Re: [PATCH v3 4/4] mm: pass the number of PTEs to move_pte()

From: David Hildenbrand (Arm)

Date: Fri Oct 23 2026 - 16:54:08 EST


On 10/22/26 01:33, Imre Kaloz wrote:
> Since commit f822a9a81a31 ("mm: optimize mremap() by PTE batching"),
> move_ptes() moves a batch of PTEs mapping consecutive pages of a folio
> at a time, but calls move_pte() once per batch with the first PTE
> only. sparc64, the only architecture that overrides move_pte(), flushes
> from the D-cache the page that PTE maps when the move changes its
> colour, so the other pages of a batch would keep lines of the old
> colour. This cannot happen today only because sparc64 has no
> pte_batch_hint(), and mremap_folio_pte_batch() then never batches.
>
> Pass nr_ptes to move_pte(), as get_and_clear_ptes() takes it. The
> generic version ignores it, and sparc64 flushes every page of the
> batch.
>
> Signed-off-by: Imre Kaloz <kaloz@xxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> arch/sparc/include/asm/pgtable_64.h | 16 +++++++++-------
> include/linux/pgtable.h | 2 +-
> mm/mremap.c | 2 +-
> 3 files changed, 11 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/arch/sparc/include/asm/pgtable_64.h b/arch/sparc/include/asm/pgtable_64.h
> index 1430489b9ac5..9ca787b3cbfe 100644
> --- a/arch/sparc/include/asm/pgtable_64.h
> +++ b/arch/sparc/include/asm/pgtable_64.h
> @@ -946,21 +946,23 @@ static inline void set_ptes(struct mm_struct *mm, unsigned long addr,
> set_pte_at((mm), (addr), (ptep), __pte(0UL))
>
> #ifdef DCACHE_ALIASING_POSSIBLE
> -/* This flushes only the page the PTE maps, so it relies on move_ptes()
> - * calling it for one PTE at a time, which the default pte_batch_hint()
> - * guarantees.
> +/* The nr PTEs map consecutive pages of one folio and all move by the
> + * same offset, so either every page of the batch aliases or none does.
> */
> #define __HAVE_ARCH_MOVE_PTE
> -#define move_pte(pte, old_addr, new_addr) \
> +#define move_pte(pte, old_addr, new_addr, nr) \
> ({ \
> pte_t newpte = (pte); \
> if (tlb_type != hypervisor && pte_present(pte)) { \
> unsigned long this_pfn = pte_pfn(pte); \
> + unsigned int i; \
> \
> if (pfn_valid(this_pfn) && \
> - (((old_addr) ^ (new_addr)) & (1 << 13))) \
> - flush_dcache_page_all(current->mm, \
> - pfn_to_page(this_pfn)); \
> + (((old_addr) ^ (new_addr)) & (1 << 13))) { \
> + for (i = 0; i < (nr); i++) \
> + flush_dcache_page_all(current->mm, \
> + pfn_to_page(this_pfn + i)); \
> + } \
> } \
> newpte; \
> })
> diff --git a/include/linux/pgtable.h b/include/linux/pgtable.h
> index 8c093c119e5a..b58c0e98994e 100644
> --- a/include/linux/pgtable.h
> +++ b/include/linux/pgtable.h
> @@ -1471,7 +1471,7 @@ static inline void arch_swap_restore(swp_entry_t entry, struct folio *folio)
> #endif
>
> #ifndef __HAVE_ARCH_MOVE_PTE
> -#define move_pte(pte, old_addr, new_addr) (pte)
> +#define move_pte(pte, old_addr, new_addr, nr) (pte)
> #endif
>
> #ifndef pte_accessible
> diff --git a/mm/mremap.c b/mm/mremap.c
> index e8df5cdb0ac9..7fcae7f0082d 100644
> --- a/mm/mremap.c
> +++ b/mm/mremap.c
> @@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ static int move_ptes(struct pagetable_move_control *pmc,
> force_flush = true;
> }
> pte = get_and_clear_ptes(mm, old_addr, old_ptep, nr_ptes);
> - pte = move_pte(pte, old_addr, new_addr);
> + pte = move_pte(pte, old_addr, new_addr, nr_ptes);
> pte = move_soft_dirty_pte(pte);
>
> if (need_clear_uffd_wp && pte_is_uffd_wp_marker(pte))


I hate move_pte() so much. And I hate sparc64 for requiring it. ;)

Is there some way we can avoid this
helper-that-shouldn't-exist-but-someone-hacked-it-in entirely?

If it makes sparc64 slightly slower #dontcare.

--
Cheers,

David