Re: [PATCH 09/13] nohz: Allow timekeeper's tick to stop when allfull dynticks CPUs are idle

From: Paul E. McKenney
Date: Tue Dec 17 2013 - 18:51:26 EST


On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 11:51:28PM +0100, Frederic Weisbecker wrote:
> When all full dynticks CPUs are idle, as detected by RCU's sysidle
> detection, there is no need to keep the timekeeping CPU's tick alive
> anymore. So lets shut it down when we meet this favourable state. The
> timekeeper will be notified with an IPI if any full dynticks CPU
> wakes up.
>
> Also, since we plan to allow every CPUs outside the full dynticks range
> to handle the timekeeping duty, lets also allow the timekeeping duty
> to be balanced. The only requirement is that the last timekeeper can't
> shut down its idle tick further than 1 jiffie until some other CPU
> takes its duty or until all full dynticks CPUs go to sleep.

Some questions below...

Thanx, Paul

> Signed-off-by: Frederic Weisbecker <fweisbec@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Ingo Molnar <mingo@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: John Stultz <john.stultz@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Alex Shi <alex.shi@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Kevin Hilman <khilman@xxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> kernel/time/tick-sched.c | 67 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------
> 1 file changed, 50 insertions(+), 17 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/kernel/time/tick-sched.c b/kernel/time/tick-sched.c
> index 0d2d774..527b501 100644
> --- a/kernel/time/tick-sched.c
> +++ b/kernel/time/tick-sched.c
> @@ -192,6 +192,49 @@ static bool can_stop_full_tick(void)
> return true;
> }
>
> +/*
> + * Fetch max deferment for the current clockevent source until it overflows.
> + * Also in full dynticks environment, make sure the current timekeeper
> + * stays periodic until some other CPU can take its timekeeping duty
> + * or until all full dynticks go to sleep.
> + */
> +static u64 tick_timekeeping_max_deferment(struct tick_sched *ts)
> +{
> + int cpu;
> + u64 ret = KTIME_MAX;
> +
> + /*
> + * Fast path for full dynticks off-case: skip to
> + * clockevent max deferment
> + */
> + if (!tick_nohz_full_enabled())
> + return timekeeping_max_deferment();
> +
> + cpu = smp_processor_id();
> +
> + /* Full dynticks CPU don't take timekeeping duty */
> + if (!tick_timekeeping_cpu(cpu))
> + return timekeeping_max_deferment();
> +
> + /*
> + * If we are the timekeeper and all full dynticks CPUs are idle,
> + * then we can finally sleep.
> + */
> + if (tick_do_timer_cpu == cpu ||
> + (tick_do_timer_cpu == TICK_DO_TIMER_NONE && ts->do_timer_last == 1)) {
> + if (!rcu_sys_is_idle()) {

So multiple CPUs could call rcu_sys_is_idle()? Seems like this could
happen if tick_do_timer_cpu == TICK_DO_TIMER_NONE. This would be OK only
if tick_timekeeping_cpu() returns true for one and only one of the CPUs
at any given range of time -- and also that no one calls rcu_sys_is_idle()
during a timekeeping CPU handoff.

If two different CPUs call rcu_sys_is_idle() anywhere nearly concurrently
on a small system (CONFIG_NO_HZ_FULL_SYSIDLE_SMALL), rcu_sys_is_idle()
will break and you will have voided your warranty. ;-)

Also, if tick_timekeeping_cpu() doesn't think that there is a timekeeping
CPU, rcu_sys_is_idle() will always return false. I think that this is
what you want to happen, just checking.

> + /*
> + * Stop tick for 1 jiffy. In practice we stay periodic
> + * but that let us possibly delegate our timekeeping duty
> + * to stop the tick for real in the future.
> + */
> + ret = tick_period.tv64;
> + }

Do we need to set tick_do_timer_cpu to cpu? Or is that handled elsewhere?
(If this is the boot-safety feature deleted below, could we please have
the comment back here?)

> + }
> +
> + return min_t(u64, ret, timekeeping_max_deferment());
> +}
> +
> static void tick_nohz_restart_sched_tick(struct tick_sched *ts, ktime_t now);
>
> /*
> @@ -352,7 +395,12 @@ void __init tick_nohz_init(void)
> cpulist_scnprintf(nohz_full_buf, sizeof(nohz_full_buf), tick_nohz_full_mask);
> pr_info("NO_HZ: Full dynticks CPUs: %s.\n", nohz_full_buf);
> }
> -#endif
> +# else /* CONFIG_NO_HZ_FULL */
> +static u64 tick_timekeeping_max_deferment(struct tick_sched *ts)
> +{
> + return timekeeping_max_deferment();
> +}
> +#endif /* CONFIG_NO_HZ_FULL */
>
> /*
> * NOHZ - aka dynamic tick functionality
> @@ -532,7 +580,7 @@ static ktime_t tick_nohz_stop_sched_tick(struct tick_sched *ts,
> struct clock_event_device *dev = __get_cpu_var(tick_cpu_device).evtdev;
> u64 time_delta;
>
> - time_delta = timekeeping_max_deferment();
> + time_delta = tick_timekeeping_max_deferment(ts);
>
> /* Read jiffies and the time when jiffies were updated last */
> do {
> @@ -726,21 +774,6 @@ static bool can_stop_idle_tick(int cpu, struct tick_sched *ts)
> return false;
> }
>
> - if (tick_nohz_full_enabled()) {
> - /*
> - * Keep the tick alive to guarantee timekeeping progression
> - * if there are full dynticks CPUs around
> - */
> - if (tick_do_timer_cpu == cpu)
> - return false;
> - /*
> - * Boot safety: make sure the timekeeping duty has been
> - * assigned before entering dyntick-idle mode,
> - */
> - if (tick_do_timer_cpu == TICK_DO_TIMER_NONE)
> - return false;
> - }
> -
> return true;
> }
>
> --
> 1.8.3.1
>

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