Re: [PATCH] Add __GFP_MOVABLE for callers to flag allocations thatmay be migrated

From: Andrew Morton
Date: Tue Dec 05 2006 - 14:26:22 EST


On Tue, 5 Dec 2006 08:00:39 -0800 (PST)
Christoph Lameter <clameter@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> On Mon, 4 Dec 2006, Andrew Morton wrote:
>
> > > > What happens when we need to run reclaim against just a section of a zone?
> > > > Lumpy-reclaim could be used here; perhaps that's Mel's approach too?
> > >
> > > Why would we run reclaim against a section of a zone?
> >
> > Strange question. Because all the pages are in use for something else.
>
> We always run reclaim against the whole zone not against parts. Why
> would we start running reclaim against a portion of a zone?

Oh for gawd's sake.

If you want to allocate a page from within the first 1/4 of a zone, and if
all those pages are in use for something else then you'll need to run
reclaim against the first 1/4 of that zone. Or fail the allocation. Or
run reclaim against the entire zone. The second two options are
self-evidently dumb.


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