Re: [PATCH v5 5/5] sunrpc: derive the pool count instead of caching it in sv_nrpools

From: NeilBrown

Date: Wed Jul 08 2026 - 18:51:57 EST


On Wed, 08 Jul 2026, Jeff Layton wrote:
> On Wed, 2026-07-08 at 15:33 +1000, NeilBrown wrote:
> > On Tue, 07 Jul 2026, Jeff Layton wrote:
> > > On Tue, 2026-07-07 at 08:50 +1000, NeilBrown wrote:
> > > > On Mon, 06 Jul 2026, Jeff Layton wrote:
> > > > > Now that the pool mode is always pernode, svc_serv.sv_nrpools is
> > > > > redundant with sv_is_pooled: an unpooled service always has a single
> > > > > pool, and a pooled service has svc_pool_map.npools pools (which is one on
> > > > > a single-node host). sv_nrpools cannot distinguish an unpooled service
> > > > > from a pooled service that happens to have one pool, so it is sv_nrpools,
> > > > > not sv_is_pooled, that carries no unique information.
> > > > >
> > > > > Replace the cached field with a svc_serv_nrpools() helper that derives
> > > > > the count from sv_is_pooled and the pool map, and convert all readers to
> > > > > it. svc_pool_map is file-local to svc.c, so export the helper for the
> > > > > svc_xprt.c and nfsd callers.
> > > > >
> > > > > Reading svc_pool_map.npools without svc_pool_map_mutex is safe: the
> > > > > mutex protects only svc_pool_map.count, and npools is already read
> > > > > locklessly in svc_pool_for_cpu().
> > > > >
> > > > > A pooled service holds a map reference for its whole lifetime, so npools
> > > > > is stable while any reader could observe it. The hot path
> > > > > (svc_pool_for_cpu()) already dereferences svc_pool_map for to_pool, and
> > > > > npools shares that cacheline, so there is no new locking or coherence
> > > > > cost.
> > > > >
> > > > > __svc_create() keeps using its local npools argument for the sv_pools[]
> > > > > allocation, since sv_is_pooled is not set until svc_create_pooled() has
> > > > > returned from it.
> > > > >
> > > > > Doing this also removes a modulus operation from svc_pool_for_cpu(),
> > > > > which should make for more efficient RPC queueing.
> > > > >
> > > > > Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-4-8
> > > > > Suggested-by: NeilBrown <neilb@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > > > Signed-off-by: Jeff Layton <jlayton@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > > > > ---
> > > > > fs/nfsd/nfsctl.c | 2 +-
> > > > > fs/nfsd/nfssvc.c | 10 ++++-----
> > > > > include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h | 2 +-
> > > > > net/sunrpc/svc.c | 52 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------
> > > > > net/sunrpc/svc_xprt.c | 6 +++---
> > > > > 5 files changed, 46 insertions(+), 26 deletions(-)
> > > > >
> > > > > diff --git a/fs/nfsd/nfsctl.c b/fs/nfsd/nfsctl.c
> > > > > index bc16fc7ca24f..0543e5bb842f 100644
> > > > > --- a/fs/nfsd/nfsctl.c
> > > > > +++ b/fs/nfsd/nfsctl.c
> > > > > @@ -1526,7 +1526,7 @@ int nfsd_nl_rpc_status_get_dumpit(struct sk_buff *skb,
> > > > >
> > > > > rcu_read_lock();
> > > > >
> > > > > - for (i = 0; i < nn->nfsd_serv->sv_nrpools; i++) {
> > > > > + for (i = 0; i < svc_serv_nrpools(nn->nfsd_serv); i++) {
> > > > > struct svc_rqst *rqstp;
> > > > > long thread_skip = 0;
> > > > >
> > > > > diff --git a/fs/nfsd/nfssvc.c b/fs/nfsd/nfssvc.c
> > > > > index a8ea4dbfa56b..2edf716ea022 100644
> > > > > --- a/fs/nfsd/nfssvc.c
> > > > > +++ b/fs/nfsd/nfssvc.c
> > > > > @@ -655,7 +655,7 @@ int nfsd_nrpools(struct net *net)
> > > > > if (nn->nfsd_serv == NULL)
> > > > > return 0;
> > > > > else
> > > > > - return nn->nfsd_serv->sv_nrpools;
> > > > > + return svc_serv_nrpools(nn->nfsd_serv);
> > > > > }
> > > > >
> > > > > int nfsd_get_nrthreads(int n, int *nthreads, struct net *net)
> > > > > @@ -665,7 +665,7 @@ int nfsd_get_nrthreads(int n, int *nthreads, struct net *net)
> > > > > int i;
> > > > >
> > > > > if (serv)
> > > > > - for (i = 0; i < serv->sv_nrpools && i < n; i++)
> > > > > + for (i = 0; i < svc_serv_nrpools(serv) && i < n; i++)
> > > > > nthreads[i] = serv->sv_pools[i].sp_nrthrmax;
> > > > > return 0;
> > > > > }
> > > > > @@ -699,8 +699,8 @@ int nfsd_set_nrthreads(int n, int *nthreads, struct net *net)
> > > > > if (n == 1)
> > > > > return svc_set_num_threads(nn->nfsd_serv, nn->min_threads, nthreads[0]);
> > > > >
> > > > > - if (n > nn->nfsd_serv->sv_nrpools)
> > > > > - n = nn->nfsd_serv->sv_nrpools;
> > > > > + if (n > svc_serv_nrpools(nn->nfsd_serv))
> > > > > + n = svc_serv_nrpools(nn->nfsd_serv);
> > > > >
> > > > > /* enforce a global maximum number of threads */
