All of lore.kernel.org
 help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: Mateusz Guzik <mjguzik@gmail.com>
To: viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk
Cc: brauner@kernel.org, jack@suse.cz, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
	linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org, Mateusz Guzik <mjguzik@gmail.com>
Subject: [PATCH v4] fs: add predicts based on nd->depth
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2025 17:59:01 +0100	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20251110165901.1491476-1-mjguzik@gmail.com> (raw)

Stats from nd->depth usage during the venerable kernel build collected like so:
bpftrace -e 'kprobe:terminate_walk,kprobe:walk_component,kprobe:legitimize_links
{ @[probe] = lhist(((struct nameidata *)arg0)->depth, 0, 8, 1); }'

@[kprobe:legitimize_links]:
[0, 1)           6554906 |@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@|
[1, 2)              3534 |                                                    |

@[kprobe:terminate_walk]:
[0, 1)          12153664 |@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@|

@[kprobe:walk_component]:
[0, 1)          53075749 |@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@|
[1, 2)            971421 |                                                    |
[2, 3)             84946 |                                                    |

Given these results:
1. terminate_walk() is called towards the end of the lookup. I failed
   run into a case where it has any depth to clean up. For now predict
   it does not.
2. legitimize_links() is also called towards the end of lookup and most
   of the time there s 0 depth. Patch consumers to avoid calling into it
   in that case.
3. walk_component() is typically called with WALK_MORE and zero depth,
   checked in that order. Check depth first and predict it is 0.
4. link_path_walk() predicts not dealing with a symlink, but the other
   part of symlink handling fails to make the same predict. Add it.

Signed-off-by: Mateusz Guzik <mjguzik@gmail.com>
---

v4:
- fix backwards predict in link_path_walk

v3:
- more predicts

This obsoletes the previous patch which only took care of
legitimize_links().

 fs/namei.c | 13 +++++++------
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/namei.c b/fs/namei.c
index 2a112b2c0951..11295fcf877c 100644
--- a/fs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/namei.c
@@ -785,7 +785,8 @@ static void leave_rcu(struct nameidata *nd)
 
 static void terminate_walk(struct nameidata *nd)
 {
-	drop_links(nd);
+	if (unlikely(nd->depth))
+		drop_links(nd);
 	if (!(nd->flags & LOOKUP_RCU)) {
 		int i;
 		path_put(&nd->path);
@@ -882,7 +883,7 @@ static bool try_to_unlazy(struct nameidata *nd)
 
 	BUG_ON(!(nd->flags & LOOKUP_RCU));
 
-	if (unlikely(!legitimize_links(nd)))
+	if (unlikely(nd->depth && !legitimize_links(nd)))
 		goto out1;
 	if (unlikely(!legitimize_path(nd, &nd->path, nd->seq)))
 		goto out;
@@ -917,7 +918,7 @@ static bool try_to_unlazy_next(struct nameidata *nd, struct dentry *dentry)
 	int res;
 	BUG_ON(!(nd->flags & LOOKUP_RCU));
 
-	if (unlikely(!legitimize_links(nd)))
+	if (unlikely(nd->depth && !legitimize_links(nd)))
 		goto out2;
 	res = __legitimize_mnt(nd->path.mnt, nd->m_seq);
 	if (unlikely(res)) {
@@ -2179,7 +2180,7 @@ static const char *walk_component(struct nameidata *nd, int flags)
 	 * parent relationships.
 	 */
 	if (unlikely(nd->last_type != LAST_NORM)) {
-		if (!(flags & WALK_MORE) && nd->depth)
+		if (unlikely(nd->depth) && !(flags & WALK_MORE))
 			put_link(nd);
 		return handle_dots(nd, nd->last_type);
 	}
@@ -2191,7 +2192,7 @@ static const char *walk_component(struct nameidata *nd, int flags)
 		if (IS_ERR(dentry))
 			return ERR_CAST(dentry);
 	}
-	if (!(flags & WALK_MORE) && nd->depth)
+	if (unlikely(nd->depth) && !(flags & WALK_MORE))
 		put_link(nd);
 	return step_into(nd, flags, dentry);
 }
@@ -2544,7 +2545,7 @@ static int link_path_walk(const char *name, struct nameidata *nd)
 		if (unlikely(!*name)) {
 OK:
 			/* pathname or trailing symlink, done */
-			if (!depth) {
+			if (likely(!depth)) {
 				nd->dir_vfsuid = i_uid_into_vfsuid(idmap, nd->inode);
 				nd->dir_mode = nd->inode->i_mode;
 				nd->flags &= ~LOOKUP_PARENT;
-- 
2.48.1


             reply	other threads:[~2025-11-10 16:59 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 3+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2025-11-10 16:59 Mateusz Guzik [this message]
2025-11-11  3:32 ` [PATCH v4] fs: add predicts based on nd->depth Al Viro
2025-11-11 18:00   ` Mateusz Guzik

Reply instructions:

You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:

* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
  and reply-to-all from there: mbox

  Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style

* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
  switches of git-send-email(1):

  git send-email \
    --in-reply-to=20251110165901.1491476-1-mjguzik@gmail.com \
    --to=mjguzik@gmail.com \
    --cc=brauner@kernel.org \
    --cc=jack@suse.cz \
    --cc=linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk \
    /path/to/YOUR_REPLY

  https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html

* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
  via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line before the message body.
This is an external index of several public inboxes,
see mirroring instructions on how to clone and mirror
all data and code used by this external index.