Linux 6.7 Enhances Efficiency with Intel QAT Gen4 Hardware

Phoronix reports that the upcoming Linux 6.7 kernel will introduce a new feature for Intel’s QuickAssist Technology (QAT) device driver. This feature will enable more efficient use of QAT Gen4 hardware, specifically the latest-generation Intel Xeon Scalable “Sapphire Rapids” processors.

The QAT Gen4 devices, which are currently available with select Sapphire Rapids processors, support chained compression “DC” operations. With this feature, a single firmware request can perform both hashing and compressing of data in one step.

The Linux kernel driver for Intel QAT is being extended to support the DC chaining service with the latest QAT accelerators. By allowing the data to be hashed and compressed in a single request, this feature reduces overhead and latency compared to making multiple requests to the QAT hardware.

Intel QAT is a hardware-based technology developed by Intel to accelerate cryptographic and data compression workloads. It offloads and accelerates specific operations, such as encryption, decryption, and compression, from the CPU to dedicated hardware accelerators. This improves performance and efficiency while freeing up CPU resources for other tasks.

Key features and benefits of Intel QAT include cryptographic acceleration, data compression, improved performance, reduced CPU utilization, hardware security, virtualization support, and various form factors such as PCIe cards and integrated solutions.

This new feature in Linux 6.7 will be of interest to those using home servers, as it allows for more efficient use of Intel QAT Gen4 hardware. By offloading cryptographic and compression tasks to dedicated hardware accelerators, home servers can experience significant performance improvements and reduced CPU utilization. This can lead to better handling of transactions and connections, lower power consumption, and improved overall system efficiency.

Source: Phoronix.