Re: Strange load spikes on 2.4.19 kernel

David S. Miller
2002-10-13T08:14:53Z

From: "Joseph D. Wagner" <wagnerjd@prodigy.net>
Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2002 03:16:30 -0500

"SMP locking primitives"? Tell me what that is again? Oh yeah! That's
when the kernel basically gives SMP a timeout and behaves as if there
was only one processor.

So in effect, I was right. File processes really do use one and only
one processor.

Not true. While a block is being allocated on mounted filesystem X
on one cpu, a TCP packet can be being processed on another processor and
a block can be allocated on mounted filesystem Y on another processor.

Actually, it can even be threaded to the point where block allocations
on the same filesystem can occur in parallel as long as it is being
done for different block groups.

So in effect, you're not so right.