Re: [PATCH] nvme: Drop WQ_MEM_RECLAIM flag from core workqueues

[Daniel Wagner]

On Mon, Apr 12, 2021 at 10:04:02AM -0300, Jason Gunthorpe wrote:
> Basically the allocation of importance in the workqueue is assigning a
> worker, so pre-allocating a worker ensures the work can continue to
> progress without becoming dependent on allocations.

Ah okay, got it. I didn't really understood this part. So the
WQ_MEM_RECLAIM is 'just' avoiding a new worker creation.

> This is why work under the WQ_MEM_RECLAIM cannot recurse back into the
> allocator as it would get a rescurer thread stuck at a point when all
> other threads are already stuck.
>
> To remove WQ_MEM_RECLAIM you have to make assertions about the calling
> contexts and blocking contexts of the workqueue, not what the work
> itself is doing.

Hmm, I am struggling with your last statement. If a worker does an
allocation it might block. I understand this is something which a worker
in a WQ_MEM_RECLAIM context is not allowed to do.

My aim is still to get rid of the warning triggered by the rdma
code.

Anyway, thanks for explaining.