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Doca Bf3 Deployment

NVIDIAOfficialCreated by NVIDIA

  • Skill
  • Workflow
  • Cloud and DevOps
  • Apache-2.0
  • Medium risk
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From the author

Use this skill for BlueField-3 (BF3) day-1 platform bring-up via the classic RShim/BFB path: pushing a BlueField bundle (BFB) to the DPU over RShim with bfb-install from the host, the host-to-DPU TMFIFO management channel (tmfifo_net0, the 192.168.100.x convention), RShim daemon state and console-over-rshim, DPU mode selection (DPU/embedded-function vs separated-host/NIC mode) via mlxconfig, post-BFB recovery, a six-state BlueField-state classifier, and verifying the install (cat /etc/mlnx-release plus version checks). Trigger even when the user does not say "BF3" — typical phrasings include {push a BFB to my BlueField-3}, {bfb-install exited 0 but the DPU never came back}, {ping 192.168.100.2 works but ssh fails}, or {is DOCA on the host or the Arm side?}. BFB reflash, mlxconfig set, mode changes, and firmware burns are destructive: require explicit target-bound confirmation and load doca-hardware-safety. App launch, container deploy, env install, and the BF4 BMC-Redfish path route elsewhere.
— the description by NVIDIA

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides the operational framework for BlueField-3 (BF3) day-1 platform bring-up. It guides users through the classic RShim/BFB installation path, covering the management of the host-to-DPU TMFIFO channel, DPU mode selection, and post-installation verification. It includes a six-state classifier to help diagnose and recover DPUs that fail to reach a ready state after a bundle push. The skill is designed for operators with physical access to BF3 hardware and requires integration with hardware safety policies for any destructive operations like firmware burns or mode changes.

What it does

  • Guides the BFB installation process via the host-side RShim interface.
  • Manages the host-to-DPU TMFIFO management channel configuration.
  • Provides a six-state classifier for diagnosing DPU readiness issues.
  • Verifies successful BFB installation and version compatibility.
  • Assists with DPU mode selection between DPU/embedded-function and separated-host/NIC modes.
  • Routes destructive hardware operations to the appropriate safety-governed workflows.

When to use it

  • When performing initial platform bring-up for a physical BlueField-3 DPU.
  • When a BFB installation appears to finish but the DPU fails to become ready.
  • When troubleshooting connectivity issues between the host and the DPU over TMFIFO.
  • When needing to verify the installed BFB version and overall system health.
  • When determining if a DPU should be configured for DPU or separated-host mode.

Advantages

  • Standardizes the bring-up procedure for BlueField-3 hardware.
  • Reduces downtime by providing a structured diagnostic path for failed installs.
  • Ensures safe operation by integrating with hardware safety policies for destructive tasks.
  • Clarifies the distinction between host-side and Arm-side DOCA installations.

Usage examples

“I have a BlueField-3 and a BFB image — how do I push it?”
The agent provides the step-by-step sequence for using bfb-install from the host, ensuring the RShim daemon is active and the DPU is ready.
“bfb-install exited 0 but the DPU never came back.”
The agent initiates the six-state classifier to identify the current DPU state and suggests recovery steps instead of re-attempting the burn.
“ping 192.168.100.2 works but ssh fails.”
The agent guides the user through the TMFIFO management channel verification, including checking local-loopback routing and SSH service status.
“Is DOCA on the host or the Arm side?”
The agent clarifies the installation requirements for both the host and the BlueField-Arm side, helping the user identify where the software should be deployed.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/nvidia/doca-bf3-deployment/download

  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip doca-bf3-deployment.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by NVIDIA

DOCA BlueField-3 (BF3) deployment

Examples

  • "I have a BlueField-3 and a BFB — how do I push it?" — RShim plus bfb-install from the host. Exit 0 is not success until the DPU is ready.

  • "bfb-install exited 0 but the DPU never came back." — start at the six-state classifier, not a second burn.

Instructions

Follow Loading order below. Open the tasks companion for BFB push and recover. Open the capabilities companion for the RShim/BFB contract and safety overlay. Do not open every companion file.

Where to start: This skill is the bundle's home for BlueField-3 day-1 platform bring-up — taking a BF3 from "powered card in the slot" (or a card that just came back broken from a BFB push) to "Arm OS healthy, TMFIFO up, host PFs bound, four-way version match closed, ready to run a workload". It owns the classic RShim/BFB path that BF3 uses today; the newer BMC-Redfish provisioning path is the sibling skill doca-bf4-deployment/SKILL.md (the BF4 equivalent). If the user has a BF3 and needs to push a BFB, recover a DPU that did not come back, or verify the install, open the tasks companion and start at ## configure. If the question is what shape does the BF3 platform-bring-up surface even have, start at the capabilities companion. Once the BF3 is healthy, this skill routes onward to the deployment skills — running a binary goes to doca-bare-metal-deployment/SKILL.md; deploying a service container goes to doca-container-deployment/SKILL.md.

