Re: Linux-2.1.129..

Dr. Werner Fink
1998-11-23T22:20:59Z

> > ST> That would be true if we didn't do the free_page_and_swap_cache trick.
> > ST> However, doing that would require two passes: once by the swapper, and
> > ST> once by shrink_mmap(): before actually freeing a page.
>
> This is something I considered doing. It has various advantages, and it's
> almost done already in a sense: the swap cache thing is what would act as
> the buffer between the two passes.
>
> Then the page table scanning would never really page anything out: it
> would just move things into the swap cache. That makes the table scanner
> simpler, actually. The real page-out would be when the swap-cache is
> flushed to disk and then freed.

Furthermore this would give a good getting in for a effective ageing
scheme for often needed pages. Pages frequently going in and out of the
swap cache are the best candidates to get an higher page age.

>
> I'd like to see this, although I think it's way too late for 2.2
>
> Linus

Better doing it know than within 2.2 ;^)

Werner