Re: [PATCH] x86-64: improve e820_search_gap()

From: H. Peter Anvin
Date: Fri May 08 2009 - 00:59:42 EST


Jan Beulich wrote:
> Impact: bug fix
>
> Blindly putting the gap close after max_pfn is in conflict with that
> same memory range potentially being used by hotplugged memory.
>
> Also, make the function static to ensure there are no other users that
> could depend on the previous behavior regarding the way start_addr gets
> specified.
>
> Signed-off-by: Jan Beulich <jbeulich@xxxxxxxxxx>
>

So blindly locate it somewhere else? How is that inherently better?
Wouldn't a machine with hotplug memory (which doesn't bother advertising
that fact so we can reserve the address space) be just as likely to use
a sparse memory space, since one can hardly expect the hardware to pack
the space (packing in hardware is why PCs generally have a
mostly-contiguous RAM space) when the memory is hotplugged?

I think I'm missing something fundamental...

-hpa

--
H. Peter Anvin, Intel Open Source Technology Center
I work for Intel. I don't speak on their behalf.

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