Re: [PATCH]: Option to run cache reap in thread mode

Andi Kleen
2004-06-16T16:22:35Z

Dimitri Sivanich <sivanich@sgi.com> writes:

> I would like to know what others think about running cache_reap() as a low
> priority realtime kthread, at least on certain cpus that would be configured
> that way (probably configured at boottime initially). I've been doing some
> testing running it this way on CPU's whose activity is mostly restricted to
> realtime work (requiring rapid response times).
>
> Here's my first cut at an initial patch for this (there will be other changes
> later to set the configuration and to optimize locking in cache_reap()).

I would run it in the standard work queue threads. We already have
too many kernel threads, no need to add more.

Also is there really a need for it to be real time?
Note that we don't make any attempt at all in the linux kernel to handle
lock priority inversion, so this isn't an argument.

-Andi