Re: [RESEND PATCH v7 7/7] cpuidle/poll_state: Poll via smp_cond_load_relaxed_timeout()

Ankur Arora
2025-10-29T19:14:03Z

Rafael J. Wysocki <rafael@kernel.org> writes:

> On Wed, Oct 29, 2025 at 5:42 AM Ankur Arora <ankur.a.arora@oracle.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Rafael J. Wysocki <rafael@kernel.org> writes:
>>
>> > On Tue, Oct 28, 2025 at 6:32 AM Ankur Arora <ankur.a.arora@oracle.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> The inner loop in poll_idle() polls over the thread_info flags,
>> >> waiting to see if the thread has TIF_NEED_RESCHED set. The loop
>> >> exits once the condition is met, or if the poll time limit has
>> >> been exceeded.
>> >>
>> >> To minimize the number of instructions executed in each iteration,
>> >> the time check is done only intermittently (once every
>> >> POLL_IDLE_RELAX_COUNT iterations). In addition, each loop iteration
>> >> executes cpu_relax() which on certain platforms provides a hint to
>> >> the pipeline that the loop busy-waits, allowing the processor to
>> >> reduce power consumption.
>> >>
>> >> This is close to what smp_cond_load_relaxed_timeout() provides. So,
>> >> restructure the loop and fold the loop condition and the timeout check
>> >> in smp_cond_load_relaxed_timeout().
>> >
>> > Well, it is close, but is it close enough?
>>
>> I guess that's the question.
>>
>> >> Cc: "Rafael J. Wysocki" <rafael@kernel.org>
>> >> Cc: Daniel Lezcano <daniel.lezcano@linaro.org>
>> >> Signed-off-by: Ankur Arora <ankur.a.arora@oracle.com>
>> >> ---
>> >> drivers/cpuidle/poll_state.c | 29 ++++++++---------------------
>> >> 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-)
>> >>
>> >> diff --git a/drivers/cpuidle/poll_state.c b/drivers/cpuidle/poll_state.c
>> >> index 9b6d90a72601..dc7f4b424fec 100644
>> >> --- a/drivers/cpuidle/poll_state.c
>> >> +++ b/drivers/cpuidle/poll_state.c
>> >> @@ -8,35 +8,22 @@
>> >> #include <linux/sched/clock.h>
>> >> #include <linux/sched/idle.h>
>> >>
>> >> -#define POLL_IDLE_RELAX_COUNT 200
>> >> -
>> >> static int __cpuidle poll_idle(struct cpuidle_device *dev,
>> >> struct cpuidle_driver *drv, int index)
>> >> {
>> >> - u64 time_start;
>> >> -
>> >> - time_start = local_clock_noinstr();
>> >> + u64 time_end;
>> >> + u32 flags = 0;
>> >>
>> >> dev->poll_time_limit = false;
>> >>
>> >> + time_end = local_clock_noinstr() + cpuidle_poll_time(drv, dev);
>> >
>> > Is there any particular reason for doing this unconditionally? If
>> > not, then it looks like an arbitrary unrelated change to me.
>>
>> Agreed. Will fix.
>>
>> >> +
>> >> raw_local_irq_enable();
>> >> if (!current_set_polling_and_test()) {
>> >> - unsigned int loop_count = 0;
>> >> - u64 limit;
>> >> -
>> >> - limit = cpuidle_poll_time(drv, dev);
>> >> -
>> >> - while (!need_resched()) {
>> >> - cpu_relax();
>> >> - if (loop_count++ < POLL_IDLE_RELAX_COUNT)
>> >> - continue;
>> >> -
>> >> - loop_count = 0;
>> >> - if (local_clock_noinstr() - time_start > limit) {
>> >> - dev->poll_time_limit = true;
>> >> - break;
>> >> - }
>> >> - }
>> >> + flags = smp_cond_load_relaxed_timeout(&current_thread_info()->flags,
>> >> + (VAL & _TIF_NEED_RESCHED),
>> >> + (local_clock_noinstr() >= time_end));
>> >
>> > So my understanding of this is that it reduces duplication with some
>> > other places doing similar things. Fair enough.
>> >
>> > However, since there is "timeout" in the name, I'd expect it to take
>> > the timeout as an argument.
>>
>> The early versions did have a timeout but that complicated the
>> implementation significantly. And the current users poll_idle(),
>> rqspinlock don't need a precise timeout.
>>
>> smp_cond_load_relaxed_timed(), smp_cond_load_relaxed_timecheck()?
>>
>> The problem with all suffixes I can think of is that it makes the
>> interface itself nonobvious.
>>
>> Possibly something with the sense of bail out might work.
>
> It basically has two conditions, one of which is checked in every step
> of the internal loop and the other one is checked every
> SMP_TIMEOUT_POLL_COUNT steps of it. That isn't particularly
> straightforward IMV.

Right. And that's similar to what poll_idle().

> Honestly, I prefer the existing code. It is much easier to follow and
> I don't see why the new code would be better. Sorry.

I don't think there's any problem with the current code. However, I'd like
to add support for poll_idle() on arm64 (and maybe other platforms) where
instead of spinning in a cpu_relax() loop, you wait on a cacheline.

And that's what using something like smp_cond_load_relaxed_timeout()
would enable.

Something like the series here:
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/87wmaljd81.fsf@oracle.com/

(Sorry, should have mentioned this in the commit message.)

--
ankur