Re: [rfc] SLOB memory ordering issue

From: Linus Torvalds
Date: Wed Oct 15 2008 - 14:30:38 EST




On Thu, 16 Oct 2008, Nick Piggin wrote:
>
> When I said "I'd really hate to add a branch to the slab fastpath", it
> wasn't a tacit acknowlegement that the barrier is the only way to go,
> if it sounded that way.
>
> I meant: I'd *really* hate to add a branch to the slab fastpath :)

Well, quite frankly, your choice of subject line and whole point of
argument may have confused me.

You started out - and continue to - make this sound like it's a
SLAB/SLOB/SLUB issue. It's not.

I agree there is quite likely memory ordering issues - possibly old ones,
but quite possibly also ones that have just happened fairly recently as
we've done more unlocked lookups - and all I've ever disagreed with is
how you seem to have mixed this up with the allocator.

And I still don't understand why you even _mention_ the slab fastpath. It
seems totally immaterial.

Linus
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