Re: [PATCH v2 16/18] mm/memremap_pages: Support initializing pages to a zero reference count

[Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@intel.com>]

Alistair Popple wrote:
> 
> Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@intel.com> writes:
> 
> > Jason Gunthorpe wrote:
> >> On Wed, Sep 21, 2022 at 04:45:22PM -0700, Dan Williams wrote:
> >> > Jason Gunthorpe wrote:
> >> > > On Thu, Sep 15, 2022 at 08:36:43PM -0700, Dan Williams wrote:
> >> > > > The initial memremap_pages() implementation inherited the
> >> > > > __init_single_page() default of pages starting life with an elevated
> >> > > > reference count. This originally allowed for the page->pgmap pointer to
> >> > > > alias with the storage for page->lru since a page was only allowed to be
> >> > > > on an lru list when its reference count was zero.
> >> > > >
> >> > > > Since then, 'struct page' definition cleanups have arranged for
> >> > > > dedicated space for the ZONE_DEVICE page metadata, and the
> >> > > > MEMORY_DEVICE_{PRIVATE,COHERENT} work has arranged for the 1 -> 0
> >> > > > page->_refcount transition to route the page to free_zone_device_page()
> >> > > > and not the core-mm page-free. With those cleanups in place and with
> >> > > > filesystem-dax and device-dax now converted to take and drop references
> >> > > > at map and truncate time, it is possible to start MEMORY_DEVICE_FS_DAX
> >> > > > and MEMORY_DEVICE_GENERIC reference counts at 0.
> >> > > >
> >> > > > MEMORY_DEVICE_{PRIVATE,COHERENT} still expect that their ZONE_DEVICE
> >> > > > pages start life at _refcount 1, so make that the default if
> >> > > > pgmap->init_mode is left at zero.
> >> > >
> >> > > I'm shocked to read this - how does it make any sense?
> >> >
> >> > I think what happened is that since memremap_pages() historically
> >> > produced pages with an elevated reference count that GPU drivers skipped
> >> > taking a reference on first allocation and just passed along an elevated
> >> > reference count page to the first user.
> >> >
> >> > So either we keep that assumption or update all users to be prepared for
> >> > idle pages coming out of memremap_pages().
> >> >
> >> > This is all in reaction to the "set_page_count(page, 1);" in
> >> > free_zone_device_page(). Which I am happy to get rid of but need from
> >> > help from MEMORY_DEVICE_{PRIVATE,COHERENT} folks to react to
> >> > memremap_pages() starting all pages at reference count 0.
> >>
> >> But, but this is all racy, it can't do this:
> >>
> >> +	if (pgmap->ops && pgmap->ops->page_free)
> >> +		pgmap->ops->page_free(page);
> >>
> >>  	/*
> >> +	 * Reset the page count to the @init_mode value to prepare for
> >> +	 * handing out the page again.
> >>  	 */
> >> +	if (pgmap->init_mode == INIT_PAGEMAP_BUSY)
> >> +		set_page_count(page, 1);
> >>
> >> after the fact! Something like that hmm_test has already threaded the
> >> "freed" page into the free list via ops->page_free(), it can't have a
> >> 0 ref count and be on the free list, even temporarily :(
> >>
> >> Maybe it nees to be re-ordered?
> >>
> >> > > How on earth can a free'd page have both a 0 and 1 refcount??
> >> >
> >> > This is residual wonkiness from memremap_pages() handing out pages with
> >> > elevated reference counts at the outset.
> >>
> >> I think the answer to my question is the above troubled code where we
> >> still set the page refcount back to 1 even in the page_free path, so
> >> there is some consistency "a freed paged may have a refcount of 1" for
> >> the driver.
> >>
> >> So, I guess this patch makes sense but I would put more noise around
> >> INIT_PAGEMAP_BUSY (eg annotate every driver that is using it with the
> >> explicit constant) and alert people that they need to fix their stuff
> >> to get rid of it.
> >
> > Sounds reasonable.
> >
> >> We should definately try to fix hmm_test as well so people have a good
> >> reference code to follow in fixing the other drivers :(
> >
> > Oh, that's a good idea. I can probably fix that up and leave it to the
> > GPU driver folks to catch up with that example so we can kill off
> > INIT_PAGEMAP_BUSY.
> 
> I'm hoping to send my series that fixes up all drivers using device
> coherent/private later this week or early next. So you could also just
> wait for that and remove INIT_PAGEMAP_BUSY entirely.

Oh, perfect, thanks!