[OpenAFS-devel] Questions Before Starting on Multi-Page Folio Support in OpenAFS

[Utkarsh Maurya]

Dear OpenAFS Developers,

I hope you're doing well!

I'm reaching out to express my genuine interest in contributing to the
OpenAFS project, particularly around the topic of multi-page folio
support in the OpenAFS Linux kernel module. I=E2=80=99ve been closely
following developments in memory management and distributed file
systems, and I=E2=80=99m excited about the opportunity to explore how OpenA=
FS
can better leverage the folio API to improve efficiency.

Before diving deeper into the work, I have a couple of questions to
help guide my contributions:

1. Which areas of the OpenAFS codebase currently handle page-level
operations that would benefit most from multi-page folio support?
>From the description, it seems that the read/write and metadata paths
are key candidates, but I would appreciate your insights on which
areas might have the biggest impact in terms of performance or future
maintainability.

2. How should I approach compatibility across kernel versions with
differing levels of folio support?
Is it better to use feature checks/macros for conditional support of
multi-page folios, or is there a minimum kernel version we should
target for full compatibility?

Additionally, if there are any existing discussions, patches, or
related resources (like LKML threads or kernel commits) that could
provide more context on folio usage in OpenAFS, I=E2=80=99d be grateful for
any pointers.

I also wanted to mention that I=E2=80=99ve applied for the Google Summer of
Code (GSoC) this year with the OpenAFS project. While I=E2=80=99m hopeful f=
or
that opportunity, I=E2=80=99m already eager to contribute in any capacity a=
nd
am excited to learn from the community.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to any guidance or
feedback you might have. I=E2=80=99m excited to be part of the OpenAFS proj=
ect
and contribute where I can!

Best regards,
Utkarsh Maurya
projects.utkarshMaurya@gmail.com
GitHub: pro-utkarshM