[PATCH] x86-64, rwsem: Avoid store forwarding hazzard in __downgrade_write

From: Avi Kivity
Date: Sat Feb 13 2010 - 02:13:15 EST


The Intel Architecture Optimization Reference Manual states that a short
load that follows a long store to the same object will suffer a store
forwading penalty, particularly if the two accesses use different addresses.
Trivially, a long load that follows a short store will also suffer a penalty.

__downgrade_write() in rwsem incurs both penalties: the increment operation
will not be able to reuse a recently-loaded rwsem value, and its result will
not be reused by any recently-following rwsem operation.

A comment in the code states that this is because 64-bit immediates are
special and expensive; but while they are slightly special (only a single
instruction allows them), they aren't expensive: a test shows that two loops,
one loading a 32-bit immediate and one loading a 64-bit immediate, both take
1.5 cycles per iteration.

Fix this by changing __downgrade_write to use the same add instruction on
i386 and on x86_64, so that it uses the same operand size as all the other
rwsem functions.

Signed-off-by: Avi Kivity <avi@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
arch/x86/include/asm/rwsem.h | 30 ++++++++++--------------------
1 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 20 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/rwsem.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/rwsem.h
index 10204a2..d018361 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/rwsem.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/rwsem.h
@@ -232,34 +232,24 @@ static inline void __up_write(struct rw_semaphore *sem)
*/
static inline void __downgrade_write(struct rw_semaphore *sem)
{
-#ifdef CONFIG_X86_64
-# if RWSEM_WAITING_BIAS != -0x100000000
-# error "This code assumes RWSEM_WAITING_BIAS == -2^32"
-# endif
-
- /* 64-bit immediates are special and expensive, and not needed here */
- asm volatile("# beginning __downgrade_write\n\t"
- LOCK_PREFIX "incl 4(%1)\n\t"
- /* transitions 0xZZZZZZZZ00000001 -> 0xYYYYYYYY00000001 */
- " jns 1f\n\t"
- " call call_rwsem_downgrade_wake\n"
- "1:\n\t"
- "# ending __downgrade_write\n"
- : "+m" (sem->count)
- : "a" (sem)
- : "memory", "cc");
-#else
asm volatile("# beginning __downgrade_write\n\t"
LOCK_PREFIX _ASM_ADD "%2,(%1)\n\t"
- /* transitions 0xZZZZ0001 -> 0xYYYY0001 */
+ /*
+ * transitions 0xZZZZ0001 -> 0xYYYY0001 (i386)
+ * 0xZZZZZZZZ00000001 -> 0xYYYYYYYY00000001 (x86_64)
+ */
" jns 1f\n\t"
" call call_rwsem_downgrade_wake\n"
"1:\n\t"
"# ending __downgrade_write\n"
: "+m" (sem->count)
- : "a" (sem), "i" (-RWSEM_WAITING_BIAS)
- : "memory", "cc");
+ : "a" (sem),
+#ifndef CONFIG_X86_64
+ "i" (-RWSEM_WAITING_BIAS)
+#else
+ "r" (-RWSEM_WAITING_BIAS)
#endif
+ : "memory", "cc");
}

/*
--
1.6.5.3

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