Every mutating burn invoked from a bring-up step — the BFB reflash itself, any mlxconfig set (including a DPU/separated-host mode flip), a firmware burn, or a kernel-boot-parameter change — is governed by the change-application meta-policy in doca-hardware-safety/SKILL.md, which the agent loads ALONGSIDE this skill. This skill adds only the BF3-specific operational sequencing on top; it does NOT redefine the preflight / OOB-console / maintenance-window / rollback discipline that meta-policy owns.

Audience

This skill serves external DOCA operators bringing up a real BlueField-3 — i.e. people who already have:

  • a physical BlueField-3 in a host (or a standalone BF3 they can reach over its console / management network),

  • host-side RShim access to the DPU (the RShim userspace daemon and the /dev/rshim* character-device tree present over the PCIe or USB RShim interface), and

  • a matching DOCA-Host install on the host plus a BlueField bundle (BFB) image downloaded from the public DOCA Downloads page.

It is not for:

  • BlueField-4 bring-up (the BMC-Redfish provisioning path) — route to doca-bf4-deployment/SKILL.md, the BF4 equivalent of this skill,

  • kernel-driver or BlueField-OS developers contributing to mlx5_* or the BFB image itself (outside the scope of field deployment),

  • operators who already have a healthy BF3 and just want to run a binary (route to doca-bare-metal-deployment/SKILL.md) or deploy a service container (route to doca-container-deployment/SKILL.md),

  • fresh-no-hardware users with no DOCA install — route to doca-setup ## no-install.

The skill teaches the agent the BF3 bring-up procedure and the rules for quoting documented commands from the public BlueField Platform Software Manual, the public DOCA Installation Guide, and the MFT manual via doca-public-knowledge-map/SKILL.md; it does not invent bfb-install flag sets, BFB image filenames, RShim character-device paths, bf.cfg schema keys, mlxconfig parameter names, or TMFIFO subnets from memory. Where a fact is already vetted in doca-bare-metal-deployment ## bluefield-lifecycle, this skill reuses that exact fact rather than restating a new one.

When to load this skill

Load this skill when the user is doing hands-on BlueField-3 platform bring-up over the RShim/BFB path, or asking a cross-cutting BF3 lifecycle question that is not specific to one library's API. Concretely:

  • Pushing a BFB image to a BF3 for the first time (or re-pushing after a failed install), from the host over the RShim interface with bfb-install.

  • Bringing up or recovering the host-to-DPU TMFIFO management channel (tmfifo_net0, the documented 192.168.100.x convention) and the RShim console.

  • Confirming RShim driver/daemon state on the host (the userspace rshim daemon and the /dev/rshim* tree) before any push or console capture.

  • Deciding (and routing) a DPU-mode change — DPU / embedded-function mode vs separated-host / NIC mode — knowing the actual mlxconfig set burn leaves this skill for doca-hardware-safety/SKILL.md.

  • Recovering a BF3 that did not come back after a BFB push: bfb-install exited 0 but the DPU never reached the documented DPU is ready marker; ping 192.168.100.2 works but SSH refuses; host PFs are present in lspci -d 15b3: but their netdevs are gone.

  • Verifying a BF3 install — cat /etc/mlnx-release on the Arm side, the four-way version match per doca-version/SKILL.md — and distinguishing the host-side DOCA install from the BlueField-Arm-side DOCA install.

  • Cross-cutting questions: "is DOCA on the host or on the Arm side, and which one do I install?", "my BF3 was fine last week and after a BFB push it never came back — where do I start?", "how do I tell which /dev/rshim<N> is which BlueField on a multi-DPU host?".

Do not load this skill for: BlueField-4 bring-up (route to doca-bf4-deployment/SKILL.md, the BF4 equivalent); running a DOCA-linked binary on a healthy BF3 (route to doca-bare-metal-deployment/SKILL.md); deploying a DOCA service container (route to doca-container-deployment/SKILL.md); env-preparation including hugepages, IOMMU, pkg-config, and devlink mode flips (use doca-setup/SKILL.md); the body of the version-match rule (use doca-version/SKILL.md); or any hardware-state-changing burn itself — the change-application discipline is meta-policy owned by doca-hardware-safety/SKILL.md, loaded ALONGSIDE this skill.

