Re: [PATCH v4 2/3] selftests/resctrl: Implement cl_flush() and sb() for aarch64

[Reinette Chatre <reinette.chatre@intel.com>]

Hi Everybody,

Could the resctrl Arm folks please consider this patch?

Thank you very much.

Reinette

On 7/21/26 8:59 PM, Richard Cheng wrote:
> cl_flush() and sb() compile to empty functions on aarch64, making
> mem_flush() a silent no-op and leaving CMT/CAT tests operating on
> unflushed state.
> 
> Add "dsb sy" for sb(), ARM requires a DSB whose access type covers both
> loads and stores.
> 
> For cl_flush(), "dc civac" only reaches the Point of Coherency, on
> ARM MPAM systems the SLC lies past the PoC and may be a NOP on coherent
> platforms. Instead, dirty each cacheline with a store so that
> mem_flush's full-buffer sweep evicts lines from the SLC via LRU
> pressure.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Richard Cheng <icheng@nvidia.com>
> ---
> Changes since v3:
>   - cl_flush(): replace "dc civac" with a dirty store. dc civac only
>     cleans to the Point of Coherency, so it does not reach the SLC
>     where MPAM cache portions are enforced. Rely on LRU eviction from
>     mem_flush()'s full-buffer sweep instead.
> 
>  tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/fill_buf.c | 11 +++++++++++
>  1 file changed, 11 insertions(+)
> 
> diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/fill_buf.c b/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/fill_buf.c
> index b9fa7968cd6e..eae0262fe265 100644
> --- a/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/fill_buf.c
> +++ b/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/fill_buf.c
> @@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ static void sb(void)
>  #if defined(__i386) || defined(__x86_64)
>  	asm volatile("sfence\n\t"
>  		     : : : "memory");
> +#elif defined(__aarch64__)
> +	asm volatile("dsb sy\n\t"
> +		     : : : "memory");
>  #endif
>  }
>  
> @@ -35,6 +38,14 @@ static void cl_flush(void *p)
>  #if defined(__i386) || defined(__x86_64)
>  	asm volatile("clflush (%0)\n\t"
>  		     : : "r"(p) : "memory");
> +#elif defined(__aarch64__)
> +	/*
> +	 * Dirty the cache line with a store. As mem_flush() sweeps
> +	 * the full test buffer (sized larger than the SLC), cache pressure
> +	 * evicts lines from the SLC via LRU replacement.
> +	 */
> +	asm volatile("strb wzr, [%0]\n\t"
> +		     : : "r"(p) : "memory");
>  #endif
>  }
>