Name

    NV_gpu_multicast

Name Strings

    GL_NV_gpu_multicast

Contact

    Joshua Schnarr, NVIDIA Corporation (jschnarr 'at' nvidia.com)
    Ingo Esser, NVIDIA Corporation (iesser 'at' nvidia.com)

Contributors

    Christoph Kubisch, NVIDIA
    Mark Kilgard, NVIDIA
    Robert Menzel, NVIDIA
    Kevin Lefebvre, NVIDIA
    Ralf Biermann, NVIDIA

Status

    Shipping in NVIDIA release 370.XX drivers and up.

Version

    Last Modified Date:         January 3, 2019
    Revision:                   6

Number

    OpenGL Extension #494

Dependencies

    This extension is written against the OpenGL 4.5 specification
    (Compatibility Profile), dated February 2, 2015.

    This extension requires ARB_copy_image.

    This extension interacts with ARB_sample_locations.

    This extension interacts with ARB_sparse_buffer.

    This extension requires EXT_direct_state_access.

Overview

    This extension enables novel multi-GPU rendering techniques by providing application control
    over a group of linked GPUs with identical hardware configuration.

    Multi-GPU rendering techniques fall into two categories: implicit and explicit.  Existing
    explicit approaches like WGL_NV_gpu_affinity have two main drawbacks: CPU overhead and
    application complexity.  An application must manage one context per GPU and multi-pump the API
    stream.  Implicit multi-GPU rendering techniques avoid these issues by broadcasting rendering
    from one context to multiple GPUs.  Common implicit approaches include alternate-frame
    rendering (AFR), split-frame rendering (SFR) and multi-GPU anti-aliasing.  They each have
    drawbacks.  AFR scales nicely but interacts poorly with inter-frame dependencies.  SFR can
    improve latency but has challenges with offscreen rendering and scaling of vertex processing.
    With multi-GPU anti-aliasing, each GPU renders the same content with alternate sample
    positions and the driver blends the result to improve quality.  This also has issues with
    offscreen rendering and can conflict with other anti-aliasing techniques.
    
    These issues with implicit multi-GPU rendering all have the same root cause: the driver lacks
    adequate knowledge to accelerate every application.  To resolve this, NV_gpu_multicast
    provides fine-grained, explicit application control over multiple GPUs with a single context.

    Key points:

    - One context controls multiple GPUs.  Every GPU in the linked group can access every object.

    - Rendering is broadcast.  Each draw is repeated across all GPUs in the linked group.

    - Each GPU gets its own instance of all framebuffers, allowing individualized output for each
      GPU.  Input data can be customized for each GPU using buffers created with the storage flag,
      PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV and a new API, MulticastBufferSubDataNV. 

    - New interfaces provide mechanisms to transfer textures and buffers from one GPU to another.
    
New Procedures and Functions

    void RenderGpuMaskNV(bitfield mask);

    void MulticastBufferSubDataNV(
        bitfield gpuMask, uint buffer,
        intptr offset, sizeiptr size,
        const void *data);

    void MulticastCopyBufferSubDataNV(
        uint readGpu, bitfield writeGpuMask,
        uint readBuffer, uint writeBuffer,
        intptr readOffset, intptr writeOffset, sizeiptr size);

    void MulticastCopyImageSubDataNV(
        uint srcGpu, bitfield dstGpuMask,
        uint srcName, enum srcTarget, 
        int srcLevel,
        int srcX, int srcY, int srcZ,
        uint dstName, enum dstTarget,
        int dstLevel,
        int dstX, int dstY, int dstZ,
        sizei srcWidth, sizei srcHeight, sizei srcDepth);

    void MulticastBlitFramebufferNV(uint srcGpu, uint dstGpu,
                                    int srcX0, int srcY0, int srcX1, int srcY1,
                                    int dstX0, int dstY0, int dstX1, int dstY1,
                                    bitfield mask, enum filter);

    void MulticastFramebufferSampleLocationsfvNV(uint gpu, uint framebuffer, uint start,
                                                 sizei count, const float *v);

    void MulticastBarrierNV(void);

    void MulticastWaitSyncNV(uint signalGpu, bitfield waitGpuMask);

    void MulticastGetQueryObjectivNV(uint gpu, uint id, enum pname, int *params);
    void MulticastGetQueryObjectuivNV(uint gpu, uint id, enum pname, uint *params);
    void MulticastGetQueryObjecti64vNV(uint gpu, uint id, enum pname, int64 *params);
    void MulticastGetQueryObjectui64vNV(uint gpu, uint id, enum pname, uint64 *params);

New Tokens

    Accepted in the <flags> parameter of BufferStorage and NamedBufferStorageEXT:

        PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV                     0x0800

    Accepted by the <pname> parameter of GetBooleanv, GetIntegerv, GetInteger64v, GetFloatv, and
    GetDoublev:

        MULTICAST_GPUS_NV                          0x92BA
        RENDER_GPU_MASK_NV                         0x9558

    Accepted as a value for <pname> for the TexParameter{if}, TexParameter{if}v,
    TextureParameter{if}, TextureParameter{if}v, MultiTexParameter{if}EXT and
    MultiTexParameter{if}vEXT commands and for the <value> parameter of GetTexParameter{if}v,
    GetTextureParameter{if}vEXT and GetMultiTexParameter{if}vEXT: 
        
        PER_GPU_STORAGE_NV                          0x9548

    Accepted by the <pname> parameter of GetMultisamplefv:

        MULTICAST_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_NV   0x9549

Additions to the OpenGL 4.5 Specification (Compatibility Profile)

    (Add a new chapter after chapter 19 "Compute Shaders")

    20 Multicast Rendering

    Some implementations support multiple linked GPUs driven by a single context.  Often the
    distribution of work to individual GPUs is managed by the GL without client knowledge.  This
    chapter specifies commands for explicitly distributing work across GPUs in a linked group.
    Rendering can be enabled or disabled for specific GPUs.  Draw commands are multicast, or
    repeated across all enabled GPUs.  Objects are shared by all GPUs, however each GPU has its
    own instance (copy) of many resources, including framebuffers.  When each GPU has its own
    instance of a resource, it is considered to have per-GPU storage.  When all GPUs share a
    single instance of a resource, this is considered GPU-shared storage.
    
    The mechanism for linking GPUs is implementation specific, as is the mechanism for enabling
    multicast rendering support (if necessary).  The number of GPUs usable for multicast rendering
    by a context can be queried by calling GetIntegerv with the symbolic constant
    MULTICAST_GPUS_NV.  This number is constant for the lifetime of a context.  Individual GPUs
    are identified using zero-based indices in the range [0, n-1], where n is the number of
    multicast GPUs.  GPUs are also identified by bitmasks of the form 2^i, where i is the GPU
    index.  A set of GPUs is specified by the union of masks for each GPU in the set.

    20.1 Controlling Individual GPUs 

    Render commands are restricted to a specific set of GPUs with

      void RenderGpuMaskNV(bitfield mask);

    The following errors apply to RenderGpuMaskNV:

    INVALID_OPERATION is generated
    * if <mask> is zero,
    * if <mask> is not zero and <mask> is greater than or equal to 2^n, where n is equal
    to MULTICAST_GPUS_NV,
    * if issued between BeginConditionalRender and the corresponding EndConditionalRender.

    If the command does not generate an error, RENDER_GPU_MASK_NV is set to <mask>.  The default
    value of RENDER_GPU_MASK_NV is (2^n)-1.

    Render commands are skipped for a GPU that is not present in RENDER_GPU_MASK_NV.  For example:
    draw calls, clears, compute dispatches, and copies or pixel path operations that write to a
    framebuffer (e.g. DrawPixels, BlitFramebuffer).  For a full list of render commands see
    section 2.4 (page 26).  MulticastBlitFramebufferNV is an exception to this policy: while it is
    a rendering command, it has its own source and destinations mask.  Note that buffer and
    textures updates are not affected by RENDER_GPU_MASK_NV.
    
    20.2 Multi-GPU Buffer Storage

    Like other resources, buffer objects can have two types of storage, per-GPU storage or
    GPU-shared storage.  Per-GPU storage can be explicitly requested using the
    PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV flag with BufferStorage/NamedBufferStorageEXT.  If this flag is not
    set, the type of storage used is undefined.  The implementation may use either type and
    transition between them at any time.  Client reads of a buffer with per-GPU storage may source
    from any GPU.

    The following rules apply to buffer objects with per-GPU storage:

      When mapped updates apply to all GPUs (only WRITE_ONLY access is supported).
      When bound to UNIFORM_BUFFER, client uniform updates apply to all GPUs.
      When used as the write buffer for CopyBufferSubData or CopyNamedBufferSubData, writes apply
      to all GPUs.

    The following commands affect storage on all GPUs, even if the buffer object has per-GPU
    storage:

      BufferSubData, NamedBufferSubData, ClearBufferSubData, and ClearNamedBufferData
    
    An INVALID_VALUE error is generated if BufferStorage/NamedBufferStorageEXT is called with
    PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV set with MAP_READ_BIT or SPARSE_STORAGE_BIT_ARB.
    An INVALID_OPERATION is generated if a buffer with PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV is bound to
    UNIFORM_BUFFER and GetUniformfv, GetUniformiv, GetUniformuiv or GetUniformdv is called.

