Re: bad performance with SSD since kernel version 2.6.32

[Jens Axboe <jens.axboe@oracle.com>]

On Wed, Feb 24 2010, Mark Lord wrote:
> On 02/23/10 01:21, Jens Axboe wrote:
>> On Mon, Feb 22 2010, Robert Hancock wrote:
>>> On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 3:49 PM, Mark Lord<kernel@teksavvy.com>  wrote:
>>>> On 02/22/10 14:05, Jens Axboe wrote:
>>>>
>>>> --- a/block/blk-core.c
>>>> +++ b/block/blk-core.c
>>>> ...
>>>> @@ -1857,8 +1857,15 @@ void blk_dequeue_request(struct request *rq)
>>>>          * and to it is freed is accounted as io that is in progress at
>>>>          * the driver side.
>>>>          */
>>>> -       if (blk_account_rq(rq))
>>>> +       if (blk_account_rq(rq)) {
>>>>                 q->in_flight[rq_is_sync(rq)]++;
>>>> +               /*
>>>> +                * Mark this device as supporting hardware queuing, if
>>>> +                * we have more IOs in flight than 4.
>>>> +                */
>>>> +               if (!blk_queue_queuing(q)&&  queue_in_flight(q)>  4)
>>>> +                       set_bit(QUEUE_FLAG_CQ,&q->queue_flags);
>>>> +       }
>>>>   }
>>>> ...
>>>>
>>>> Mmm.. So is this code actually trying to rely upon the software being quick
>>>> enough to queue five or more commands before the drive completes one of
>>>> them?
>>
>> Yes, it'll trigger easily. If it's the boot drive, it'll be on before
>> booting has completed.
> ...
>
> Mmm.. but that all assumes (1) a fast CPU and (2) a slow mechanical drive.
> Neither of which are true in many modern systems.

No, that's simply not true. I didn't base the above comment on
speculation, it's observed behaviour. Granted it's a heuristic and as
such not infallible, but it works much better than you seem to assume.

FWIW, on both my desktop and laptop with SSD drives it's on before on
before you log in. Besides, the code wont have any effect on a
mechanical drive (slow or not), since it's specifically only on for
non-rotation drives.

-- 
Jens Axboe