linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] x86: Voluntary leave

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Date:	Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:23:36 -0800
From:	Venki Pallipadi <venkatesh.pallipadi@...el.com>
To:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
Cc:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>,
	Venki Pallipadi <venkatesh.pallipadi@...el.com>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	Len Brown <lenb@...nel.org>,
	linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] x86: Voluntary leave_mm before entering ACPI C3

On Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 11:48:14AM -0800, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> Ingo Molnar wrote:
> >
> >i dont think it's required for C3 to even turn off any portion of the 
> >CPU - if an interrupt arrives after the C3 sequence is initiated but 
> >just before dirty cachelines have been flushed then the CPU can just 
> >return without touching anything (such as the TLB) - right? So i dont 
> >think there's any implicit guarantee of TLB flushing (nor should there 
> >be), but in practice, a good C3 sequence would (statistically) turn off 
> >large portions of the CPU and hence the TLB as well.
> >
> 
> I think C3 guarantees that the cache contents stay intact, and thus it 
> might make sense in some technology to preserve the TLB as well (being a 
> kind of cache.)
> 
> Otherwise, what you say here of course is absolutely correct.
> 

C3 does not guarantee all cache contents. Infact, atleast on Intel, 
L1 will be almost always flushed. Newer more power efficient CPUs does dynamic
cache sizing [1]

C3 just guarantees that the caches are coherent. That is, if they are intact,
then DMA will keep cache consistent.

Thanks,
Venki

[1] - http://download.intel.com/products/processor/core2duo/mobile_prod_brief.pdf

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