    To modify buffer object data on one or more GPUs, the client may use the command

      void MulticastBufferSubDataNV(
          bitfield gpuMask, uint buffer,
          intptr offset, sizeiptr size,
          const void *data);

    This command operates similarly to NamedBufferSubData, except that it updates the per-GPU
    buffer data on the set of GPUs defined by <gpuMask>.  If <buffer> has GPU-shared storage,
    <gpuMask> is ignored and the shared instance of the buffer is updated.

    An INVALID_VALUE error is generated if <gpuMask> is zero or is greater than or equal to 2^n,
    where n is equal to MULTICAST_GPUS_NV.
    An INVALID_OPERATION error is generated if <buffer> is not the name of an existing buffer
    object.
    An INVALID_VALUE error is generated if <offset> or <size> is negative, or if <offset> + <size>
    is greater than the value of BUFFER_SIZE for the buffer object.
    An INVALID_OPERATION error is generated if any part of the specified buffer range is mapped
    with MapBufferRange or MapBuffer (see section 6.3), unless it was mapped with
    MAP_PERSISTENT_BIT set in the MapBufferRange access flags.
    An INVALID_OPERATION error is generated if the BUFFER_IMMUTABLE_STORAGE flag of the buffer
    object is TRUE and the value of BUFFER_STORAGE_FLAGS for the buffer does not have the
    DYNAMIC_STORAGE_BIT set.

    To copy between buffers created with PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV, the client may use the command 

      void MulticastCopyBufferSubDataNV(
        uint readGpu, bitfield writeGpuMask,
        uint readBuffer, uint writeBuffer,
        intptr readOffset, intptr writeOffset, sizeiptr size);

    This command operates similarly to CopyNamedBufferSubData, with the exception that it operates
    on per-GPU instances of the buffer object.  The read GPU index is specified by <readGpu> and
    the set of write GPUs is specified by the mask in <writeGpuMask>.  The following errors apply
    to MulticastCopyBufferSubDataNV:

    An INVALID_OPERATION error is generated if <readBuffer> or <writeBuffer> is not the name of an
    existing buffer object.
    An INVALID_VALUE error is generated if any of <readOffset>, <writeOffset>, or <size> are
    negative, if <readOffset> + <size> exceeds the size of the source buffer object, or if
    <writeOffset> + <size> exceeds the size of the destination buffer object.
    An INVALID_OPERATION error is generated if either the source or destination buffer objects is
    mapped, unless they were mapped with MAP_PERSISTENT_BIT set in the Map*BufferRange access
    flags.
    An INVALID_OPERATION error is generated if the value of BUFFER_STORAGE_FLAGS for <readBuffer>
    or <writeBuffer> does not have PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV set.
    An INVALID_VALUE error is generated if <readGpu> is greater than or equal to
    MULTICAST_GPUS_NV.
    An INVALID_OPERATION error is generated if <writeGpuMask> is zero.  An INVALID_VALUE error is
    generated if <writeGpuMask> is not zero and <writeGpuMask> is greater than or equal to 2^n,
    where n is equal to MULTICAST_GPUS_NV.
    An INVALID_VALUE error is generated if the source and destination are the same buffer object,
    <readGpu> is present in <writeGpuMask>, and the ranges [<readOffset>; <readOffset> + <size>)
    and [<writeOffset>; <writeOffset> + <size>) overlap.

    20.3 Multi-GPU Framebuffers and Textures

    All buffers in the default framebuffer as well as renderbuffers receive per-GPU storage.  By
    default, storage for textures is undefined: it may be per-GPU or GPU-shared and can transition
    between the types at any time.  Per-GPU storage can be specified via
    [Multi]Tex[ture]Parameter{if}[v] with PER_GPU_STORAGE_NV for the <pname> argument and TRUE for
    the value.  For this storage parameter to take effect, it must be specified after the texture
    object is created and before the texture contents are defined by TexImage*, TexStorage* or
    TextureStorage*.

    20.3.1 Copying Image Data Between GPUs

    To copy texel data between GPUs, the client may use the command:

    void MulticastCopyImageSubDataNV(
        uint srcGpu, bitfield dstGpuMask,
        uint srcName, enum srcTarget, 
        int srcLevel,
        int srcX, int srcY, int srcZ,
        uint dstName, enum dstTarget,
        int dstLevel,
        int dstX, int dstY, int dstZ,
        sizei srcWidth, sizei srcHeight, sizei srcDepth);

    This command operates equivalently to CopyImageSubData, except that it takes a source GPU and
    a destination GPU set defined by <srcGpu> and <dstGpuMask> (respectively).  Texel data is
    copied from the source GPU to all destination GPUs.  The following errors apply to
    MulticastCopyImageSubDataNV:

    INVALID_ENUM is generated
     * if either <srcTarget> or <dstTarget> 
      - is not RENDERBUFFER or a valid non-proxy texture target
      - is TEXTURE_BUFFER, or
      - is one of the cubemap face selectors described in table 3.17,
     * if the target does not match the type of the object.

