Re: [PATCH RT 00/02] SLOB optimizations

Ingo Molnar
2005-12-21T06:57:16Z

* Steven Rostedt <rostedt@goodmis.org> wrote:

> [...] Today's slab system is starting to become like the IDE where
> nobody, but a select few sado-masochis, dare to venture in. (I've CC'd
> them ;) [...]

while it could possibly be cleaned up a bit, it's one of the
best-optimized subsystems Linux has. Most of the "unnecessary
complexity" in SLAB is related to a performance or a debugging feature.
Many times i have looked at the SLAB code in a disassembler, right next
to profile output from some hot workload, and have concluded: 'I couldnt
do this any better even with hand-coded assembly'.

SLAB-bashing has become somewhat fashionable, but i really challenge
everyone to improve the SLAB code first (to make it more modular, easier
to read, etc.), before suggesting replacements.

the SLOB is nice because it gives us a simple option at the other end of
the complexity spectrum. The SLOB should remain there. (but it certainly
makes sense to make it faster, within certain limits, so i'm not
opposing your SLOB patches per se.)

Ingo