Re: [PATCH 0/2] arm64: Only call into preempt_schedule() if need_resched()

From: Peter Zijlstra
Date: Wed Nov 28 2018 - 03:56:51 EST


On Tue, Nov 27, 2018 at 07:45:00PM +0000, Will Deacon wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> This pair of patches improves our preempt_enable() implementation slightly
> on arm64 by making the resulting call to preempt_schedule() conditional
> on need_resched(), which is tracked in bit 32 of the preempt count. The
> logic is inverted so that we can detect the preempt count going to zero
> and need_resched being set with a single CBZ instruction.

> 40: a9bf7bfd stp x29, x30, [sp, #-16]!
> 44: 910003fd mov x29, sp
> 48: d5384101 mrs x1, sp_el0
> 4c: f9400820 ldr x0, [x1, #16]

We load x0 which is a u64, right?

> 50: d1000400 sub x0, x0, #0x1
> 54: b9001020 str w0, [x1, #16]

But we store w0, which is the low u32, such as to not touch the high
word which contains the preempt bit.

> 58: b4000060 cbz x0, 64 <will+0x24>
> 5c: a8c17bfd ldp x29, x30, [sp], #16
> 60: d65f03c0 ret
> 64: 94000000 bl 0 <preempt_schedule>
> 68: a8c17bfd ldp x29, x30, [sp], #16
> 6c: d65f03c0 ret

Why not?

58: b4000060 cbnz x0, 60 <will+0x24>
5c: 94000000 bl 0 <preempt_schedule>
60: a8c17bfd ldp x29, x30, [sp], #16
64: d65f03c0 ret

which seems shorter.


So it's still early, and I haven't finished (or really even started) my
pot 'o tea, but what about:


ldr x0, [x1, #16] // seees the high bit set -- no preempt needed
sub x0, x0, #1

<interrupt>
...
resched_curr()
set_tsk_need_resched();
set_preempt_need_resched();
</interrupt> // sees preempt_count != 0, does not preempt

str w0, [x1, #16] // stores preempt_count == 0
cbnz x0, 1f // taken, we still observe the high word from before

1: ret


Which then ends with preempt_count==0, need_resched==0 and no actual
preemption afaict.

Can you use mis-matched ll x0 / sc w0 to do this same thing and detector
the intermediate write on the high word?