Re: [RFC PATCH 1/3 V1] mm, page_alloc: use __rmqueue_smallest whenborrow memory from MIGRATE_CMA

From: Mel Gorman
Date: Wed Jul 04 2012 - 07:19:36 EST


On Wed, Jul 04, 2012 at 06:43:47PM +0800, Lai Jiangshan wrote:
> On 07/04/2012 06:17 PM, Mel Gorman wrote:
> > On Wed, Jul 04, 2012 at 03:26:16PM +0800, Lai Jiangshan wrote:
> >> The pages of MIGRATE_CMA can't not be changed to the other type,
> >> nor be moved to the other free list.
> >>
> >> ==>
> >> So when we use __rmqueue_fallback() to borrow memory from MIGRATE_CMA,
> >> one of the highest order page is borrowed and it is split.
> >> But the free pages resulted by splitting can NOT
> >> be moved to MIGRATE_MOVABLE.
> >>
> >> ==>
> >> So in the next time of allocation, we NEED to borrow again,
> >> another one of the highest order page is borrowed from CMA and it is split.
> >> and results some other new split free pages.
> >>
> >
> > Then special case __rmqueue_fallback() to move pages stolen from
> > MIGRATE_CMA to the MIGRATE_MOVABLE lists but do not change the pageblock
> > type.
>
> Because unmovable-page-requirement can allocate page from
> MIGRATE_MOVABLE free list. So We can not move MIGRATE_CMA pages
> to the MIGRATE_MOVABLE free list.
>

Ok, good point.

> See here:
>
> MOVABLE list is empty
> UNMOVABLE list is empty
> movable-page-requirement
> borrow from CMA list
> split it, others are put into UNMOVABLE list
> unmovable-page-requiremnt
> borrow from UNMOVABLE list
> NOW, it is BUG, we use CMA pages for unmovable usage.
>

The patch still looks unnecessarily complex for what you are trying to
achieve and as a result I'm not reviewing it as carefully as I should.
It looks like the entire patch boiled down to this hunk here

+#ifdef CONFIG_CMA
+ if (unlikely(!page) && migratetype == MIGRATE_MOVABLE)
+ page = __rmqueue_smallest(zone, order, MIGRATE_CMA);
+#endif
+

With that in place, this would would need to change from

[MIGRATE_MOVABLE] = { MIGRATE_CMA, MIGRATE_RECLAIMABLE, MIGRATE_UNMOVABLE, MIGRATE_RESERVE },

to

[MIGRATE_MOVABLE] = { MIGRATE_RECLAIMABLE, MIGRATE_UNMOVABLE, MIGRATE_RESERVE },

because the fallback is already being handled as a special case. Leave
the other fallback logic as it is.

This is not tested at all and is only meant to illustrate why I think
your patch looks excessively complex for what you are trying to
achieve.

diff --git a/mm/page_alloc.c b/mm/page_alloc.c
index 4beb7ae..0063e93 100644
--- a/mm/page_alloc.c
+++ b/mm/page_alloc.c
@@ -895,11 +895,9 @@ struct page *__rmqueue_smallest(struct zone *zone, unsigned int order,
static int fallbacks[MIGRATE_TYPES][4] = {
[MIGRATE_UNMOVABLE] = { MIGRATE_RECLAIMABLE, MIGRATE_MOVABLE, MIGRATE_RESERVE },
[MIGRATE_RECLAIMABLE] = { MIGRATE_UNMOVABLE, MIGRATE_MOVABLE, MIGRATE_RESERVE },
+ [MIGRATE_MOVABLE] = { MIGRATE_RECLAIMABLE, MIGRATE_UNMOVABLE, MIGRATE_RESERVE },
#ifdef CONFIG_CMA
- [MIGRATE_MOVABLE] = { MIGRATE_CMA, MIGRATE_RECLAIMABLE, MIGRATE_UNMOVABLE, MIGRATE_RESERVE },
[MIGRATE_CMA] = { MIGRATE_RESERVE }, /* Never used */
-#else
- [MIGRATE_MOVABLE] = { MIGRATE_RECLAIMABLE, MIGRATE_UNMOVABLE, MIGRATE_RESERVE },
#endif
[MIGRATE_RESERVE] = { MIGRATE_RESERVE }, /* Never used */
[MIGRATE_ISOLATE] = { MIGRATE_RESERVE }, /* Never used */
@@ -1076,6 +1074,20 @@ static struct page *__rmqueue(struct zone *zone, unsigned int order,

retry_reserve:
page = __rmqueue_smallest(zone, order, migratetype);
+#ifdef CONFIG_CMA
+ if (!unlikely(!page) && migratetype == MIGRATE_MOVABLE) {
+
+ /*
+ * CMA is a special case where we want to use
+ * the smallest available page instead of splitting
+ * the largest chunks. We still must avoid the pages
+ * moving to MIGRATE_MOVABLE where they might be
+ * used for UNRECLAIMABLE or UNMOVABLE allocations
+ */
+ migratetype = MIGRATE_CMA;
+ goto retry_reserve;
+ }
+#endif /* CONFIG_CMA */

if (unlikely(!page) && migratetype != MIGRATE_RESERVE) {
page = __rmqueue_fallback(zone, order, migratetype);
--
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