Date:   Thu, 23 Jun 2022 11:14:52 -0700
From:   Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@...el.com>
To:     Jonathan Cameron <Jonathan.Cameron@...wei.com>,
        Ira Weiny <ira.weiny@...el.com>
CC:     Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@...el.com>,
        Bjorn Helgaas <bhelgaas@...gle.com>,
        Alison Schofield <alison.schofield@...el.com>,
        "Vishal Verma" <vishal.l.verma@...el.com>,
        Dave Jiang <dave.jiang@...el.com>,
        "Ben Widawsky" <bwidawsk@...nel.org>,
        <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>, <linux-cxl@...r.kernel.org>,
        <linux-pci@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH V11 3/8] PCI: Create PCI library functions in support of
 DOE mailboxes.

Jonathan Cameron wrote:
> On Wed, 22 Jun 2022 17:25:02 -0700
> Ira Weiny <ira.weiny@...el.com> wrote:
> 
> > On Wed, Jun 22, 2022 at 03:57:34PM -0700, Dan Williams wrote:
> > > Ira Weiny wrote:  
> > > > On Fri, Jun 17, 2022 at 03:56:38PM -0700, Dan Williams wrote:  
> > > [..]  
> > > > > > +static int pci_doe_discovery(struct pci_doe_mb *doe_mb, u8 *index, u16 *vid,
> > > > > > +			     u8 *protocol)
> > > > > > +{
> > > > > > +	u32 request_pl = FIELD_PREP(PCI_DOE_DATA_OBJECT_DISC_REQ_3_INDEX,
> > > > > > +				    *index);
> > > > > > +	u32 response_pl;
> > > > > > +	DECLARE_COMPLETION_ONSTACK(c);
> > > > > > +	struct pci_doe_task task = {
> > > > > > +		.prot.vid = PCI_VENDOR_ID_PCI_SIG,
> > > > > > +		.prot.type = PCI_DOE_PROTOCOL_DISCOVERY,
> > > > > > +		.request_pl = &request_pl,
> > > > > > +		.request_pl_sz = sizeof(request_pl),
> > > > > > +		.response_pl = &response_pl,
> > > > > > +		.response_pl_sz = sizeof(response_pl),
> > > > > > +		.complete = pci_doe_task_complete,
> > > > > > +		.private = &c,
> > > > > > +	};
> > > > > > +	int ret;
> > > > > > +
> > > > > > +	ret = pci_doe_submit_task(doe_mb, &task);
> > > > > > +	if (ret < 0)
> > > > > > +		return ret;
> > > > > > +
> > > > > > +	wait_for_completion(&c);  
> > > > > 
> > > > > Another place where the need for a completion can be replaced with
> > > > > flush_work().  
> > > > 
> > > > No not here.  While this call is internal it is actually acting like an
> > > > external caller.  This specific wait is for that response to get back.
> > > > 
> > > > This pattern was specifically asked for by you.  Previously Jonathan had a
> > > > synchronous call which took care of this but you said let all callers just
> > > > handle it themselves.  So all callers submit a task and if they want to wait
> > > > for the response they have to do so themselves.  
> > > 
> > > Ah, true I remember that. The nice thing about a doing your own
> > > wait_for_completion() like this is that you can make it
> > > wait_for_completion_interruptible() to give up on the DOE if it gets
> > > stalled. However, if you have a work item per-task and you're willing to
> > > do an uninterruptible sleep, then flush_work(&task->work) is identical.  
> > 
> > So when you mentioned a work item per task I really jumped on that idea.  But I
> > realize now that it is a bit more complicated than that.
> > 
> > Currently a work item is actually one step of the state machine.  The state
> > machine queues the next step of work as a new work item.
> > 
> > I'm going to have to change the state machine quite a bit.  I still agree with
> > the one work item per task but it is going to take a bit of work to get the
> > state machine to operate within that single task.
> > 
> > I don't like what might result if I layer a work queue on top of using the
> > system work queue for the individual steps of the state machine.  So stay
> > tuned.
> 
> Yup.  I went through that (between RFC v1 and RFC v2) and it wasn't pretty
> - maybe it's worth a revisit though.
> 
> To throw another view point in the mix. Note that I want a solution and
> in my view DOE is slow and never on a fast path + I don't see it being
> high churn code so needs to be fairly maintainable but not super simple
> or architecturally clean (at the level of state machines / work queues etc
> - interfaces need to be clean!)
> 
> If we go back to RFC v1, which IIRC was basically queue on a mutex, and
> consider it in the light of where we've ended up.  I wussed out on arguing much
> about this at the time because consensus + moving forward was more
> important to me than the chosen architecture.
> 
> Taking a slightly black and white view of requirements. I don't think
> we loose anything by using this list...
> 
> 1. Synchronous (if anyone needs async at level of caller, they can spin
>    a thread up).  Async is the corner case, not the common one.
> 2. Small number (< 3 I'm guessing) of protocols per instance.
> 3. Very rare there is significant contention.  Fairness doesn't matter.
>    Normally the only reason we'd get contention is userspace triggering
>    access to multiple protocols at a time - probably via sysfs or other slow
>    method.
> 4. Per protocol ordering can be maintained by the protocol, not the DOE layer.
> 5. DOE is basically a bus over which we are talking to different devices
>   - think of it like I2C but rather than address we have protocol IDs.
> 
> That last analogy brings us back to how I think almost all slow buses are
> handled.
> 
> At level of a bus, a lock is used for mutual exclusion (often also protecting
> bus controller register state etc). No workqueues or similar complexity
> - Underlying hardware typically doing DMA of result into a provided buffer
> with only one transaction in flight at that layer at anyone time.
> Note there is more complex handling for high perf cases, but in many cases
> its not really used.
> 
> We have a bus lock that can ensure exclusion over sequences if necessary
> (there's one in SPI).
> 
> If a given driver needs to ensure exclusion for RMW or similar sequences
> of operations it takes a driver specific mutex and holds it across these
> sequences of slow operations, which usually sleep, include interrupts and all
> sorts of fun.  Normally there is a completion in there somewhere to
> get from the 'done' interrupt on the bus controller back to the
> i2c_smbus_bus_read() etc that is waiting on the result.
> 
> This model works, is super simple and layered.
> 
> In case of no contention (perhaps 99% of time), it immediately runs the
> DOE/bus access in the thread that made the read/write request.
> So no overhead of going to a workqueue.  
> 
> Implementation is one linear function, no state machine needed.

Agree on this principle, once you have one linear function then it does not
matter if that function is under a mutex() or is run in an ordered
workqueue.

If the one linear function with a mutex ends up needing to invent its
own waitqueues and event completion notifications then maybe its better
to just use a workqueue than reinvent those wheels, but if push comes to
shove that's just a nice to have if we get to the one linear function
implementation.

> Anyhow, to refer back to my initial comment.  I'm not that fussed on how
> we do this but it's a blocker on other work so quick solution is more
> important to me than perfect one.

Agree.

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