netdev - Re: [RFC PATCH net-next 1/3] ixgbe: support netdev_ops->ndo_xmit

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:	Mon, 25 Aug 2014 15:32:48 -0700 (PDT)
From:	David Miller <davem@...emloft.net>
To:	brouer@...hat.com
Cc:	dborkman@...hat.com, netdev@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH net-next 1/3] ixgbe: support
 netdev_ops->ndo_xmit_flush()

From: Jesper Dangaard Brouer <brouer@...hat.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 14:07:21 +0200

> I've run some benchmarks with this patch only, which actually shows a
> performance regression.
> 
> Using trafgen with QDISC_BYPASS and mmap mode, via cmdline:
>  trafgen --cpp  --dev eth5 --conf udp_example01.trafgen -V --cpus 1
> 
> BASELINE(no-patch): trafgen QDISC_BYPASS and mmap:
>  - tx:1562539 pps
> 
> (This patch only): ixgbe use of .ndo_xmit_flush.
>  - tx:1532299 pps
> 
> Regression: -30240 pps
>  * In nanosec: (1/1562539*10^9)-(1/1532299*10^9) = -12.63 ns
> 
> 
> As DaveM points out, me might not need the mmiowb().
> Result when not performing the mmiowb():
>  - tx:1548352 pps
> 
> Still a small regression: -14187 pps
>  * In nanosec: (1/1562539*10^9)-(1/1548352*10^9) = -5.86 ns
> 
> I was not expecting this "slowdown", with this rather simple use of the
> new ndo_xmit_flush API.  Can anyone explain why this is happening?

Impressive amount of overhead for something that evaluates to just a
compiler barrier :-)

The extra indirect function call and walking down the data structures
to get to the queue pointer might account for the remaining cost.

This might be argument enough to contain the behavioral changes within
->ndo_start_xmit() itself.

Jesper, just for fun, could you revert all of the xmit flush stuff and
test this patch instead?

diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
index 87bd53f..ba9ceaa 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
@@ -6958,9 +6958,10 @@ static void ixgbe_tx_map(struct ixgbe_ring *tx_ring,
 
 	tx_ring->next_to_use = i;
 
-	/* notify HW of packet */
-	ixgbe_write_tail(tx_ring, i);
-
+	if (!skb->xmit_more) {
+		/* notify HW of packet */
+		ixgbe_write_tail(tx_ring, i);
+	}
 	return;
 dma_error:
 	dev_err(tx_ring->dev, "TX DMA map failed\n");
diff --git a/include/linux/skbuff.h b/include/linux/skbuff.h
index 18ddf96..dc6141da 100644
--- a/include/linux/skbuff.h
+++ b/include/linux/skbuff.h
@@ -558,6 +558,7 @@ struct sk_buff {
 
 	__u16			queue_mapping;
 	kmemcheck_bitfield_begin(flags2);
+	__u8			xmit_more:1;
 #ifdef CONFIG_IPV6_NDISC_NODETYPE
 	__u8			ndisc_nodetype:2;
 #endif
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe netdev" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html