Re: [PATCH v4 6/6] mm: madvise: Avoid split during MADV_PAGEOUT and MADV_COLD

From: Lance Yang
Date: Thu Mar 21 2024 - 10:55:43 EST


On Thu, Mar 21, 2024 at 9:38 PM Ryan Roberts <ryan.roberts@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> >>>>>>>> - VM_BUG_ON_FOLIO(folio_test_large(folio), folio);
> >>>>>>>> -
> >>>>>>>> - if (!pageout && pte_young(ptent)) {
> >>>>>>>> - ptent = ptep_get_and_clear_full(mm, addr, pte,
> >>>>>>>> - tlb->fullmm);
> >>>>>>>> - ptent = pte_mkold(ptent);
> >>>>>>>> - set_pte_at(mm, addr, pte, ptent);
> >>>>>>>> - tlb_remove_tlb_entry(tlb, pte, addr);
> >>>>>>>> + if (!pageout) {
> >>>>>>>> + for (; nr != 0; nr--, pte++, addr += PAGE_SIZE) {
> >>>>>>>> + if (ptep_test_and_clear_young(vma, addr, pte))
> >>>>>>>> + tlb_remove_tlb_entry(tlb, pte, addr);
> >>>>>
> >>>>> IIRC, some of the architecture(ex, PPC) don't update TLB with set_pte_at and
> >>>>> tlb_remove_tlb_entry. So, didn't we consider remapping the PTE with old after
> >>>>> pte clearing?
> >>>>
> >>>> Sorry Lance, I don't understand this question, can you rephrase? Are you saying
> >>>> there is a good reason to do the original clear-mkold-set for some arches?
> >>>
> >>> IIRC, some of the architecture(ex, PPC) don't update TLB with
> >>> ptep_test_and_clear_young()
> >>> and tlb_remove_tlb_entry().
>
> Afraid I'm still struggling with this comment. Do you mean to say that powerpc
> invalidates the TLB entry as part of the call to ptep_test_and_clear_young()? So
> tlb_remove_tlb_entry() would be redundant here, and likely cause performance
> degradation on that architecture?

I just thought that using ptep_test_and_clear_young() instead of
ptep_get_and_clear_full() + pte_mkold() might not be correct.
However, it's most likely that I was mistaken :(

I also have a question. Why aren't we using ptep_test_and_clear_young() in
madvise_cold_or_pageout_pte_range(), but instead
ptep_get_and_clear_full() + pte_mkold() as we did previously.

/*
* Some of architecture(ex, PPC) don't update TLB
* with set_pte_at and tlb_remove_tlb_entry so for
* the portability, remap the pte with old|clean
* after pte clearing.
*/

According to this comment from madvise_free_pte_range. IIUC, we need to
call ptep_get_and_clear_full() to clear the PTE, and then remap the
PTE with old|clean.

Thanks,
Lance

>
> IMHO, ptep_test_and_clear_young() really shouldn't be invalidating the TLB
> entry, that's what ptep_clear_flush_young() is for.
>
> But I do see that for some cases of the 32-bit ppc, there appears to be a flush:
>
> #define __HAVE_ARCH_PTEP_TEST_AND_CLEAR_YOUNG
> static inline int __ptep_test_and_clear_young(struct mm_struct *mm,
> unsigned long addr, pte_t *ptep)
> {
> unsigned long old;
> old = pte_update(mm, addr, ptep, _PAGE_ACCESSED, 0, 0);
> if (old & _PAGE_HASHPTE)
> flush_hash_entry(mm, ptep, addr); <<<<<<<<
>
> return (old & _PAGE_ACCESSED) != 0;
> }
> #define ptep_test_and_clear_young(__vma, __addr, __ptep) \
> __ptep_test_and_clear_young((__vma)->vm_mm, __addr, __ptep)
>
> Is that what you are describing? Does any anyone know why flush_hash_entry() is
> called? I'd say that's a bug in ppc and not a reason not to use
> ptep_test_and_clear_young() in the common code!
>
> Thanks,
> Ryan
>
>
> >>
> >> Err, I assumed tlb_remove_tlb_entry() meant "invalidate the TLB entry for this
> >> address please" - albeit its deferred and batched. I'll look into this.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> In my new patch[1], I use refresh_full_ptes() and
> >>> tlb_remove_tlb_entries() to batch-update the
> >>> access and dirty bits.
> >>
> >> I want to avoid the per-pte clear-modify-set approach, because this doesn't
> >> perform well on arm64 when using contpte mappings; it will cause the contpe
> >> mapping to be unfolded by the first clear that touches the contpte block, then
> >> refolded by the last set to touch the block. That's expensive.
> >> ptep_test_and_clear_young() doesn't suffer that problem.
> >
> > Thanks for explaining. I got it.
> >
> > I think that other architectures will benefit from the per-pte clear-modify-set
> > approach. IMO, refresh_full_ptes() can be overridden by arm64.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Lance
> >>
> >>>
> >>> [1] https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/20240316102952.39233-1-ioworker0@xxxxxxxxx
> >>>
> >>> Thanks,
> >>> Lance
> >>>
> >>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Thanks,
> >>>>> Lance
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>>>> + }
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> This looks so smart. if it is not pageout, we have increased pte
> >>>>>>> and addr here; so nr is 0 and we don't need to increase again in
> >>>>>>> for (; addr < end; pte += nr, addr += nr * PAGE_SIZE)
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> otherwise, nr won't be 0. so we will increase addr and
> >>>>>>> pte by nr.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Indeed. I'm hoping that Lance is able to follow a similar pattern for
> >>>>>> madvise_free_pte_range().
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> }
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> /*
> >>>>>>>> --
> >>>>>>>> 2.25.1
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> Overall, LGTM,
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> Reviewed-by: Barry Song <v-songbaohua@xxxxxxxx>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Thanks!
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>
> >>
>