Re: [linux-pm] [PATCH 0/8] Suspend block api (version 6)

[Tony Lindgren]

* Alan Stern <stern@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> [100513 07:11]:
> On Wed, 12 May 2010, Paul Walmsley wrote:
> 
> > Hello,
> > 
> > Some general comments on the suspend blockers/wakelock/opportunistic
> > suspend v6 patch series, posted here:
> > 
> >     https://lists.linux-foundation.org/pipermail/linux-pm/2010-April/025146.html
> > 
> > The comments below are somewhat telegraphic in the interests of 
> > readability - more specific comments to follow in later E-mails. I am 
> > indebted to those of us who discussed these issues at LPC last year and 
> > ELC this year for several stimulating discussions.
> > 
> > There are several general problems with the design of opportunistic
> > suspend and suspend-blocks.
> > 
> > 1. The opportunistic suspend code bypasses existing Linux kernel code,
> >    such as timers and the scheduler, that indicates when code
> >    needs to run, and when the system is idle.
> 
> Whoa!  That's not my understanding at all.
> 
> As I see it, opportunistic suspend doesn't bypass any code that isn't 
> already bypassed by the existing suspend code.  Users can do
> 
> 	echo mem >/sys/power/state
> 
> whenever they want, without regard to kernel timers and the scheduler 
> (other than the fact that the user's thread must be running in order to 
> carry out the write, of course).

The difference between echo mem > /sys/power/state and suspend blocks
is that with suspend blocks the system keeps running. And that's why 
it should be handled by runtime power management instead.

The suspend blocks seems like a hack to spam filter good and bad
apps from timer usage point of view. Applications are categorized
as good or bad depending if they grab a susped blocker or not.

I believe categorizing the apps should be instead done with some
timer flags or cgroups instead.

Cheers,

Tony
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