linux-kernel - Re: [RFC] B+Tree library

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Date:	Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:35:14 +0100
From:	Johannes Berg <johannes@...solutions.net>
To:	Jörn Engel <joern@...fs.org>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [RFC] B+Tree library

[looks like this hitting LWN means everyone suddenly found it...]

> The one aspect where my implementation is actually nice is in allowing
> variable key length.  Btree keys are interpreted as an array of unsigned
> long.  So by passing the correct geometry to the core functions, it is
> possible to handle 32bit, 64bit or 128bit btrees, which logfs uses.  If
> so desired, any other weird data format can be used as well (Zach, are
> you reading this?).

Would there be an easy way to use 48-bit keys? Or variable length keys?

> So would something like this be merged once some users are identified?
> Would it be useful for anything but logfs?  Or am I plain nuts?

I could imagine using it instead of the hash-table for stations and APs
in the wireless code, stations are identified by the MAC address (48
bit) and APs (BSSs) are identified by their BSSID+SSID (or mesh ID), so
variable length. Currently we use a hash table with 256 slots which is
quite large for the typical case of mostly less than a hundred entries.

> This implementation is extremely simple.  It splits nodes when they
> overflow.  It does not move elements to neighboring nodes.  It does not
> try fancy 2:3 splits.  It does not even merge nodes when they shrink,
> making degenerate cases possible.  And it requires callers to do
> tree-global locking.  In effect, it will be hard to find anything less
> sophisticated.

I think the wireless case would probably want to have real shrinking
because it's well possible that you're moving, with your laptop, from an
area with a large number of APs to say your home out in the countryside
that only has your single AP.

johannes

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