Linux Kernel https://git.stealer.net/cgit.cgi/user/sven/linux.git/atom?h=v4.13.10 2017-06-28T12:49:11Z 2017-06-28T12:49:11Z Nicholas Piggin npiggin@gmail.com 2017-05-29T02:22:23Z urn:sha1:fd851a3cdc196bfc1d229b5f22369069af532bf8 Current busy-wait loops are implemented by repeatedly calling cpu_relax() to give an arch option for a low-latency option to improve power and/or SMT resource contention. This poses some difficulties for powerpc, which has SMT priority setting instructions (priorities determine how ifetch cycles are apportioned). powerpc's cpu_relax() is implemented by setting a low priority then setting normal priority. This has several problems: - Changing thread priority can have some execution cost and potential impact to other threads in the core. It's inefficient to execute them every time around a busy-wait loop. - Depending on implementation details, a `low ; medium` sequence may not have much if any affect. Some software with similar pattern actually inserts a lot of nops between, in order to cause a few fetch cycles with the low priority. - The busy-wait loop runs with regular priority. This might only be a few fetch cycles, but if there are several threads running such loops, they could cause a noticable impact on a non-idle thread. Implement spin_begin, spin_end primitives that can be used around busy wait loops, which default to no-ops. And spin_cpu_relax which defaults to cpu_relax. This will allow architectures to hook the entry and exit of busy-wait loops, and will allow powerpc to set low SMT priority at entry, and normal priority at exit. Suggested-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> Signed-off-by: Nicholas Piggin <npiggin@gmail.com> Signed-off-by: Michael Ellerman <mpe@ellerman.id.au>