linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 1/3] mm/page_alloc: don't break highest order freepage if steal

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:	Tue, 12 May 2015 09:57:00 +0200
From:	Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@...e.cz>
To:	Joonsoo Kim <iamjoonsoo.kim@....com>, Mel Gorman <mgorman@...e.de>
CC:	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-mm@...ck.org,
	Johannes Weiner <hannes@...xchg.org>,
	Rik van Riel <riel@...hat.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/3] mm/page_alloc: don't break highest order freepage
 if steal

On 04/27/2015 10:42 AM, Joonsoo Kim wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 09:08:50AM +0100, Mel Gorman wrote:
>> On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 04:23:39PM +0900, Joonsoo Kim wrote:
>>> When we steal whole pageblock, we don't need to break highest order
>>> freepage. Perhaps, there is small order freepage so we can use it.
>>>
>>
>> The reason why the largest block is taken is to reduce the probability
>> there will be another fallback event in the near future. Early on, there
>> were a lot of tests conducted to measure the number of external fragmenting
>> events and take steps to reduce them. Stealing the largest highest order
>> freepage was one of those steps.
>
> Hello, Mel.
>
> Purpose of this patch is not "stop steal highest order freepage".
> Currently, in case of that we steal all freepage including highest
> order freepage in certain pageblock, we break highest order freepage and
> return it even if we have low order freepage that we immediately steal.
>
> For example,
>
> Pageblock A has 5 freepage (4 * order 0, 1 * order 3) and
> we try to steal all freepage on pageblock A.
>
> Withouth this patch, we move all freepage to requested migratetype
> buddy list and break order 3 freepage. Leftover is like as following.
>
> (5 * order 0, 1 * order 1, 1* order 2)
>
> With this patch, (3 * order 0, 1 * order 3) remains.
>
> I think that this is better than before because we still have high order
> page. Isn't it?

I agree that this should be better in some cases and shouldn't be worse 
in any case. Nice catch.

> Thanks.
>
> --
> To unsubscribe, send a message with 'unsubscribe linux-mm' in
> the body to majordomo@...ck.org.  For more info on Linux MM,
> see: http://www.linux-mm.org/ .
> Don't email: <a href=mailto:"dont@...ck.org"> email@...ck.org </a>
>

--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/