Re: [PATCH 0/4] Introduce QPW for per-cpu operations

[Michal Hocko <mhocko@suse.com>]

On Fri 06-02-26 11:34:30, Marcelo Tosatti wrote:
> The problem:
> Some places in the kernel implement a parallel programming strategy
> consisting on local_locks() for most of the work, and some rare remote
> operations are scheduled on target cpu. This keeps cache bouncing low since
> cacheline tends to be mostly local, and avoids the cost of locks in non-RT
> kernels, even though the very few remote operations will be expensive due
> to scheduling overhead.
> 
> On the other hand, for RT workloads this can represent a problem: getting
> an important workload scheduled out to deal with remote requests is
> sure to introduce unexpected deadline misses.
> 
> The idea:
> Currently with PREEMPT_RT=y, local_locks() become per-cpu spinlocks.
> In this case, instead of scheduling work on a remote cpu, it should
> be safe to grab that remote cpu's per-cpu spinlock and run the required
> work locally. That major cost, which is un/locking in every local function,
> already happens in PREEMPT_RT.
> 
> Also, there is no need to worry about extra cache bouncing:
> The cacheline invalidation already happens due to schedule_work_on().
> 
> This will avoid schedule_work_on(), and thus avoid scheduling-out an
> RT workload.
> 
> Proposed solution:
> A new interface called Queue PerCPU Work (QPW), which should replace
> Work Queue in the above mentioned use case.
> 
> If PREEMPT_RT=n this interfaces just wraps the current
> local_locks + WorkQueue behavior, so no expected change in runtime.
> 
> If PREEMPT_RT=y, or CONFIG_QPW=y, queue_percpu_work_on(cpu,...) will
> lock that cpu's per-cpu structure and perform work on it locally. 
> This is possible because on functions that can be used for performing
> remote work on remote per-cpu structures, the local_lock (which is already
> a this_cpu spinlock()), will be replaced by a qpw_spinlock(), which
> is able to get the per_cpu spinlock() for the cpu passed as parameter.

What about !PREEMPT_RT? We have people running isolated workloads and
these sorts of pcp disruptions are really unwelcome as well. They do not
have requirements as strong as RT workloads but the underlying
fundamental problem is the same. Frederic (now CCed) is working on
moving those pcp book keeping activities to be executed to the return to
the userspace which should be taking care of both RT and non-RT
configurations AFAICS.

-- 
Michal Hocko
SUSE Labs