schedstats: sched_info_switch() invocation without checking (prev != next) before

From: Mauricio Lin
Date: Fri Apr 28 2006 - 15:16:07 EST


Hi all,

I am using the schedstats idea for tracking some schedule info and
after checking the code I have a question about sched_info_switch()
function.

According to the comments as follows:

/*
* Called when tasks are switched involuntarily due, typically, to expiring
* their time slice. (This may also be called when switching to or from
* the idle task.) We are only called when prev != next.
*/
static inline void sched_info_switch(task_t *prev, task_t *next)
{
...
}

So after reading the comments, sched_info_switch() should be called
when the current task and next task are different (prev != next), but
this function is called in the schedule() function before checking if
the current task and next task are the same or not. See below a
snippet of schedule() code:

=========================
switch_tasks:
...
sched_info_switch(prev, next);
if (likely(prev != next)) {
next->timestamp = now;
rq->nr_switches++;
rq->curr = next;
++*switch_count;

prepare_task_switch(rq, next);
prev = context_switch(rq, prev, next);
barrier();
/*
* this_rq must be evaluated again because prev may have moved
* CPUs since it called schedule(), thus the 'rq' on its stack
* frame will be invalid.
*/
finish_task_switch(this_rq(), prev);
} else
spin_unlock_irq(&rq->lock);

=========================

Look that sched_info_switch() is being invoked before verifying if the
prev and next tasks are different or not. IMHO the more logical place
to put sched_info_switch() function is inside the if (likely(prev !=
next) { } block according to the comments mentioned previously.

Any comments?

BR,

Mauricio Lin.
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