    INVALID_OPERATION is generated
     * if either object is a texture and the texture is not complete,
     * if the source and destination formats are not compatible,
     * if the source and destination number of samples do not match,
     * if one image is compressed and the other is uncompressed and the
       block size of compressed image is not equal to the texel size
       of the compressed image.

    INVALID_VALUE is generated
     * if <srcGpu> is greater than or equal to MULTICAST_GPUS_NV,
     * if <dstGpuMask> is zero,
     * if <dstGpuMask> is greater than or equal to 2^n, where n is equal to
       MULTICAST_GPUS_NV,
     * if either <srcName> or <dstName> does not correspond to a valid
       renderbuffer or texture object according to the corresponding
       target parameter, or
     * if the specified level is not a valid level for the image, or
     * if the dimensions of the either subregion exceeds the boundaries 
       of the corresponding image object, or
     * if the image format is compressed and the dimensions of the
       subregion fail to meet the alignment constraints of the format.

    To copy pixel values from one GPU to another use the following command:

    void MulticastBlitFramebufferNV(uint srcGpu, uint dstGpu,
                                    int srcX0, int srcY0, int srcX1, int srcY1,
                                    int dstX0, int dstY0, int dstX1, int dstY1,
                                    bitfield mask, enum filter);

    This command operates equivalently to BlitNamedFramebuffer except that it takes a source GPU
    and a destination GPU defined by <srcGpu> and <dstGpu> (respectively).  Pixel values are
    copied from the read framebuffer on the source GPU to the draw framebuffer on the destination
    GPU.

    In addition to the errors generated by BlitNamedFramebuffer (see listing starting on page
    634), calling MulticastBlitFramebufferNV will generate INVALID_VALUE if <srcGpu> or <dstGpu>
    is greater than or equal to MULTICAST_GPUS_NV.
    
    20.3.2 Per-GPU Sample Locations  

    Programmable sample locations can be customized for each GPU and framebuffer using the
    following command:

    void MulticastFramebufferSampleLocationsfvNV(uint gpu, uint framebuffer, uint start,
                                                 sizei count, const float *v);

    An INVALID_OPERATION error is generated by MulticastFramebufferSampleLocationsfvNV if
    <framebuffer> is not the name of an existing framebuffer object.
   
    INVALID_VALUE is generated if the sum of <start> and <count> is greater than
    PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_TABLE_SIZE_ARB.

    An INVALID_VALUE error is generated if <gpu> is greater than or equal to MULTICAST_GPUS_NV.

    This is equivalent to FramebufferSampleLocationsfvARB except that it sets
    MULTICAST_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_NV at the appropriate offset for the specified GPU.
    Just as with FramebufferSampleLocationsfvARB, FRAMEBUFFER_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATIONS_ARB
    must be enabled for these sample locations to take effect.  FramebufferSampleLocationsfvARB
    and NamedFramebufferSampleLocationsfvARB also set MULTICAST_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_NV
    but for the specified sample across all multicast GPUs.  If <gpu> is 0,
    MulticastFramebufferSampleLocationsfvNV updates PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_ARB in addition
    to MULTICAST_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_NV.

    The programmed sample locations can be retrieved using GetMultisamplefv with <pname> set to
    MULTICAST_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_NV and indices calculated as follows:

        index_x = gpu * PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_TABLE_SIZE_ARB + 2 * sample_i;
        index_y = gpu * PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_TABLE_SIZE_ARB + 2 * sample_i + 1;

    20.4 Interactions with Other Copy Functions

    Many existing commands can be used to copy between resources with GPU-shared, per-GPU or
    undefined storage.  For example: ReadPixels, GetBufferSubData or TexImage2D with a pixel
    unpack buffer.  The following table defines how the storage of the resource influences the
    behavior of these copies.