What this skill provides

This is a thin loader. Substantive material lives in two companion files:

  • the capabilities companion — the BF3 platform-bring-up contract: the RShim/BFB transport surface (the userspace RShim daemon, the /dev/rshim* tree, console-over-rshim, the BFB image as the unit of input), the TMFIFO management-channel surface (tmfifo_net0 / tm-br, the documented 192.168.100.x convention, the ip route get-before-ping loopback gotcha), the DPU-mode surface (DPU / embedded-function vs separated-host / NIC mode, set via mlxconfig at BFB-install time — a MUTATING burn routed to doca-hardware-safety/SKILL.md), the host-side-vs-Arm-side DOCA install distinction, the BF3-version overlay on the four-way match owned by doca-version/SKILL.md, the cross-cutting error taxonomy, the observability surface, and the safety policy (overlay on doca-hardware-safety/SKILL.md).

  • the tasks companion — step-by-step workflows for the in-scope BF3 lifecycle verbs: configure, build (routing stub), modify, run (the BFB-install + RShim/TMFIFO bring-up sequence), test (the post-BFB readiness smoke), debug (the six-state bluefield-state-classifier), and the Deferred task verbs block routing app-launch / container / install / library-API / hardware-state-change / BF4 questions out to their owning skills.

The skill assumes a target where:

  • a BlueField-3 is physically present and powered, reachable from a host that has the RShim daemon and /dev/rshim* tree available,

  • the operator has a BFB image downloaded from the public DOCA Downloads page (route via doca-public-knowledge-map/SKILL.md), and

  • the operator has an out-of-band path (BMC console, serial-over-LAN, or physical UART) to reach the BF3 if a push breaks the Arm OS.

It does not cover installing DOCA on a host from scratch (that goes through doca-setup/SKILL.md), and it does not cover BlueField-4 (that goes through doca-bf4-deployment/SKILL.md).

Loading order

  1. Read this skill first to confirm the user's question is in scope (BF3 platform bring-up over the RShim/BFB path; NOT BF4, NOT app-launch, NOT a library-API question).

  2. For the bring-up contract (RShim/BFB transport, TMFIFO channel, DPU-mode surface, host-vs-Arm install distinction, BF3-version overlay, error taxonomy, observability surface, BF3 safety overlay), see the capabilities companion.

  3. For step-by-step workflows — configure, build (routing stub), modify, run (BFB install + RShim/TMFIFO bring-up), test (post-BFB readiness smoke), debug (the six-state bluefield-state-classifier), plus the Deferred task verbs block — see the tasks companion.

Example questions this skill answers well

What this skill deliberately does not ship

Related skills

Files

references/details.md

doca-bf3-deployment — reference detail

Moved out of SKILL.md to keep the loader under the per-file size budget. This is supporting detail, not routing logic.

Example questions this skill answers well

The CLASSES of BF3-bring-up questions this skill is built to answer, each with one worked example. The class is the load-bearing piece; the worked example is one instance.

  • "I have a BlueField-3 and a BFB image — how do I actually push it to the DPU?" — worked example: "I downloaded the BFB from the DOCA Downloads page and have a host with the RShim daemon running; walk me through pushing it with bfb-install the right way". Answered by the RShim/BFB transport surface in CAPABILITIES.md ## Capabilities and modes

  • "Is DOCA supposed to be on the host or on the Arm side? Which one do I install?" — worked example: "I installed DOCA-Host on my x86 server but my DOCA app still cannot see the BlueField — did I install it in the wrong place?". Answered by the install-side table in CAPABILITIES.md ## Capabilities and modes

  • "bfb-install exited 0 but my BF3 never came back. Where do I start?" — worked example: "the console showed Ubuntu installation completed then INFO[MISC]: NIC firmware update failed, but the installer still returned 0; now the DPU never reaches DPU is ready". Answered by the exit-0-is-not-success rule in TASKS.md ## run step 3 + the six-state classifier in CAPABILITIES.md ## Error taxonomy and TASKS.md ## debug.

  • "ping 192.168.100.2 works but I still cannot ssh to the BlueField — what is going on?" — worked example: "the TMFIFO ping succeeds so I assumed the DPU was reachable, but every ssh hangs". Answered by the ip route get-before-ping local-loopback gotcha in the TMFIFO surface of CAPABILITIES.md ## Capabilities and modes

  • "My host PFs vanished after a BFB push — lspci shows them but ip link does not." — worked example: "after the push the BlueField PFs are in lspci -d 15b3: but no netdevs appear and DOCA programs cannot attach by representor name". Answered by the arm-ok-host-pfs-unbound state in CAPABILITIES.md ## Error taxonomy

  • "I need my BF3 in separated-host (NIC) mode instead of DPU mode." — worked example: "the card boots in DPU mode and I need the host to own the ports directly". Answered by the DPU-mode surface in CAPABILITIES.md ## Capabilities and modes — the decision belongs at BFB-install time in TASKS.md ## configure step 7, and the mlxconfig set burn itself routes to doca-hardware-safety/SKILL.md.

