Re: [PATCH v3 3/5] x86/sgx: Optimize the free_cnt count in sgx_epc_section

Jarkko Sakkinen
2021-01-27T17:42:55Z

I could bet some money that this does not bring any significant
performance gain.

On Sun, Jan 24, 2021 at 02:29:05PM +0800, Tianjia Zhang wrote:
> `section->free_cnt` represents the free page in sgx_epc_section,
> which is assigned once after initialization. In fact, just after the
> initialization is completed, the pages are in the `init_laundry_list`
> list and cannot be allocated. This needs to be recovered by EREMOVE
> of function sgx_sanitize_section() before it can be used as a page
> that can be allocated. The sgx_sanitize_section() will be called in
> the kernel thread ksgxd.
>
> This patch moves the initialization of `section->free_cnt` from the
> initialization function `sgx_setup_epc_section()` to the function
> `sgx_sanitize_section()`, and then accumulates the count after the

Use single quotes instead of hyphens.

> successful execution of EREMOVE. This seems to be more reasonable,
> free_cnt will also truly reflect the allocatable free pages in EPC.
>
> Sined-off-by: Tianjia Zhang <tianjia.zhang@linux.alibaba.com>
> Reviewed-by: Sean Christopherson <seanjc@google.com>
> ---
> arch/x86/kernel/cpu/sgx/main.c | 2 +-
> 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/sgx/main.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/sgx/main.c
> index 4465912174fd..e455ec7b3449 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/sgx/main.c
> +++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/sgx/main.c
> @@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ static void sgx_sanitize_section(struct sgx_epc_section *section)
> if (!ret) {
> spin_lock(&section->lock);
> list_move(&page->list, &section->page_list);
> + section->free_cnt++;
> spin_unlock(&section->lock);

Someone can try to allocate a page while sanitize process is in progress.

I think it is better to keep critical sections in the form that when you
leave from one, the global state is legit.

> } else
> list_move_tail(&page->list, &dirty);
> @@ -643,7 +644,6 @@ static bool __init sgx_setup_epc_section(u64 phys_addr, u64 size,
> list_add_tail(&section->pages[i].list, &section->init_laundry_list);
> }
>
> - section->free_cnt = nr_pages;
> return true;
> }
>
> --
> 2.19.1.3.ge56e4f7
>
>

/Jarkko