linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH V15] mm/debug: Add tests validating architecture page table helpers

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Date:   Fri, 6 Mar 2020 19:34:18 -0500
From:   Qian Cai <cai@....pw>
To:     Anshuman Khandual <Anshuman.Khandual@....com>
Cc:     linux-mm@...ck.org, Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Mike Rapoport <rppt@...ux.ibm.com>,
        Vineet Gupta <vgupta@...opsys.com>,
        Catalin Marinas <catalin.marinas@....com>,
        Will Deacon <will@...nel.org>,
        Benjamin Herrenschmidt <benh@...nel.crashing.org>,
        Paul Mackerras <paulus@...ba.org>,
        Michael Ellerman <mpe@...erman.id.au>,
        Heiko Carstens <heiko.carstens@...ibm.com>,
        Vasily Gorbik <gor@...ux.ibm.com>,
        Christian Borntraeger <borntraeger@...ibm.com>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>, Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>,
        "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
        "Kirill A . Shutemov" <kirill@...temov.name>,
        Paul Walmsley <paul.walmsley@...ive.com>,
        Palmer Dabbelt <palmer@...belt.com>,
        linux-snps-arc@...ts.infradead.org,
        linux-arm-kernel@...ts.infradead.org,
        linuxppc-dev@...ts.ozlabs.org, linux-s390@...r.kernel.org,
        linux-riscv@...ts.infradead.org, x86@...nel.org,
        linux-arch@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
        Christophe Leroy <christophe.leroy@....fr>
Subject: Re: [PATCH V15] mm/debug: Add tests validating architecture page table helpers



> On Mar 6, 2020, at 7:03 PM, Anshuman Khandual <Anshuman.Khandual@....com> wrote:
> 
> Hmm, set_pte_at() function is not preferred here for these tests. The idea
> is to avoid or atleast minimize TLB/cache flushes triggered from these sort
> of 'static' tests. set_pte_at() is platform provided and could/might trigger
> these flushes or some other platform specific synchronization stuff. Just

Why is that important for this debugging option?

> wondering is there specific reason with respect to the soft lock up problem
> making it necessary to use set_pte_at() rather than a simple WRITE_ONCE() ?

Looks at the s390 version of set_pte_at(), it has this comment,
vmaddr);

/*
 * Certain architectures need to do special things when PTEs
 * within a page table are directly modified.  Thus, the following
 * hook is made available.
 */

I can only guess that powerpc  could be the same here.