linux-kernel - RE: [PATCH v3 3/5] x86/umwait: Add sysfs interface to control umwait C0.2 state

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Date:   Fri, 31 May 2019 01:17:46 +0000
From:   "Yu, Fenghua" <fenghua.yu@...el.com>
To:     Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>
CC:     Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>, Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>,
        H Peter Anvin <hpa@...or.com>,
        Andrew Cooper <andrew.cooper3@...rix.com>,
        "Raj, Ashok" <ashok.raj@...el.com>,
        "Luck, Tony" <tony.luck@...el.com>,
        "Shankar, Ravi V" <ravi.v.shankar@...el.com>,
        linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>, x86 <x86@...nel.org>
Subject: RE: [PATCH v3 3/5] x86/umwait: Add sysfs interface to control
 umwait C0.2 state

> On Thursday, May 30, 2019 2:11 PM Andy Lutomirski [mailto:luto@...nel.org] wrote:
> On Fri, May 24, 2019 at 5:05 PM Fenghua Yu <fenghua.yu@...el.com> wrote:
> >
> > C0.2 state in umwait and tpause instructions can be enabled or
> > disabled on a processor through IA32_UMWAIT_CONTROL MSR register.
> >
> > By default, C0.2 is enabled and the user wait instructions result in
> > lower power consumption with slower wakeup time.
> >
> > But in real time systems which requrie faster wakeup time although
> > power savings could be smaller, the administrator needs to disable
> > C0.2 and all
> > C0.2 requests from user applications revert to C0.1.
> >
> > A sysfs interface "/sys/devices/system/cpu/umwait_control/enable_c0_2"
> > is created to allow the administrator to control C0.2 state during run time.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Fenghua Yu <fenghua.yu@...el.com>
> > Reviewed-by: Ashok Raj <ashok.raj@...el.com>
> > Reviewed-by: Tony Luck <tony.luck@...el.com>
> > ---
> >  arch/x86/power/umwait.c | 75
> > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
> >  1 file changed, 71 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/arch/x86/power/umwait.c b/arch/x86/power/umwait.c index
> > 80cc53a9c2d0..cf5de7e1cc24 100644
> > --- a/arch/x86/power/umwait.c
> > +++ b/arch/x86/power/umwait.c
> > @@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
> >  static bool umwait_c0_2_enabled = true;
> >  /* Umwait max time is in TSC-quanta. Bits[1:0] are zero. */  static
> > u32 umwait_max_time = 100000;
> > +static DEFINE_MUTEX(umwait_lock);
> >
> >  /* Return value that will be used to set IA32_UMWAIT_CONTROL MSR */
> > static u32 umwait_compute_msr_value(void) @@ -22,7 +23,7 @@ static
> u32
> > umwait_compute_msr_value(void)
> >                (umwait_max_time & MSR_IA32_UMWAIT_CONTROL_MAX_TIME);
> >  }
> >
> > -static void umwait_control_msr_update(void)
> > +static void umwait_control_msr_update(void *unused)
> >  {
> >         u32 msr_val;
> >
> > @@ -33,7 +34,9 @@ static void umwait_control_msr_update(void)
> >  /* Set up IA32_UMWAIT_CONTROL MSR on CPU using the current global
> > setting. */  static int umwait_cpu_online(unsigned int cpu)  {
> > -       umwait_control_msr_update();
> > +       mutex_lock(&umwait_lock);
> > +       umwait_control_msr_update(NULL);
> > +       mutex_unlock(&umwait_lock);
> 
> What's the mutex for?  Can't you just use READ_ONCE?

umwait_control_msr_update() will write both umwait_c0_2_enabled and umwait_max_time (which also can be
changed through sysfs in the next patch) to the TEST_CTRL MSR.

Just using READ_ONCE() for the two variables cannot guarantee all CPUs have the same setting of C0.2 and max time.
READ_ONCE() and WRITE_ONCE() can only guarantee atomicity for reading and writng the same variable.

For e.g. without mutex protection:

initial values: umwait_c0_2_enabled=1 and umwait_max_time=100000

1. umwait_cpu_online(X): read umwait_c0_2_enabled as 1
2. enable_c0_2_store(): umwait_c0_2_enabled = 0 and update all online CPUs as C0.2 disabled.
3. umwait_cpu_online(X): read umwait_max_time=100000
4. umwait_cpu_online(Y): read umwait_c0_2_enabled as 0
5. umwait_max_time_store(): umwait_max_time=500 and update all online CPUs as max time = 500 cycles.
6. umwait_cpu_online(Y): read umwait_max_time as 500
7. umwati_cpu_online(X): wrmsr() enables C0.2 and sets max time 100000 on CPU X
8. umwait_cpu_online(Y): disables C0.2 and sets  max time 500 on CPU Y

With the mutex to protect the two variables and wrmsr(), each CPU will have the same setting of C0.2 and max time.

> 
> > +static void umwait_control_msr_update_all_cpus(void)
> > +{
> > +       u32 msr_val;
> > +
> > +       msr_val = umwait_compute_msr_value();
> > +       /* All CPUs have same umwait control setting */
> > +       on_each_cpu(umwait_control_msr_update, NULL, 1);
> 
> Why are you calling umwait_compute_msr_value()?

Umwait_compute_msr_value() computes the TEST_CTL value from two variables umwait_c0_2_enabled and umwait_max_time.
Any of the two variables may be changed when  umwait_control_msr_update_all_cpus() is called. So need to re-calculate the
MSR value then write the value to MSR on all CPUs.

Thanks.

-Fenghua