Re: [PATCH 4/4] mm: vmscan: Only read new_classzone_idx from pgdat when reclaiming successfully

Mel Gorman
2011-07-21T17:01:18Z

On Fri, Jul 22, 2011 at 01:36:49AM +0900, Minchan Kim wrote:
> > > > <SNIP>
> > > > @@ -2740,17 +2742,23 @@ static int kswapd(void *p)
> > > > tsk->flags |= PF_MEMALLOC | PF_SWAPWRITE | PF_KSWAPD;
> > > > set_freezable();
> > > >
> > > > - order = 0;
> > > > - classzone_idx = MAX_NR_ZONES - 1;
> > > > + order = new_order = 0;
> > > > + classzone_idx = new_classzone_idx = pgdat->nr_zones - 1;
> > > > for ( ; ; ) {
> > > > - unsigned long new_order;
> > > > - int new_classzone_idx;
> > > > int ret;
> > > >
> > > > - new_order = pgdat->kswapd_max_order;
> > > > - new_classzone_idx = pgdat->classzone_idx;
> > > > - pgdat->kswapd_max_order = 0;
> > > > - pgdat->classzone_idx = MAX_NR_ZONES - 1;
> > > > + /*
> > > > + * If the last balance_pgdat was unsuccessful it's unlikely a
> > > > + * new request of a similar or harder type will succeed soon
> > > > + * so consider going to sleep on the basis we reclaimed at
> > > > + */
> > > > + if (classzone_idx >= new_classzone_idx && order == new_order) {
> > > > + new_order = pgdat->kswapd_max_order;
> > > > + new_classzone_idx = pgdat->classzone_idx;
> > > > + pgdat->kswapd_max_order = 0;
> > > > + pgdat->classzone_idx = pgdat->nr_zones - 1;
> > > > + }
> > > > +
> > >
> > > But in this part.
> > > Why do we need this?
> >
> > Lets say it's a fork-heavy workload and it is routinely being woken
> > for order-1 allocations and the highest zone is very small. For the
> > most part, it's ok because the allocations are being satisfied from
> > the lower zones which kswapd has no problem balancing.
> >
> > However, by reading the information even after failing to
> > balance, kswapd continues balancing for order-1 due to reading
> > pgdat->kswapd_max_order, each time failing for the highest zone. It
> > only takes one wakeup request per balance_pgdat() to keep kswapd
> > awake trying to balance the highest zone in a continual loop.
>
> You made balace_pgdat's classzone_idx as communicated back so classzone_idx returned
> would be not high zone and in [1/4], you changed that sleeping_prematurely consider only
> classzone_idx not nr_zones. So I think it should sleep if low zones is balanced.
>

If a wakeup for order-1 happened during the last pgdat, the
classzone_idx as communicated back from balance_pgdat() is lost and it
will not sleep in this ordering of events

kswapd other processes
====== ===============
order = balance_pgdat(pgdat, order, &classzone_idx);
wakeup for order-1
kswapd balances lower zone
allocate from lower zone
balance_pgdat fails balance for highest zone, returns
with lower classzone_idx and possibly lower order
new_order = pgdat->kswapd_max_order (order == 1)
new_classzone_idx = pgdat->classzone_idx (highest zone)
if (order < new_order || classzone_idx > new_classzone_idx) {
order = new_order;
classzone_idx = new_classzone_idx; (failure from balance_pgdat() lost)
}
order = balance_pgdat(pgdat, order, &classzone_idx);

The wakup for order-1 at any point during balance_pgdat() is enough to
keep kswapd awake even though the process that called wakeup_kswapd
would be able to allocate from the lower zones without significant
difficulty.

This is why if balance_pgdat() fails its request, it should go to sleep
if watermarks for the lower zones are met until woken by another
process.

--
Mel Gorman
SUSE Labs