linux-kernel - Re: find_get_page() VS pin_user

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Message-ID: <87mt3ehti4.fsf@nvidia.com>
Date:   Wed, 12 Apr 2023 09:38:03 +1000
From:   Alistair Popple <apopple@...dia.com>
To:     "Teterevkov, Ivan" <Ivan.Teterevkov@....com>
Cc:     "linux-mm@...ck.org" <linux-mm@...ck.org>,
        "jhubbard@...dia.com" <jhubbard@...dia.com>,
        "jack@...e.cz" <jack@...e.cz>,
        "rppt@...ux.ibm.com" <rppt@...ux.ibm.com>,
        "jglisse@...hat.com" <jglisse@...hat.com>,
        "ira.weiny@...el.com" <ira.weiny@...el.com>,
        "linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: find_get_page() VS pin_user_pages()


"Teterevkov, Ivan" <Ivan.Teterevkov@....com> writes:

> Hello folks,
>
> I work with an application which aims to share memory in the userspace and
> interact with the NIC DMA. The memory allocation workflow begins in the
> userspace, which creates a new file backed by 2MiB hugepages with
> memfd_create(MFD_HUGETLB, MFD_HUGE_2MB) and fallocate(). Then the userspace
> makes an IOCTL to the kernel module with the file descriptor and size so that
> the kernel module can get the struct page with find_get_page(). Then the kernel
> module calls dma_map_single(page_address(page)) for NIC, which concludes the
> datapath. The allocated memory may (significantly) outlive the originating
> userspace application. The hugepages stay mapped with NIC, and the kernel
> module wants to continue using them and map to other applications that come and
> go with vm_mmap().
>
> I am studying the pin_user_pages*() family of functions, and I wonder if the
> outlined workflow requires it. The hugepages do not page out, but they can move
> as they may be allocated with GFP_HIGHUSER_MOVABLE. However, find_get_page()
> must increment the page reference counter without mapping and prevent it from
> moving. In particular, https://docs.kernel.org/mm/page_migration.html:

I'm not super familiar with the memfd_create()/find_get_page() workflow
but is there some reason you're not using pin_user_pages*(FOLL_LONGTERM)
to get the struct page initially? You're description above sounds
exactly the use case pin_user_pages() was designed for because it marks
the page as being writen to by DMA, makes sure it's not in a movable
zone, etc.

>> How migrate_pages() works
>> ...
>> Steps:
>> ...
>> 4. All the page table references to the page are converted to migration
>>    entries. This decreases the mapcount of a page. If the resulting mapcount
>>    is not zero then we do not migrate the page.
>
> Does find_get_page() achieve that condition or does the outlined workflow
> still requires pin_user_pages*() for safe DMA?

Yes. The extra page reference will prevent the migration regardless of
mapcount being zero or not. See folio_expected_refs() for how the extra
reference is detected.

> Thanks in advance,
> Ivan