Support Intel Turbo Memory as a block device

I can't find any sign that there is any kernel support for this yet

Hi Craig,

This bug was reported a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue? Can you try with the latest development release of Ubuntu? ISO CD images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/lucid.

If it remains an issue, could you run the following command from a Terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal). It will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report.

apport-collect -p linux 312380

Also, if you could test the latest upstream kernel available that would be great. It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please remove the 'needs-upstream-testing' tag. This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil icon next to the tag located at the bottom of the bug description and deleting the 'needs-upstream-testing' text. Please let us know your results.

Thanks in advance.

[This is an automated message. Apologies if it has reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

This feature request is absolutely still an issue. I'm running Lucid right now, and also I follow the Linux kernel development lists, and no support for Intel Turbo Memory has been added as of yet.

I've got a Lenovo T500 with TurboMemory, and I'd really like to use it as a swap partition...

I would also really like to use this for swap.
Is there any work being done on this?

I would also really like this feature! (I, too, have a Lenovo laptop, x61t.) Having that memory just sitting there, inaccessible, makes me sad.

I would really like support for this, I'd really like to just at least be able to access it and see what can be gotten from it.

Suggest closing this as at current there is no support (or will to add support) and Intel have appeared to have discontinued it. I realise many people have this embedded in there current system but as it is not just a block device the cost benefit ratio to add support many be small.

I've an Asus M50SV-AS094C with Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot)

Here's the relevant output form lspci -vv:

05:00.0 Memory controller: Intel Corporation Turbo Memory Controller (rev 01)
   Subsystem: Intel Corporation Turbo Memory Controller
   Physical Slot: 35
   Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B- DisINTx-
   Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
   Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 32 bytes
   Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 5
   Region 0: Memory at fe7ffc00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1K]
   Region 2: I/O ports at bc00 [size=128]
   Expansion ROM at fe7e0000 [disabled] [size=64K]
   Capabilities: <access denied>

Here's the relevant output form lshw:

ibarzvj-asusm50sv
   description: Notebook
   version: 1.0
   width: 32 bits
   capabilities: smbios-2.4 dmi-2.4 smp-1.4 smp
   configuration: chassis=notebook cpus=2

[...]

memory:fe700000-fe7fffff ioport:d0200000(size=2097152)
          *-memory UNCLAIMED
               description: Memory controller
               product: Turbo Memory Controller
               vendor: Intel Corporation
               physical id: 0
               bus info: pci@0000:05:00.0
               version: 01
               width: 32 bits
               clock: 33MHz (30.3ns)
               capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list
               configuration: latency=0
               resources: memory:fe7ffc00-fe7fffff

I'm looking for the driver and installation instructions.

Thanks,

If anyone still cares about this, I have done some work on a reverse-engineered driver.
Reading and writing to the flash partially works, but as a raw flash device (MTD), not a block device. The device does not have a flash translation layer like an SSD.

The code is available at https://github.com/yarrick/turbomem

Wow. Cool. :)

<email address hidden>
623-777-9693

On Sun, Jan 11, 2015 at 3:15 PM, Erik Ekman <email address hidden> wrote:

> If anyone still cares about this, I have done some work on a
> reverse-engineered driver.
> Reading and writing to the flash partially works, but as a raw flash
> device (MTD), not a block device. The device does not have a flash
> translation layer like an SSD.
>
> The code is available at https://github.com/yarrick/turbomem
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/312380
>
> Title:
> Support Intel Turbo Memory as a block device
>
> Status in The Linux Kernel:
> New
> Status in linux package in Ubuntu:
> Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> I have a Lenovo T61 (and another Lenovo T61p) that has Intel Turbo
> Memory in it. I'm not suggesting any approach as to how to use the
> memory - I just want access to it as a block device so I can do
> something with it.
>
> There is a Brainstorm entry about using Turbo Memory in a fashion
> similar to ReadyBoost: http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/12409/ This
> is *not* what this bug is about - it's just about making the device
> available for use.
>
> Here's the relevant output form lspci -vv:
>
> 02:00.0 Memory controller: Intel Corporation Turbo Memory Controller
> (rev 01)
> Subsystem: Intel Corporation Turbo Memory Controller
> Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop-
> ParErr- Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B- DisINTx-
> Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort-
> <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
> Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
> Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 11
> Region 0: Memory at dbdffc00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1K]
> Region 2: I/O ports at 2000 [size=128]
> [virtual] Expansion ROM at dfe00000 [disabled] [size=64K]
> Capabilities: [48] Power Management version 2
> Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA
> PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
> Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
> Capabilities: [50] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit-
> Queue=0/0 Enable-
> Address: 00000000 Data: 0000
> Capabilities: [68] Express (v1) Legacy Endpoint, MSI 01
> DevCap: MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s
> unlimited, L1 unlimited
> ExtTag- AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE+ FLReset-
> DevCtl: Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal-
> Unsupported-
> RlxdOrd- ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop-
> MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 512 bytes
> DevSta: CorrErr+ UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq+ AuxPwr-
> TransPend-
> LnkCap: Port #0, Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, ASPM L0s L1,
> Latency L0 <512ns, L1 <32us
> ClockPM- Suprise- LLActRep- BwNot-
> LnkCtl: ASPM L0s Enabled; RCB 128 bytes Disabled- Retrain-
> CommClk+
> ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
> LnkSta: Speed ...