Re: [PATCH] mm/zsmalloc: inline obj_malloc() and obj_free()
From: Sergey Senozhatsky
Date: Thu Nov 05 2026 - 06:17:08 EST
On (26/11/05 10:39), Jenhao Chen wrote:
> On (26/11/05 14:23), Sergey Senozhatsky wrote:
> > I suppose there is performance benefit?
> >
> > I guess I don't mind in principle, one thing to note is that this conflicts
> > with [1].
> >
> > [1] https://lore.kernel.org/linux-kernel/20261105044752.1997895-1-senozhatsky@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Hi Sergey,
Hello,
> Yes -- in a steady-state microbenchmark of paired alloc+write and free
> operations across 8 compressed object size classes (384..3136 B):
>
> 1. On current mm-new (zs_malloc + zs_obj_write + zs_free):
> - Clang 22 -O2: -7.7 (arm64) / -11.8 (x86_64) retired instructions
> per pair (-3.2% cycles on x86_64).
> - Clang 22 -O2 + CONFIG_AUTOFDO_CLANG: -13.0 (arm64) / -17.5 (x86_64)
> retired instructions per pair (-4.8% cycles on x86_64), while
> shrinking zs_malloc() from 2,872 B to 1,828 B on arm64 (-36%) and
> 2,088 B to 1,474 B on x86_64 (-29%).
> - GCC 15 -O2 (x86_64, without AutoFDO): GCC leaves both obj_malloc()
> (306 B) and obj_free() (120 B) out-of-line while inlining the
> single-caller slow path alloc_zspage() into zs_malloc(); the patch
> saves -23.7 retired instructions per pair and shrinks zs_malloc()
> from 1,738 B to 1,441 B (-17%).
Cool.
> 2. Rebased on top of [1] (zs_store + zs_free):
> In [PATCH 6/7], the new static obj_write() helper has two call sites
> in zs_store(), so both Clang 22 -O2 (360 B on arm64, 219 B on x86_64)
> and GCC 15 -O2 (obj_write.isra.0, 229 B on x86_64) leave obj_write()
> out-of-line as well. In the zs_store() fast path, obj_malloc() packs
> (m_zpdesc, obj, zspage->class) via location_to_obj(), and the
> out-of-line obj_write() immediately unpacks obj_to_location(),
> recomputes offset_in_page(class->size * obj_idx), and re-checks
> !ZsHugePage(zspage).
>
> If we also mark obj_write() __always_inline alongside obj_malloc()
> and obj_free() (with noinline on alloc_zspage()), the compiler CSEs
> those redundant operations across the fast path:
> - arm64 (Clang 22): -31.3 (-O2, -4.0%) / -34.7 (-O2 + AUTOFDO, -4.5%)
> retired instructions per zs_store() + zs_free() pair (vs. -8.4 for
> obj_malloc() alone), shrinking zs_store() under AUTOFDO from
> 3,144 B to 2,448 B (-22%).
> - x86_64 (Clang 22): -26.6 (-O2) / -31.8 (-O2 + AUTOFDO) retired
> instructions per pair (~4.0-4.5% latency reduction).
> - x86_64 (GCC 15 -O2): -37.1 retired instructions (-5.1%) and -5.3%
> latency (-5.5% cycles) per pair, while keeping zs_store() slightly
> smaller (1,997 B -> 1,943 B).
Great, I'd love to see that in v2 commit message.
> Would you prefer that I send v2 rebased on top of [1] (including
> __always_inline on obj_write()), or send v2 against current mm-new
> first?
If it doesn't trouble you too much, can we finalize [1] first so then
you can send your patch atop of it? I can ping you when [1] is done.