Re: [PATCH v3] remove no longer use of pdflush interface

[Boaz Harrosh <bharrosh@panasas.com>]

On 06/06/2012 08:26 AM, Wanpeng Li wrote:

> From: Wanpeng Li <liwp@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
> 
> Since per-BDI flusher introduced to linux 2.6, pdflush mechanism is not
> used any more. But the old interface of pdflush exported in /proc/sys/vm/
> is still there. In order to take attention to back-compatibility issues,
> printk warning information and return -ENOSYS to notice the users the
> interface is removed.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Wanpeng Li <liwp@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
> 
> ------------------
> 
> v3:
> 
> * rename proc_deprecated() to proc_obsolete()
> * replace printk in proc_obsolete by prink_once and change warning information
> 
> v2:
> 
> * add printk warning
> * add description in Documentation
> 
> v1:
> 
> * remove nr_pdflush_threads associated codes
> 
> ------------------
> ---
>  .../ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads    |    5 +++++
>  Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt         |    8 ++++++++
>  Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt                        |   11 -----------
>  fs/fs-writeback.c                                  |    5 -----
>  include/linux/sysctl.h                             |    3 +++
>  include/linux/writeback.h                          |    5 -----
>  kernel/sysctl.c                                    |   18 +++++++++++++-----
>  kernel/sysctl_binary.c                             |    2 +-
>  8 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 27 deletions(-)
>  create mode 100644 Documentation/ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads b/Documentation/ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads
> new file mode 100644
> index 0000000..edbe548
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/Documentation/ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads
> @@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
> +What:		/proc/sys/vm/nr_pdflush_threads
> +Date:		June 2012
> +Contact:	Wanpeng Li <liwp@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
> +Description: Since pdflush is replaced by per-BDI flusher, the interface of old pdflush  
> +             exported in /proc/sys/vm/ should be removed.
> diff --git a/Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt b/Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt
> index 56000b3..8e4a60c 100644
> --- a/Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt
> +++ b/Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt
> @@ -13,6 +13,14 @@ Who:	Jim Cromie <jim.cromie@gmail.com>, Jason Baron <jbaron@redhat.com>
>  
>  ---------------------------
>  
> +What: /proc/sys/vm/nr_pdflush_threads
> +When: 2012
> +Why: Since pdflush is deprecated, the interface exported in /proc/sys/vm/
> +     should be removed.
> +Who: Wanpeng Li <liwp@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
> +
> +---------------------------
> +
>  What:	CONFIG_APM_CPU_IDLE, and its ability to call APM BIOS in idle
>  When:	2012
>  Why:	This optional sub-feature of APM is of dubious reliability,
> diff --git a/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt b/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt
> index 96f0ee8..71c17d2 100644
> --- a/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt
> +++ b/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt
> @@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ Currently, these files are in /proc/sys/vm:
>  - mmap_min_addr
>  - nr_hugepages
>  - nr_overcommit_hugepages
> -- nr_pdflush_threads
>  - nr_trim_pages         (only if CONFIG_MMU=n)
>  - numa_zonelist_order
>  - oom_dump_tasks
> @@ -426,16 +425,6 @@ See Documentation/vm/hugetlbpage.txt
>  
>  ==============================================================
>  
> -nr_pdflush_threads
> -
> -The current number of pdflush threads.  This value is read-only.
> -The value changes according to the number of dirty pages in the system.
> -
> -When necessary, additional pdflush threads are created, one per second, up to
> -nr_pdflush_threads_max.
> -
> -==============================================================
> -
>  nr_trim_pages
>  
>  This is available only on NOMMU kernels.
> diff --git a/fs/fs-writeback.c b/fs/fs-writeback.c
> index 8d2fb8c..f2d0109 100644
> --- a/fs/fs-writeback.c
> +++ b/fs/fs-writeback.c
> @@ -52,11 +52,6 @@ struct wb_writeback_work {
>  	struct completion *done;	/* set if the caller waits */
>  };
>  
> -/*
> - * We don't actually have pdflush, but this one is exported though /proc...
> - */
> -int nr_pdflush_threads;
> -
>  /**
>   * writeback_in_progress - determine whether there is writeback in progress
>   * @bdi: the device's backing_dev_info structure.
> diff --git a/include/linux/sysctl.h b/include/linux/sysctl.h
> index c34b4c8..5fa7bfa 100644
> --- a/include/linux/sysctl.h
> +++ b/include/linux/sysctl.h
> @@ -964,6 +964,9 @@ extern int proc_doulongvec_ms_jiffies_minmax(struct ctl_table *table, int,
>  				      void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *);
>  extern int proc_do_large_bitmap(struct ctl_table *, int,
>  				void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *);
> +extern int proc_obsolete(struct ctl_table *, int, 
> +				void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *);
> +
>  
>  /*
>   * Register a set of sysctl names by calling register_sysctl_table
> diff --git a/include/linux/writeback.h b/include/linux/writeback.h
> index 6d0a0fc..c66fe33 100644
> --- a/include/linux/writeback.h
> +++ b/include/linux/writeback.h
> @@ -189,9 +189,4 @@ void tag_pages_for_writeback(struct address_space *mapping,
>  
>  void account_page_redirty(struct page *page);
>  
> -/* pdflush.c */
> -extern int nr_pdflush_threads;	/* Global so it can be exported to sysctl
> -				   read-only. */
> -
> -
>  #endif		/* WRITEBACK_H */
> diff --git a/kernel/sysctl.c b/kernel/sysctl.c
> index 4ab1187..8d95a54 100644
> --- a/kernel/sysctl.c
> +++ b/kernel/sysctl.c
> @@ -1095,11 +1095,9 @@ static struct ctl_table vm_table[] = {
>  		.extra1		= &zero,
>  	},
>  	{
> -		.procname	= "nr_pdflush_threads",
> -		.data		= &nr_pdflush_threads,
> -		.maxlen		= sizeof nr_pdflush_threads,
> -		.mode		= 0444 /* read-only*/,
> -		.proc_handler	= proc_dointvec,
> +		.procname       = "nr_pdflush_threads",
> +		.mode           = 0444 /* read-only */,
> +		.proc_handler   = proc_obsolete,
>  	},
>  	{
>  		.procname	= "swappiness",
> @@ -2505,6 +2503,15 @@ int proc_doulongvec_ms_jiffies_minmax(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
>  
>  #endif /* CONFIG_PROC_SYSCTL */
>  
> +/* notice associated proc obsoleted */
> +int proc_obsolete(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
> +		    void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp, loff_t *ppos)
> +{
> +	printk_once(KERN_WARNING "%s exported in /proc is scheduled for removal\n", 
> +			table->procname);


