Title Resolve Issue #143: virtio-blk: add zoned block device specification
Description
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I move that:
The TC agrees to resolve the following specification issue:
Issue #143: virtio-blk: add zoned block device specification
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Introduce support for Zoned Block Devices (ZBDs) to virtio.

The virtio protocol for block devices (virtio-blk) is not aware of ZBDs but it allows the guest to successfully scan a host-managed zoned drive provided by as a virtio-blk device. As the result, the host-managed drive appears at the virtio-blk driver as a regular drive that will operate erroneously under the most common write workloads. Host-aware ZBDs are currently usable, but their performance is not optimal because the driver can only recoginze them as non-zoned block devices.

To properly support ZBDs, the virtio-blk protocol needs to be extended to add the capabilities to convey the zone characteristics of ZBDs to the driver and to provide the support for ZBD-specific commands.

The patch linked below extends the virtio-blk section of virtio specification with the minimum set of requirements that are necessary to support ZBDs.

[https://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/virtio-comment/202211/msg00002.html](https://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/virtio-comment/202211/msg00002.html)

The patch series to implement this spec extension in Linux kernel virtio-blk driver code has been posted to linux-block mailing list -

[https://lore.kernel.org/linux-block/20221110053952.3378990-1-dmitry.fomichev@wdc.com/](https://lore.kernel.org/linux-block/20221110053952.3378990-1-dmitry.fomichev@wdc.com/)

The patch series to add ZBD support to QEMU virtio codebase by Sam Li that follow this spec are in review at the QEMU mailing list -

[https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2022-10/msg05195.html](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2022-10/msg05195.html)
[https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2022-10/msg05205.html](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2022-10/msg05205.html)
[https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2022-10/msg05896.html](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2022-10/msg05896.html)
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The TC accepts the following proposed changes to the specification:
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https://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/virtio-comment/202211/msg00002.html](https://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/virtio-comment/202211/msg00002.html)
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The TC agrees to include the above change(s) in specification version(s) "virtio-v1.3-cs01", and future versions of the
specification.

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Ballot Options Ballot has closed
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[ ] Abstain
Opening Date Mon, Nov 28 2022 10:30 am EST
Closing Date Mon, Dec 5 2022 10:30 am EST
Ballot has closed.

Referenced Items

Name Type Date Actions

03740: Resolve Issue #143: virtio-blk: add zoned block device specification

Document (Archive)

2022-12-05