linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 2/2] locking/lockref/x86: Enable ARCH_USE_CMPXCHG_LOCKREF for X86_32 && X86

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Date:   Thu, 26 May 2022 10:23:58 -0700
From:   Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:     David Laight <David.Laight@...lab.com>
Cc:     Uros Bizjak <ubizjak@...il.com>,
        "the arch/x86 maintainers" <x86@...nel.org>,
        Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        "Waiman.Long@...com" <Waiman.Long@...com>,
        Paul McKenney <paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 2/2] locking/lockref/x86: Enable ARCH_USE_CMPXCHG_LOCKREF
 for X86_32 && X86_CMPXCHG64

On Thu, May 26, 2022 at 1:30 AM David Laight <David.Laight@...lab.com> wrote:
>
> Perhaps there could be a non-smp implementation of cmpxchg8b
> that just disables interrupts?

As Uros points out, we do have exactly that, but it's not actually
written to be usable for the "trylock" case. Plus it would be
pointless for lockrefs, since the non-cmpxchg case that just falls
back to a spinlock would be faster and simpler (particularly on UP,
where locking goes away).

> While I have used a dual 486 I doubt Linux would run ever
> have on it. The same is probably true for old dual Pentiums.

Yeah, I don't think we ever supported SMP on i486, afaik they all
needed special system glue.

I think the "modern" x86 SMP support with a local APIC was a PPro and
newer thing historically, but clearly there were then later what
amounted to Penitum/MMX class cores (ie old Atom) that did support
SMP.

                      Linus