Re: [PATCH RFC 1/1] genirq: Make threaded handler use irq affinity for managed interrupt

From: John Garry
Date: Tue Dec 10 2019 - 05:59:54 EST




There is no lockup, just a potential performance boost in this change.

My colleague Xiang Chen can provide specifics of the test, as he is
the one running it.

But one key bit of info - which I did not think most relevant before
- that is we have 2x SAS controllers running the throughput test on
the same host.

As such, the completion queue interrupts would be spread identically
over the CPUs for each controller. I notice that ARM GICv3 ITS
interrupt controller (which we use) does not use the generic irq
matrix allocator, which I think would really help with this.

Hi Marc,

Is there any reason for which we couldn't utilise of the generic irq
matrix allocator for GICv3?


Hi Marc,

For a start, the ITS code predates the matrix allocator by about three
years. Also, my understanding of this allocator is that it allows
x86 to cope with a very small number of possible interrupt vectors
per CPU. The ITS doesn't have such issue, as:

1) the namespace is global, and not per CPU
2) the namespace is *huge*

Now, what property of the matrix allocator is the ITS code missing?
I'd be more than happy to improve it.

I think specifically the property that the matrix allocator will try to find a CPU for irq affinity which "has the lowest number of managed IRQs allocated" - I'm quoting the comment on matrix_find_best_cpu_managed().

The ITS code will make the lowest online CPU in the affinity mask the target CPU for the interrupt, which may result in some CPUs handling so many interrupts.

Thanks,
John