 EST, "John Baldwin" <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 11/5/25 18:08, Alexander Ziaee wrote:
>> The branch main has been updated by ziaee:
>> > URL: https://cgit.FreeBSD.org/doc/commit/?id=ff18000da31f4135af522f43beb4d0877b024fea
>> > commit ff18000da31f4135af522f43beb4d0877b024fea
>> Author:     Alexander Ziaee <[email protected]>
>> AuthorDate: 2025-11-05 23:07:39 +0000
>> Commit:     Alexander Ziaee <[email protected]>
>> CommitDate: 2025-11-05 23:07:39 +0000
>> >      HW Relnotes: Add nvd to template
>> ---
>>   website/archetypes/release/hardware.adoc | 2 ++
>>   1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)
>> > diff --git a/website/archetypes/release/hardware.adoc b/website/archetypes/release/hardware.adoc
>> index 0a9026c2fd..304641abd1 100644
>> --- a/website/archetypes/release/hardware.adoc
>> +++ b/website/archetypes/release/hardware.adoc
>> @@ -312,6 +312,8 @@ EISA adapters are not supported.
>>   >   &hwlist.nda;
>>   > +&hwlist.nvd;
>> +
>>   &hwlist.ocs_fc;
> 
> Hmm, it's not clear to me that nda/nvd are really hardware devices so much as software
> drivers layered on top of a hardware abstraction (NVMe namespaces).  We wouldn't list
> vlan(4) support as a distinct hardware feature in a list of NIC devices, and I feel
> like listing da(4) or pass(4) or nda(4) or nvd(4) is similar to vlan(4).  In particular,
> you can't hold an nda(4) or vlan(4) (or wlan(4)) in your hand the way you can hold an
> M.2 NVMe device, or a NIC.  I think for the hardware notes, what people are interested
> in is which pieces of hardware will work, not necessarily the software abstractions we
> layer on top of them.
> 
> Similarly, you wouldn't list mfid(4) for the logical RAID volumes on an mfi(4) controller,
> just that we support mfi(4) controllers.  The fact that you can access the RAID volumes
> exported by such a controller is implied by supporting the controller.

Well, yes, but before I added these, searching the page for a "nvme" only showed ahci bridges and raid controllers.

As a normal, non-swe technician, I'm comfortable with going down to microcenter and opening my laptop, but I don't really know what a software abstraction layered on top of a hardware driver is. I want to go to microcenter and buy an nvme drive for my laptop. I know it doesn't have a raid card, and I know ahci is some old stuff that isn't what I want.

Is it supported? Because I heard that BSD is several years behind in hardware support and doesn't really have stuff like USB4 or suspend.

That is why these lines are a value add to this document.

Best,
Alex