Re: [PATCH] KVM: arm64: vgic: declear local variable 'flags' before for loop starts

From: Austin Kim
Date: Sat Jun 12 2021 - 09:35:26 EST


2021년 6월 12일 (토) 오후 8:10, Marc Zyngier <maz@xxxxxxxxxx>님이 작성:
>
> On Sat, 12 Jun 2021 12:00:14 +0100,
> Austin Kim <austindh.kim@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > From: Austin Kim <austin.kim@xxxxxxx>
> >
> > Normally local variable 'flags' is defined out of for loop,
> > when 'flags' is used as the second parameter in a call to
> > spinlock_irq[save/restore] function.
> >
> > So it had better declear local variable 'flags' ahead of for loop.
>
> Why better? Reducing the scope of a variable is in general good
> practice. Do you see any material advantage in moving this variable
> out of the loop? Does the compiler generate better code?

First all of, thanks for feedback.

I checked how the compiler generate assembly code(before/after) using
objdump utility.
And then found out that compiler generates the same assembly code.

<compiler version: gcc-linaro-7.5.0-2019.12-x86_64_aarch64>

ffff80001005f5c8 <vgic_mmio_read_pending>:
ffff80001005f5c8: d503233f paciasp
...
ffff80001005f63c: 97ffe9af bl ffff800010059cf8 <vgic_get_irq>
ffff80001005f640: aa0003f3 mov x19, x0
ffff80001005f644: 943886c3 bl ffff800010e81150 <_raw_spin_lock_irqsave>

Let me keep in mind how compiler generate assembly code with new patch,
which leads to material advantage.

BR,
Austin Kim

>
> Thanks,
>
> M.
>
> --
> Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.