Re: [kvm-devel] [RFC PATCH 1/5] lguest: mmap backing file

[Paul TBBle Hampson <Paul.Hampson-vM6MUUi4OUAAvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org>]

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On Thu, Mar 20, 2008 at 09:04:17AM -0500, Anthony Liguori wrote:
> Rusty Russell wrote:
> >From: Paul TBBle Hampson <Paul.Hampson-vM6MUUi4OUAAvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org>

> >This creates a file in $HOME/.lguest/ to directly back the RAM and DMA memory
> >mappings created by map_zeroed_pages.

> I created a test program recently that measured the latency of a reads/writes to an mmap() file in /dev/shm and in a normal filesystem.  Even after unlinking the underlying file, the write latency was much better with a mmap()'d file in 
> /dev/shm.

> /dev/shm is not really for general use.  I think we'll want to have our own tmpfs mount that we use to create VM images.  I also prefer to use a unix socket for communication, unlink the file immediately after open, and then pass the fd 
> via SCM_RIGHTS to the other process.

The original motivations for the file-backed mmap (rather than the
/dev/zero mmap) were two-fold.

Firstly, to allow suspend and resume to be done to a guest, it would
need somewhere for its memory to survive. (ie. a guest could be
suspended externally immediately, and its state would be resumable from
that mmap file)

Secondly, heading towards some kind of common-page-sharing trick, where
each lguest could spot and share pages in common with other lguests.

Both of these assume the file is going to be visible in the filesystem
until the guest is shut down.

As to whether these are still interesting motivations, I withhold any
opinion in favour of those who know better. ^_^

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------
Paul "TBBle" Hampson, B.Sc, LPI, MCSE
Very-later-year Asian Studies student, ANU
The Boss, Bubblesworth Pty Ltd (ABN: 51 095 284 361)
Paul.Hampson-vM6MUUi4OUAAvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org

Of course Pacman didn't influence us as kids. If it did,
we'd be running around in darkened rooms, popping pills and
listening to repetitive music.
 -- Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.1/au/
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