[openib-general] InfiniBand incompatible with the Linux kernel?

Mon Oct 11 11:27:48 PDT 2004

On Fri, 8 Oct 2004, Michael Krause wrote:

> Spec for free or spec for a price - neither grants anyone rights to any
> IP contained within the specifications or on the technologies that
> surround the specification.  The change in spec cost, while clearly
> unfortunate, has no impact on the IP rights.  IP rights are defined by
> the IBTA membership agreement (just like they are for PCI and any number
> of other technologies used within the industry).  If you want to
> implement a technology, then you have to be a member of the appropriate
> organization and agree to the same industry-wide terms that others do.  
> Hence, this problem is not IB-specific but a fact of life within the
> industry.

funny, I don't recall these problems with Ethernet. 

> Again, this is true of many technologies not just IB.  For example, if a
> company has patents on PCI Express and someone implements a device /
> chipset / whatever and they are not part of the PCI-SIG, then they can
> be subject to different terms than someone who is a member of the
> PCI-SIG.  In both cases, the access to specs, etc. has nothing to do
> with IP licensing.

sorry, I think about protocol software differently than chips. Maybe I'm 
thinking incorrectly here.

ron