Re: [PATCH] x86: create array based interface to change page attribute

Thomas Hellström
2008-03-31T09:07:14Z

Andi Kleen wrote:
>> Also I think we need to clarify the semantics of the c_p_a
>> functionality. Right now both AGP and DRM relies on c_p_a doing an
>> explicit cache flush. Otherwise the data won't appear on the device side
>> of the aperture.
>>
>
> But surely not in cpa I hope ? Or are you saying you first write data
> and then do cpa? If true that would be quite an abuse of CPA
> I would say and you should fix it ASAP.
>
>
As AGP buffers are moved in- and out of AGP, the caching policy changes,
so yes, there may be writes to cache coherent memory that needs to be
flushed at some point. Since CPA has been doing that up to now, and the
codepaths involved are quite time-critical, a double cache-flush is a
no-no, so if this is left to the caller, we must be able to tell CPA
that any needed cache-flush has already been performed.
>> If we use self-snoop, the AGP and DRM drivers can't rely on this flush
>> being performed, and they have to do the flush themselves, and for
>>
>
> They definitely should flush themselves if they want data to reach
> the device. That is obviously required any time they reuse a page
> too.
>
Understood,
but then we *must* really find a way to say "don't flush the cache
again", perhaps part of Dave's array function?

/Thomas
> -Andi
>