What Andrew meant is that if you use printk_once here than it means you will
no longer be able to also use this generic functions for other obsolete
entries. Since only the very first one will print.

Boaz

> +	return -ENOSYS;
> +}
> +
>  /*
>   * No sense putting this after each symbol definition, twice,
>   * exception granted :-)
> @@ -2517,3 +2524,4 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_dointvec_ms_jiffies);
>  EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_dostring);
>  EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_doulongvec_minmax);
>  EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_doulongvec_ms_jiffies_minmax);
> +EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_obsolete);
> diff --git a/kernel/sysctl_binary.c b/kernel/sysctl_binary.c
> index a650694..65bdcf1 100644
> --- a/kernel/sysctl_binary.c
> +++ b/kernel/sysctl_binary.c
> @@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ static const struct bin_table bin_vm_table[] = {
>  	{ CTL_INT,	VM_DIRTY_RATIO,			"dirty_ratio" },
>  	/* VM_DIRTY_WB_CS "dirty_writeback_centisecs" no longer used */
>  	/* VM_DIRTY_EXPIRE_CS "dirty_expire_centisecs" no longer used */
> -	{ CTL_INT,	VM_NR_PDFLUSH_THREADS,		"nr_pdflush_threads" },
> +	/* VM_NR_PDFLUSH_THREADS "nr_pdflush_threads" no longer used */
>  	{ CTL_INT,	VM_OVERCOMMIT_RATIO,		"overcommit_ratio" },
>  	/* VM_PAGEBUF unused */
>  	/* VM_HUGETLB_PAGES "nr_hugepages" no longer used */