    Table 20.1 Behavior of Copy Commands with Multi-GPU Storage 

    Source     Destination Behavior
    ---------- ----------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    GPU-shared GPU-shared  There is just one source and one destination.  Copy from source to
                           destination.
    GPU-shared per-GPU     There is a single source.  Copy it to the destination on all GPUs.
    GPU-shared undefined   Either of the above behaviors for a GPU-shared source may apply.

    per-GPU    GPU-shared  Copy from the GPU with the lowest index set in RENDER_GPU_MASK_NV to
                           to the shared destination.
    per-GPU    per-GPU     Implementations are encouraged to copy from source to destination 
                           separately on each GPU.  This is not required.  If and when this is not
                           feasible, the copy should source from the GPU with the lowest index set
                           in RENDER_GPU_MASK_NV.
    per-GPU    undefined   Either of the above behaviors for a per-GPU source may apply.

    undefined  GPU-shared  Either of the above behaviors for a GPU-shared destination may apply.
    undefined  per-GPU     Either of the above behaviors for a per-GPU destination may apply. 
    undefined  undefined   Any of the above behaviors may apply.

    20.5 Multi-GPU Synchronization

    MulticastCopyImageSubDataNV and MulticastCopyBufferSubDataNV each provide implicit
    synchronization with previous work on the source GPU.  MulticastBlitFramebufferNV is
    different, providing implicit synchronization with previous work on the destination GPU.
    In both cases, synchronization of the copies can be achieved with calls to the barrier
    command:

      void MulticastBarrierNV(void);

    This is called to block all GPUs until all previous commands have been completed by all GPUs,
    and all writes have landed.  To guarantee consistency, synchronization must be placed between
    any two accesses by multiple GPUs to the same memory when at least one of the accesses is a
    write.  This includes accesses to both the source and the destination.  The safest approach is
    to call MulticastBarrierNV immediately before and after each copy that involves multiple GPUs.
    
    GPU writes and reads to/from GPU-shared locations require synchronization as well.  GPU writes
    such as transform feedback, shader image store, CopyTexImage, CopyBufferSubData are not
    automatically synchronized with writes by other GPUs.  Neither are GPU reads such as texture
    fetches, shader image loads, CopyTexImage, etc. synchronized with writes by other GPUs.
    Existing barriers such as TextureBarrier and MemoryBarrier only provide consistency guarantees
    for rendering, writes and reads on a single GPU.

    In some cases it may be desirable to have one or more GPUs wait for an operation to complete
    on another GPU without synchronizing all GPUs with MulticastBarrierNV.  This can be performed
    with the following command:

      void MulticastWaitSyncNV(uint signalGpu, bitfield waitGpuMask);

    INVALID_VALUE is generated
     * if <signalGpu> is greater than or equal to MULTICAST_GPUS_NV,
     * if <waitGpuMask> is zero,
     * if <waitGpuMask> is greater than or equal to 2^n, where n is equal to
       MULTICAST_GPUS_NV, or
     * if <signalGpu> is present in <waitGpuMask>.

    MulticastWaitSyncNV provides the same consistency guarantees as MulticastBarrierNV but only
    between the GPUs specified by <signalGpu> and <waitGpuMask> in a single direction.  It forces
    the GPUs specified by waitGpuMask to wait until the GPU specified by <signalGpu> has completed
    all previous commands and writes associated with those commands.

    20.6 Multi-GPU Queries

    Queries are performed across all multicast GPUs.  Each query object stores independent result
    values for each GPU.  The result value for a specific GPU can be queried using one of the 
    following commands:
    
    void MulticastGetQueryObjectivNV(uint gpu, uint id, enum pname, int *params);
    void MulticastGetQueryObjectuivNV(uint gpu, uint id, enum pname, uint *params);
    void MulticastGetQueryObjecti64vNV(uint gpu, uint id, enum pname, int64 *params);
    void MulticastGetQueryObjectui64vNV(uint gpu, uint id, enum pname, uint64 *params);

    The behavior of these commands matches the GetQueryObject* equivalent commands, except they
    return the result value for the specified GPU.  A query may be available on one GPU but not on
    another, so it may be necessary to check QUERY_RESULT_AVAILABLE for each GPU.  GetQueryObject*
    return query results and availability for GPU 0 only.

    In addition to the errors generated by GetQueryObject* (see the listing in section 4.2 on page
    49), calling MulticastGetQueryObject* will generate INVALID_VALUE if <gpu> is greater than or
    equal to MULTICAST_GPUS_NV.

Additions to Chapter 8 of the OpenGL 4.5 (Compatibility Profile) Specification
(Textures and Samplers)

    Modify Section 8.10 (Texture Parameters)

    Insert the following paragraph before Table 8.25 (Texture parameters and their values):

        If <pname> is PER_GPU_STORAGE_NV, then the state is stored in the texture, but only takes
    effect the next time storage is allocated for a texture using TexImage*, TexStorage* or
    TextureStorage*.  If the value of TEXTURE_IMMUTABLE_FORMAT is TRUE, then PER_GPU_STORAGE_NV
    cannot be changed and an error is generated.

