linux-ext4 - Re: [PATCH] block_write_full_page: switch synchronous writes to use WRITE_SYNC

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 for Android: free password hash cracker in your pocket

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

Message-ID: <20090407234655.GC7031@mit.edu>
Date:	Tue, 7 Apr 2009 19:46:55 -0400
From:	Theodore Tso <tytso@....edu>
To:	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc:	jens.axboe@...cle.com, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-ext4@...r.kernel.org, jack@...e.cz
Subject: Re: [PATCH] block_write_full_page: switch synchronous writes to
	use WRITE_SYNC_PLUG

On Tue, Apr 07, 2009 at 04:09:44PM -0700, Andrew Morton wrote:
> > 
> > The upstream callers of block_write_full_page() which wait for the
> > writes to finish call wait_on_buffer(), wait_on_writeback_range()
> > (which ultimately calls sync_page(), which calls
> > blk_run_backing_dev(), which will unplug the device queue), and so on.
> 
> <sob>

No question, this stuff needs to be better documented; the codepaths
involved is scattered between files in block/, fs/, and mm/
directories, and it's not well documented as *all* what a filesystem
developer is supposed to do.

> >  	const unsigned blocksize = 1 << inode->i_blkbits;
> >  	int nr_underway = 0;
> > -	int write_op = (wbc->sync_mode == WB_SYNC_ALL ? WRITE_SYNC : WRITE);
> > +	int write_op = (wbc->sync_mode == WB_SYNC_ALL ?
> > +			WRITE_SYNC_PLUG : WRITE);
> >  
> >  	BUG_ON(!PageLocked(page));
> 
> So how does WRITE_SYNC_PLUG differ from WRITE, and what effect does
> this change have upon kernel behaviour?

The difference between WRITE_SYNC_PLUG and WRITE is that from the
perspective of the I/O scheduler, they are prioritized as
"synchronous" operations.  Some I/O schedulers, such as AS and CFQ,
prioritize synchronous writes and put them in the same bucket as
synchronous reads, and above asynchronous writes.

Currently, we are using WRITE_SYNC, which has the implicit unplug if
wbc->sync_mode is WB_SYNC_ALL.  WRITE_SYNC_PLUG removes the implicit
unplug, which was the issue that you had expressed concern.

	      	      	    	     	 - Ted
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-ext4" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html