Re: [RFC] [Resend] Another Para-Virtualization page recycler -- Code details, Trap-less way to return free pages to kernel

From: Jonathan Corbet
Date: Thu Sep 21 2017 - 08:16:39 EST


On Thu, 21 Sep 2017 16:25:39 +0800
"XaviLi" <ljy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> We raised a topic about PPR (Per Page Recycler) and thank to Jan Kiszka
> for advises. We are here to break up patch codes and explain the code
> in detail. There are too many things to explain in one topic. We would
> like to do it part by part. Content of original mails and patches can
> be found below in the end.

If you want these patches to be reviewed, you really need to submit a
proper patch series. Please look at
Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst for all the details.

You will also want to make the code compliant with the kernel's coding
style.

I have not reviewed this code (nor am I really the person to do a proper
review), but this jumped at me:

> while(mark->desc != 0)
> {
> barrier();
> }

Busy waits in the memory-management code are going to raise a lot of
eyebrows, and you really need to document what you think that barrier()
call is doing. I suspect it's not giving you the protection you think it
is.

jon