    Additions to Table 8.26 Texture parameters and their values

    Name               Type    Legal values
    ------------------ ------- ------------
    PER_GPU_STORAGE_NV boolean TRUE, FALSE

Additions to Chapter 10 of the OpenGL 4.5 (Compatibility Profile) Specification
(Vertex Specification and Drawing Commands)

    Modify Section 10.9 (Conditional Rendering)

    Replace the following text:

        If the result (SAMPLES_PASSED) of the query is zero, or if the result (ANY_SAMPLES_PASSED
        or ANY_SAMPLES_- PASSED_CONSERVATIVE) is FALSE, all rendering commands described in
        section 2.4 are discarded and have no effect when issued between BeginConditional- Render
        and the corresponding EndConditionalRender

    with this text:

        For each active render GPU, if the result (SAMPLES_PASSED) of the query on that GPU is
        zero, or if the result (ANY_SAMPLES_PASSED or ANY_SAMPLES_- PASSED_CONSERVATIVE) is FALSE,
        all rendering commands described in section 2.4 are discarded by this GPU and have no
        effect when issued between BeginConditional- Render and the corresponding
        EndConditionalRender

    Similarly replace the following:

        If the result (SAMPLES_PASSED) of the query is non-zero, or if the result
        (ANY_SAMPLES_PASSED or ANY_SAMPLES_PASSED_- CONSERVATIVE) is TRUE, such commands are not
        discarded.

    with this:

        For each active render GPU, if the result (SAMPLES_PASSED) of the query on that GPU is
        non-zero, or if the result (ANY_SAMPLES_PASSED or ANY_SAMPLES_PASSED_- CONSERVATIVE) is
        TRUE, such commands are not discarded.

    Finally, replace all instances of "the GL" with "each active render GPU".

Additions to Chapter 14 of the OpenGL 4.5 (Compatibility Profile) Specification
(Fixed-Function Primitive Assembly and Rasterization)

    Modify Section 14.3.1 (Multisampling)

    Replace the following text:

        The location for sample <i> is taken from v[2*(i-start)] and v[2*(i-start)+1].

    with the following:

        These commands set the sample locations for all multicast GPUs in
        MULTICAST_FRAMEBUFFER_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATIONS_NV.  The location for sample <i> on
        gpu <g> is taken from v[g*N+2*(i-start)] and v[g*N+2*(i-start)+1].

    Replace the following error generated by GetMultisamplefv:

        An INVALID_ENUM error is generated if <pname> is not SAMPLE_LOCATION_ARB or
        PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_ARB.

    with the following:

        An INVALID_ENUM error is generated if <pname> is not SAMPLE_LOCATION_ARB,
        PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_ARB or MULTICAST_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_NV.

    Add the following to the list of errors generated by GetMultisamplefv:

        An INVALID_VALUE error is generated if <pname> is
        MULTICAST_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_ARB and <index> is greater than or equal to the
        value of PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_TABLE_SIZE_ARB multiplied by the value of
        MULTICAST_GPUS_NV.

    Replace the following pseudocode (in both locations):

        float *table = FRAMEBUFFER_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATIONS_ARB;
        sample_location.xy = (table[2*sample_i], table[2*sample_i+1]);

    with the following:
    
        float *table = MULTICAST_FRAMEBUFFER_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATIONS_NV;
        table += PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_TABLE_SIZE_ARB * gpu;
        sample_location.xy = (table[2*sample_i], table[2*sample_i+1]);

Additions to the WGL/GLX/EGL/AGL Specifications

    None

Dependencies on ARB_sample_locations

    If ARB_sample_locations is not supported, section 20.3.2 and any references to
    MulticastFramebufferSampleLocationsfvNV and MULTICAST_PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_NV should
    be removed.  The modifications to Section 14.3.1 (Multisampling) should also be removed.

Dependencies on ARB_sparse_buffer

    If ARB_sparse_buffer is not supported, any reference to SPARSE_STORAGE_BIT_ARB should be
    removed.

Errors

    Relaxation of INVALID_ENUM errors
    ---------------------------------
    GetBooleanv, GetIntegerv, GetInteger64v, GetFloatv, and GetDoublev now accept new tokens as
    described in the "New Tokens" section.

