ciptool

ciptool <command> [options] [arguments]
Examples:
ciptool status
ciptool add <IB_device>
ciptool show <IB_device>

status
    
Displays the current status of all configured CIP devices.

add <IB_device>
    
Adds a new CIP device associated with the specified InfiniBand device (e.g., `ib0`).

del <IB_device>
    
Deletes an existing CIP device.

show <IB_device>
    
Shows detailed information and statistics for a specific CIP device.

set <IB_device> <parameter> <value>
    
Sets a specific parameter for a CIP device (e.g., `rate`, `mtu`).

-h, --help
    
Displays help message and exits.

-V, --version
    
Displays version information and exits.

-v, --verbose
    
Increases verbosity of output.

-p, --port <port_num>
    
Specifies the InfiniBand port number to operate on (default usually 1).

ciptool is a command-line utility for managing the Common IP Interface (CIP) on InfiniBand (IB) network adapters. CIP enables traditional IP networking over high-performance InfiniBand fabrics, bridging standard Ethernet/IP with InfiniBand's low-latency, high-bandwidth capabilities. This tool allows users to add, delete, show, and modify CIP devices, as well as inspect their operational status and statistics. It is typically used in environments where InfiniBand is deployed for high-performance computing (HPC) or data centers, often in conjunction with RDMA-enabled applications. ciptool provides granular control over how IP traffic is handled on these specialized interfaces, complementing standard network configuration tools.

ciptool requires specific InfiniBand hardware and drivers, commonly part of the RDMA Core or OFED distribution. It is not a standard utility found on all Linux systems and typically requires root privileges for configuration. While it manages IP over InfiniBand, the more common method, IPoIB, is often configured using standard `ip` or `ifconfig` commands after the IPoIB interface is brought up. ciptool is more specific to CIP-level features rather than general IPoIB setup.

While both enable IP networking over InfiniBand, IPoIB is the more prevalent method, presenting InfiniBand interfaces as standard network devices (e.g., `ib0`) configurable with typical IP tools. CIP, which ciptool manages, might refer to a more specialized or vendor-specific higher-level protocol or a distinct way of handling IP functionalities directly on the InfiniBand adapter. In many modern Linux setups, direct `ip` command usage for IPoIB is more common than direct ciptool usage for general IP configuration.

ciptool is part of the suite of utilities for InfiniBand devices, which have evolved alongside the InfiniBand specification itself. It's often included with vendor-specific OFED (OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution) stacks and later integrated into the broader `rdma-core` userspace project. Its development is driven by the necessity for IP compatibility and specific configuration needs on InfiniBand fabrics, particularly in enterprise and HPC environments where this technology is critical for performance.

ibv_devices(7), ibstat(8), ip(8), ifconfig(8), rdma-core(7)