Re: [PATCH 01/10] mm/ksm: reduce the flush action for ksm merging page

From: Alex Shi
Date: Tue Jun 04 2024 - 06:26:23 EST




On 6/4/24 4:07 PM, David Hildenbrand wrote:
> On 04.06.24 06:24, alexs@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>> From: "Alex Shi (tencent)" <alexs@xxxxxxxxxx>
>>
>> We can put off the flush action util a merging is realy coming. That
>> could reduce some unmerge page flushing.
>> BTW, flushing only do at arm, mips and few other archs.
>>
>
> I'm no expert on that flushing, but I thought we would have to do the flushing before accessing page content -- before calculating the checksum etc.
>
> Now you would only do it before the pages_identical() check, but not when calculating the checksum.
>

Hi David,

Thanks a lot for comments!

If calc_checksum() is wrong before pages_idential(), (that's just after page was write_protected, that's a real guarantee for page context secured) pages_identical could recheck and make thing right.

And as to 2 flush functions here, I didn't see the guarantee for other writer from any other place. So maybe we should remove these flush action?

Thanks
Alex