New State

    Additions to Table 23.4 Rasterization
                                                   Initial
    Get Value                   Type  Get Command Value  Description               Sec.  Attribute
    -------------------------- ------ ----------- -----  -----------------------   ----  ---------
    RENDER_GPU_MASK_NV           Z+   GetIntegerv   *    Mask of GPUs that have    20.1     -
                                                           writes enabled
    * See section 20.1

    Additions to Table 23.19 Textures (state per texture object)

                                                    Initial
    Get Value                Type   Get Command      Value    Description                  Sec.
    ---------                ----   -----------      -------  -----------                  ----
    PER_GPU_STORAGE_NV       B      GetTexParameter  FALSE    Per-GPU storage requested    20.3

    
    Additions to Table 23.30 Framebuffer (state per framebuffer object)

    Get Value                Get Command      Type Initial Value    Description          Sec.    Attribute
    ---------                -----------      ---- -------------    -----------          ----    ---------
    MULTICAST_PROGRAMMABLE_- GetMultisamplefv  *    (0.5,0.5)       Programmable sample  20.3.2      -
        SAMPLE_LOCATION_NV        

    * The type here is "2* x n x 2 x R[0,1]" which is is equivalent to PROGRAMMABLE_SAMPLE_LOCATION_ARB
    but with samples locations for all multicast GPUs (one after the other).

New Implementation Dependent State

    Add to Table 23.82, Implementation-Dependent Values, p. 784

                                                     Minimum
    Get Value                     Type   Get Command  Value  Description               Sec.  Attribute
    ---------------------------- ------ ------------- -----  ----------------------    ----  ---------
    MULTICAST_GPUS_NV              Z+    GetIntegerv    1    Number of linked GPUs     20.0     -
                                                             usable for multicast

Backwards Compatibility

    This extension replaces NVX_linked_gpu_multicast.  The enumerant values for MULTICAST_GPUS_NV
    and PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV match those of MAX_LGPU_GPUS_NVX and LGPU_SEPARATE_STORAGE_BIT_NVX
    (respectively).  MulticastBufferSubDataNV, MulticastCopyImageSubDataNV and MulticastBarrierNV
    behave analog to LGPUNamedBufferSubDataNVX, LGPUCopyImageSubDataNVX and LGPUInterlockNVX
    (respectively).

Sample Code

    Binocular stereo rendering example using NV_gpu_multicast with single GPU fallback:
   
    struct ViewData {
        GLint viewport_index;
        GLfloat mvp[16];
        GLfloat modelview[16];
    };
    ViewData leftViewData = { 0, {...}, {...} };
    ViewData rightViewData = { 1, {...}, {...} };

    GLuint ubo[2];
    glCreateBuffers(2, &ubo[0]);

    if (has_NV_gpu_multicast) {
        glNamedBufferStorage(ubo[0], size, NULL, GL_PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV | GL_DYNAMIC_STORAGE_BIT);
        glMulticastBufferSubDataNV(0x1, ubo[0], 0, size, &leftViewData);
        glMulticastBufferSubDataNV(0x2, ubo[0], 0, size, &rightViewData);
    } else {
        glNamedBufferStorage(ubo[0], size, &leftViewData, 0);
        glNamedBufferStorage(ubo[1], size, &rightViewData, 0);
    }

    glViewportIndexedf(0, 0, 0, 640, 480);  // left viewport
    glViewportIndexedf(1, 640, 0, 640, 480);  // right viewport
    // Vertex shader sets gl_ViewportIndex according to viewport_index in UBO

    glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT | GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT);

    if (has_NV_gpu_multicast) {
        glBindBufferBase(GL_UNIFORM_BUFFER, 0, ubo[0]);
        drawScene();
        // Make GPU 1 wait for glClear above to complete on GPU 0
        glMulticastWaitSyncNV(0, 0x2);
        // Copy right viewport from GPU 1 to GPU 0
        glMulticastCopyImageSubDataNV(1, 0x1,
                                      renderBuffer, GL_RENDERBUFFER, 0, 640, 0, 0,
                                      renderBuffer, GL_RENDERBUFFER, 0, 640, 0, 0,
                                      640, 480, 1);
        // Make GPU 0 wait for GPU 1 copy to GPU 0
        glMulticastWaitSyncNV(1, 0x1);
    } else {
        glBindBufferBase(GL_UNIFORM_BUFFER, 0, ubo[0]);
        drawScene();
        glBindBufferBase(GL_UNIFORM_BUFFER, 0, ubo[1]);
        drawScene();
    }
    // Both viewports are now present in GPU 0's renderbuffer

Issues

  (1) Should we provide explicit inter-GPU synchronization API?  Will this make the implementation
    easier or harder for the driver and applications?

    RESOLVED. Yes. A naive implementation of implicit synchronization would simply synchronize the
    GPUs before and after each copy.  Smart implicit synchronization would have to track all APIs
    that can modify buffers and textures, creating an excessive burden for driver implementation
    and maintenance.  An application can track dependencies more easily and outperform a naive
    driver implementation using explicit synchronization.

  (2) How does this extension interact with queries (e.g. occlusion queries)?

