This page provides an overview of the NVIDIA DOCA Framework including details on its architecture, installation packages, and software components.
Introduction
The DOCA Framework provides a comprehensive software suite that includes drivers, libraries, tools, and low-level software for interacting with hardware devices and the default operating system installed with BlueField.
Rather than being a single installation package, the DOCA Framework is a collection of DOCA-related software components, distributed through two primary packages: DOCA-Host and BlueField-Bundle.
The framework consists of two main parts:
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DOCA SDK |
Enables developers to quickly build applications and services on NVIDIA® BlueField® networking platforms, leveraging industry-standard APIs and the power of NVIDIA BlueField DPUs and SuperNICs. DOCA SDK documentation is available here. |
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BlueField Platform Software |
Provides the essential components for booting and configuring BlueField devices, including bootloaders, firmware, and the official Ubuntu-based reference Linux distribution. It contains the ATF/UEFI, BMC firmware, and BlueField NIC firmware. BlueField platform software documentation is available here. |
DOCA Packages
To ensure an optimal installation of DOCA on your host and device, DOCA provides the installation packages presented in the following subsections.
DOCA-Host
DOCA-Host is the software package installed on the host server to support NVIDIA devices, including BlueField and ConnectX.
DOCA-Host offers multiple installation profiles, each tailored to specific use cases:
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doca-all
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doca-networking
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doca-ofed
See details on installation profiles and supported host operating systems here.
BlueField-Bundle (BF-Bundle)
The BlueField software bundle (BF-Bundle) is installed on the BlueField Arm cores to provide a complete DOCA experience on the BlueField networking platform. BlueField devices are shipped with BF-Bundle preinstalled.
BF-Bundle includes:
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DOCA SDK libraries, drivers, and tools
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BlueField Platform Software
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The default operating system for BlueField Arm cores (Ubuntu 22.04)
BlueField-Firmware Bundle (BF-FWBundle)
The BlueField Firmware Bundle (BF-FWBundle) is a minimal software package installed on the BlueField Arm cores. It provides only the management interface required for external provisioning and software loading.
BF-FWBundle includes:
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ATF
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UEFI
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BlueField NIC Firmware
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BMC Firmware
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eROT Firmware
BF-FWBundle does not include:
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DOCA SDK
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An operating system for BlueField Arm cores
BlueField Devices
BlueField user manuals provide detailed instructions on installation, supported interfaces, specifications, and troubleshooting.
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