  • "How do I verify the install actually took?" — worked example: "the push finished; how do I confirm which BFB landed and that the versions line up?". Answered by cat /etc/mlnx-release + bfver and the four-way re-close in CAPABILITIES.md ## Version compatibility

What this skill deliberately does not ship

This skill is agent guidance, not a templates / sample-BFB / sample-bf.cfg bundle. To keep the boundary clean, it deliberately does not contain — and pull requests should not add:

  • Pre-baked BFB images, bf.cfg files, or bfb-install command lines. The BFB is the operator's own downloaded image; the bf.cfg is composed against the live BSP-manual schema at push time; the bfb-install invocation is derived from --help on the installed tool. Shipping a ready-to-run bf.cfg or a flag set the operator might paste unmodified is the load-bearing first-run failure for this skill.

  • bfb-install flags, BFB filenames, /dev/rshim<N> paths, bf.cfg schema keys, mlxconfig mode parameters, or the TMFIFO subnet invented from memory. The public BlueField Platform Software Manual, the MFT manual, and --help on the installed tool are the authoritative sources. Inventing a flag, a key, or a subnet from generic intuition or a previous BF2's behaviour is the canonical hallucination failure mode.

  • BlueField-4 bring-up. The BMC-Redfish provisioning path is the sibling skill doca-bf4-deployment/SKILL.md, the BF4 equivalent of this skill; this skill is BF3-only (the classic RShim/BFB path).

  • The app-launch and container-deploy workflows. Running a DOCA-linked binary on a healthy BF3 belongs to doca-bare-metal-deployment/SKILL.md; deploying a DOCA service container belongs to doca-container-deployment/SKILL.md. This skill hands off once the BF3 is healthy.

  • The hardware-state-change meta-policy. The preflight / OOB-console / maintenance-window / rollback discipline wrapping any BFB reflash, mlxconfig set, or firmware burn is owned by doca-hardware-safety/SKILL.md; this skill cross-links it and adds only BF3-specific sequencing, never redefining the meta-policy.

  • A samples/, templates/, or reference/ subtree of any kind. A mock or incomplete artifact, even one labeled "reference", is misleading: operators will read it as production-ready.

Related skills

  • doca-bf4-deployment/SKILL.md — the BF4 equivalent of this skill. BF3 uses the classic RShim/BFB path (this skill); BF4 uses the BMC-Redfish provisioning path (that skill). Same lifecycle shape, different platform transport; route by which BlueField generation the operator has.

  • doca-bare-metal-deployment/SKILL.md — the app-launch sibling and the source where the BF3 lifecycle facts this skill consolidates were originally vetted (its ## bluefield-lifecycle (doca-bare-metal-deployment/TASKS.md#bluefield-lifecycle) anchor). Once a BF3 is healthy and the operator wants to run a binary, control routes there.

  • doca-container-deployment/SKILL.md — the container-path deployment sibling. Once a BF3 is healthy and the operator wants to deploy a service container, control routes there.

  • doca-hardware-safety/SKILL.md — the cross-cutting meta-policy for any change touching DPU / NIC hardware state. This skill's ## Safety policy overlays that meta-policy with BF3-specific rules (OOB path is a precondition, exit-0-is-not-success, do-not-invent-flags-or-subnets) and does not redefine the meta-policy itself. Every BFB reflash, mlxconfig set, mode flip, and firmware burn leaves this skill for doca-hardware-safety and returns only once the change is complete.

  • doca-setup/SKILL.md — env preparation and host-side DOCA-Host install (install verification, hugepages, IOMMU, pkg-config path, devlink mode, kernel module state). BF3 bring-up assumes the host RShim surface is present; any host-side reinstall routes there.

  • doca-version/SKILL.md — the four-way version match rule (host package ↔ binary build ↔ BlueField firmware ↔ DOCA-version policy). This skill's ## Version compatibility cross-links the body there and adds only the BF3 three-leg overlay (host DOCA-Host, Arm-side BFB, NIC firmware).

  • doca-public-knowledge-map/SKILL.md — the routing table to the public BlueField Platform Software Manual, the public DOCA Installation Guide, the MFT manual, and the public DOCA Downloads page. This skill does not duplicate URLs; it points at the map and adds the BF3-bring-up overlay.

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

The author says: No DOCA install required to read this skill (it is a platform-lifecycle overlay loaded against BF3 hardware); the bring-up and validation steps within DO require a real BlueField-3, host-side RShim access (PCIe or USB), the matching DOCA-Host install, and a BlueField bundle (BFB) image downloaded from the public DOCA Downloads page. The validation steps require a live DOCA install.

Security

What our scanner noticed· Medium risk

  • Large base64-encoded blobs

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Created by
NVIDIA
Publisher
NVIDIA (Official)
Source
NVIDIA/skills · skills/doca-bf3-deployment · commit fce3cca
Licence
Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE-APACHE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

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