> > > > > tot = 0;
> > > > > @@ -731,7 +731,7 @@ int nfsd_set_nrthreads(int n, int *nthreads, struct net *net)
> > > > > }
> > > > >
> > > > > /* Anything undefined in array is considered to be 0 */
> > > > > - for (i = n; i < nn->nfsd_serv->sv_nrpools; ++i) {
> > > > > + for (i = n; i < svc_serv_nrpools(nn->nfsd_serv); ++i) {
> > > > > err = svc_set_pool_threads(nn->nfsd_serv,
> > > > > &nn->nfsd_serv->sv_pools[i],
> > > > > 0, 0);
> > > > > diff --git a/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h b/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h
> > > > > index 3a0152d926fb..3c885ab6ad41 100644
> > > > > --- a/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h
> > > > > +++ b/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h
> > > > > @@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ struct svc_serv {
> > > > >
> > > > > char * sv_name; /* service name */
> > > > >
> > > > > - unsigned int sv_nrpools; /* number of thread pools */
> > > > > bool sv_is_pooled; /* is this a pooled service? */
> > > > > struct svc_pool * sv_pools; /* array of thread pools */
> > > > > int (*sv_threadfn)(void *data);
> > > > > @@ -480,6 +479,7 @@ void svc_wake_up(struct svc_serv *);
> > > > > void svc_reserve(struct svc_rqst *rqstp, int space);
> > > > > void svc_pool_wake_idle_thread(struct svc_pool *pool);
> > > > > struct svc_pool *svc_pool_for_cpu(struct svc_serv *serv);
> > > > > +unsigned int svc_serv_nrpools(const struct svc_serv *serv);
> > > > > char * svc_print_addr(struct svc_rqst *, char *, size_t);
> > > > > const char * svc_proc_name(const struct svc_rqst *rqstp);
> > > > > int svc_encode_result_payload(struct svc_rqst *rqstp,
> > > > > diff --git a/net/sunrpc/svc.c b/net/sunrpc/svc.c
> > > > > index ece69cb0138a..800514a14f17 100644
> > > > > --- a/net/sunrpc/svc.c
> > > > > +++ b/net/sunrpc/svc.c
> > > > > @@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ svc_pool_map_set_cpumask(struct task_struct *task, unsigned int pidx)
> > > > > unsigned int node = m->pool_to[pidx];
> > > > >
> > > > > /*
> > > > > - * The caller checks for sv_nrpools > 1, which
> > > > > + * The caller checks for more than one pool, which
> > > > > * implies that we've been initialized.
> > > > > */
> > > > > WARN_ON_ONCE(m->count == 0);
> > > > > @@ -234,6 +234,24 @@ svc_pool_map_set_cpumask(struct task_struct *task, unsigned int pidx)
> > > > > set_cpus_allowed_ptr(task, cpumask_of_node(node));
> > > > > }
> > > > >
> > > > > +/**
> > > > > + * svc_serv_nrpools - number of thread pools backing a service
> > > > > + * @serv: An RPC service
> > > > > + *
> > > > > + * Pooled services all share the global svc_pool_map, so their pool count
> > > > > + * is svc_pool_map.npools. Unpooled services have a single pool. Reading
> > > > > + * npools without svc_pool_map_mutex is safe: a pooled service holds a map
> > > > > + * reference for its whole lifetime, so npools is stable once set.
> > > > > + *
> > > > > + * Return value:
> > > > > + * The number of pools in @serv
> > > > > + */
> > > > > +unsigned int svc_serv_nrpools(const struct svc_serv *serv)
> > > > > +{
> > > > > + return serv->sv_is_pooled ? svc_pool_map.npools : 1;
> > > > > +}
> > > > > +EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(svc_serv_nrpools);
> > > >
> > > > I would make this a static-inline.
> > > >
> > >
> > > That would mean that we would have to export svc_pool_map, which is
> > > currently private to svc.c.
> >
> > Why is exporting svc_pool_map more problematic than exporting svc_serv_nrpools?
> > I think it would be good for at least the code in svc_pool_for_cpu() to
> > inline the function. Maybe it already does? Or maybe marking it
> > "inline" but still exporting it would work.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > NeilBrown
> >
>
> Doing what you suggest would increase the interface "surface" between
> sunrpc.ko and nfsd.ko.
>
> Currently struct svc_pool_map is only defined in net/sunrpc/svc.c, so
> we'd not only need to export the symbol, but also we'd have to make
> that definition public.
>
> Why expose so many internal details to other modules when all we need
> is this one accessor? I think keeping this interface small is
> preferable.

In general, yes. But it is not without cost. Sometimes the cost
matters.
Interface size has an abstract value. Code size can have concrete
value. Comparing them is subjective I guess.
I have no concrete evidence that there is a problem, so I'll stop
objecting.

Thanks,
NeilBrown