linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 4/4] mtd: nand: nandsim: convert to memalloc_noreclaim

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Message-ID: <20170406072754.GC5497@dhcp22.suse.cz>
Date:   Thu, 6 Apr 2017 09:27:55 +0200
From:   Michal Hocko <mhocko@...nel.org>
To:     Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@...el.com>
Cc:     Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@...e.cz>,
        Richard Weinberger <richard@....at>,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>, linux-mm@...ck.org,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
        Mel Gorman <mgorman@...hsingularity.net>,
        Johannes Weiner <hannes@...xchg.org>,
        linux-block@...r.kernel.org, nbd-general@...ts.sourceforge.net,
        open-iscsi@...glegroups.com, linux-scsi@...r.kernel.org,
        netdev@...r.kernel.org,
        Boris Brezillon <boris.brezillon@...e-electrons.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 4/4] mtd: nand: nandsim: convert to memalloc_noreclaim_*()

On Thu 06-04-17 09:33:44, Adrian Hunter wrote:
> On 05/04/17 14:39, Vlastimil Babka wrote:
> > On 04/05/2017 01:36 PM, Richard Weinberger wrote:
> >> Michal,
> >>
> >> Am 05.04.2017 um 13:31 schrieb Michal Hocko:
> >>> On Wed 05-04-17 09:47:00, Vlastimil Babka wrote:
> >>>> Nandsim has own functions set_memalloc() and clear_memalloc() for robust
> >>>> setting and clearing of PF_MEMALLOC. Replace them by the new generic helpers.
> >>>> No functional change.
> >>>
> >>> This one smells like an abuser. Why the hell should read/write path
> >>> touch memory reserves at all!
> >>
> >> Could be. Let's ask Adrian, AFAIK he wrote that code.
> >> Adrian, can you please clarify why nandsim needs to play with PF_MEMALLOC?
> > 
> > I was thinking about it and concluded that since the simulator can be
> > used as a block device where reclaimed pages go to, writing the data out
> > is a memalloc operation. Then reading can be called as part of r-m-w
> > cycle, so reading as well.
> 
> IIRC it was to avoid getting stuck with nandsim waiting on memory reclaim
> and memory reclaim waiting on nandsim.

I've got lost in the indirection. Could you describe how would reclaim
get stuck waiting on these paths please?

-- 
Michal Hocko
SUSE Labs