    RESOLVED. Queries are performed separately on each GPU. The standard GetQueryObject* APIs
    return query results for GPU 0 only. However GetQueryBufferObject* can be used to retrieve
    query results for all GPUs through a buffer with separate storage (PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV).

  (3) Are copy operations controlled by the render mask?

    RESOLVED. Copies which write to the framebuffer are considered render commands and implicitly
    controlled by the render mask.  Copies between textures and buffers are not considered render
    commands so they are not influenced by the mask.  If masked copies are desired, use
    MulticastCopyImageSubDataNV, MulticastCopyBufferSubDataNV or MulticastBlitFramebufferNV.
    These commands explicitly specify the GPU source and destination and are not influenced by the
    render mask.  

  (4) What happens if the MulticastCopyBufferSubDataNV source and destination buffer is the same?

    RESOLVED.  When the source and destination involve the same GPU, MulticastCopyBufferSubDataNV
    matches the behavior of CopyBufferSubData: overlapped copies are not allowed and an
    INVALID_VALUE error results.  When the source and destination do not involve the same GPU,
    overlapping copies are allowed and no error is generated.

  (5) How does this extension interact with CopyTexImage2D?

    RESOLVED.  The behavior depends on the storage type of the target.  See section 20.4.  Since
    CopyTexImage* sources from the framebuffer, the source always has per-GPU storage.

  (6) Should we provide a mechanism to modify viewports independently for each GPU?

    RESOLVED. No. This can be achieved using multicast UBOs and ARB_shader_viewport_layer_array.

  (7) Should we add a present API that automatically displays content from a specific GPU? It
    could abstract the transport mechanism, copying when necessary. 

    RESOLVED. No. Transfers should be avoided to maximize performance and minimize latency.
    Minimizing transfers requires application awareness of display connectivity to assign
    rendering appropriately.  Hiding transfers behind an API would also prevent some interesting
    multi-GPU rendering techniques (e.g. checkerboard-style split rendering).

    WGL_NV_bridged_display can be used to enable display from multiple GPUs without copies.

  (8) Should we expose the extension on single-GPU configurations?

    RESOLVED.  Yes, this is recommended.  It allows more code sharing between multi-GPU and
    single-GPU code paths.  If there is only one GPU present MULTICAST_GPUS_NV will be 1.  It
    may also be 1 if explicit GPU control is unavailable (e.g. if the active multi-GPU rendering
    mode prevents it).  Note that in revisions 5 and prior of this extension the minimum for
    MULTICAST_GPUS_NV was 2.
  
  (9) Should glGet*BufferParameter* return the PER_GPU_STORAGE_BIT_NV bit when
    BUFFER_STORAGE_FLAGS is queried?

    RESOLVED. Yes. BUFFER_STORAGE_FLAGS must match the flags parameter input to *BufferStorage, as
    specified in table 6.3.

  (10) Can a query be complete/available on one GPU and not another?

    RESOLVED. Yes. Independent query completion is important for conditional rendering.  It
    allows each GPU to begin conditional rendering in mode QUERY_WAIT without waiting on other
    GPUs.

  (11) How can custom texel data for be uploaded to each GPU for a given texture?

    The easiest way is to create staging textures with the custom texel data and then copy it
    to a texture with per-GPU storage using MulticastCopyImageSubDataNV.

  (12) Should we allow the waitGpuMask in MulticastWaitSyncNV to include the signal GPU?

    RESOLVED. No. There is no reason for a GPU to wait on itself.  This is effectively a no-op in
    the command stream.  Furthermore it is easy to confuse GPU indices and masks, so it is
    beneficial to explicitly generate an error in this case.

  (13) Will support for NVX_linked_gpu_multicast continue?

    RESOLVED. NVX_linked_gpu_multicast is deprecated and applications should switch to
    NV_gpu_multicast.  However, implementations are encouraged to continue supporting
    NVX_linked_gpu_multicast for backwards compatibility.

  (14) Does RenderGpuMaskNV work with immediate mode rendering?

    RESOLVED. Yes, the render GPU mask applies to immediate mode rendering the same as other
    rendering.  Note that RenderGpuMaskNV is not one of the commands allowed between Begin and End
    (see section 10.7.5) so the render mask must be set before Begin is called.

Revision History

    Rev.    Date    Author    Changes
    ----  --------  --------  -----------------------------------------------
     6    01/03/19  jschnarr  reduce MULTICAST_GPUS_NV minimum to 1
                              clarify that MULTICAST_GPUS_NV is constant for a context
     5    10/07/16  jschnarr  trivial typo fix
     4    07/21/16  mjk       registered
     3    06/15/16  jschnarr  R370 release