Re: [PATCH v2] Alchemy: cpu feature override constants.

[Ralf Baechle <ralf@linux-mips.org>]

On Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 06:50:53AM +0100, Manuel Lauss wrote:

> > The probe routines in cpu-probe.c should get at least some of that correct. 
> >  How about just overriding the things that cpu-probe.c doesn't get right?
> 
> CPU detection gets them all right, it's just that somehow GCC does not use
> the information correctly;  i.e. in the __fls() case it blindly falls back
> on the C version instead of using the asm macro with clz in it.  I scanned
> a few callsites of __fls() and there's not 'clz' to be found anywhere.  With
> this addition the clz is used and the binary is a _lot_ smaller.
> 

You should define all values as constants, as far as known.  GCC will
then be able to use constant propagation and dead code elemination to
optimize the code for a particular target system.

The way fls() is written it will only use of CLZ if the expression
cpu_has_mips_r is a constant, that is if the kernel is being built
exclusivly for MIPS32 / MIPS64 revision 1 or higher.  The reason that
__fls is written this way is that both it's legacy and R1 variants using
CLZ/DCLZ the function body will be compiled into something relativly small.
There is not such much point in adding even more code for a runtime
decission between two variants.

> I believe this is a gcc thing, but this seemed to be the obvious quick
> remedy.

GCC does correct.

  Ralf