linux-ext4 - Re: [PATCH v2 03/11] pmem: enable REQ_FUA/REQ

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Message-ID: <CAPcyv4j4arHE+iAALn1WPDzSb_QSCDy8udtXU1FV=kYSZDfv8A@mail.gmail.com>
Date:	Fri, 13 Nov 2015 16:20:39 -0800
From:	Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@...el.com>
To:	Ross Zwisler <ross.zwisler@...ux.intel.com>
Cc:	"linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	"J. Bruce Fields" <bfields@...ldses.org>,
	"Theodore Ts'o" <tytso@....edu>,
	Alexander Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>,
	Andreas Dilger <adilger.kernel@...ger.ca>,
	Dave Chinner <david@...morbit.com>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>, Jan Kara <jack@...e.com>,
	Jeff Layton <jlayton@...chiereds.net>,
	Matthew Wilcox <willy@...ux.intel.com>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	linux-ext4@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-fsdevel <linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Linux MM <linux-mm@...ck.org>,
	"linux-nvdimm@...ts.01.org" <linux-nvdimm@...ts.01.org>,
	X86 ML <x86@...nel.org>, xfs@....sgi.com,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Matthew Wilcox <matthew.r.wilcox@...el.com>,
	Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 03/11] pmem: enable REQ_FUA/REQ_FLUSH handling

On Fri, Nov 13, 2015 at 4:06 PM, Ross Zwisler
<ross.zwisler@...ux.intel.com> wrote:
> Currently the PMEM driver doesn't accept REQ_FLUSH or REQ_FUA bios.  These
> are sent down via blkdev_issue_flush() in response to a fsync() or msync()
> and are used by filesystems to order their metadata, among other things.
>
> When we get an msync() or fsync() it is the responsibility of the DAX code
> to flush all dirty pages to media.  The PMEM driver then just has issue a
> wmb_pmem() in response to the REQ_FLUSH to ensure that before we return all
> the flushed data has been durably stored on the media.
>
> Signed-off-by: Ross Zwisler <ross.zwisler@...ux.intel.com>

Hmm, I'm not seeing why we need this patch.  If the actual flushing of
the cache is done by the core why does the driver need support
REQ_FLUSH?  Especially since it's just a couple instructions.  REQ_FUA
only makes sense if individual writes can bypass the "drive" cache,
but no I/O submitted to the driver proper is ever cached we always
flush it through to media.
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