Re: [PATCH 4/4] mm: vmscan: If kswapd has been running too long,allow it to sleep

From: Minchan Kim
Date: Wed May 18 2011 - 18:55:51 EST


On Wed, May 18, 2011 at 6:58 PM, Mel Gorman <mgorman@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Wed, May 18, 2011 at 02:44:48PM +0900, Minchan Kim wrote:
>> On Wed, May 18, 2011 at 10:05 AM, KOSAKI Motohiro
>> <kosaki.motohiro@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> >> It would be better to put cond_resched after balance_pgdat?
>> >>
>> >> diff --git a/mm/vmscan.c b/mm/vmscan.c
>> >> index 292582c..61c45d0 100644
>> >> --- a/mm/vmscan.c
>> >> +++ b/mm/vmscan.c
>> >> @@ -2753,6 +2753,7 @@ static int kswapd(void *p)
>> >> Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â if (!ret) {
>> >> Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â trace_mm_vmscan_kswapd_wake(pgdat->node_id,
>> >> order);
>> >> Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â order = balance_pgdat(pgdat,
>> >> order,&classzone_idx);
>> >> + Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â cond_resched();
>> >> Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â }
>> >> Â Â Â Â }
>> >> Â Â Â Â return 0;
>> >>
>> >>>>> While it appears unlikely, there are bad conditions which can result
>> >>>
>> >>> in cond_resched() being avoided.
>> >
>> > Every reclaim priority decreasing or every shrink_zone() calling makes more
>> > fine grained preemption. I think.
>>
>> It could be.
>> But in direct reclaim case, I have a concern about losing pages
>> reclaimed to other tasks by preemption.
>>
>> Hmm,, anyway, we also needs test.
>> Hmm,, how long should we bother them(Colins and James)?
>> First of all, Let's fix one just between us and ask test to them and
>> send the last patch to akpm.
>>
>> 1. shrink_slab
>> 2. right after balance_pgdat
>> 3. shrink_zone
>> 4. reclaim priority decreasing routine.
>>
>> Now, I vote 1) and 2).
>>
>
> I've already submitted a pair of patches for option 1. I don't think
> option 2 gains us anything. I think it's more likely we should worry
> about all_unreclaimable being set when shrink_slab is returning 0 and we
> are encountering so many dirty pages that pages_scanned is high enough.

Okay.

Colin reported he had no problem with patch 1 in this series and
mine(ie, just cond_resched right after balance_pgdat call without no
patch of shrink_slab).

If Colin's test is successful, I don't insist on mine.
(I don't want to drag on for days :( )
If KOSAKI agree, let's ask the test to Colin and confirm our last test.

KOSAKI. Could you post a your opinion?

--
Kind regards,
Minchan Kim
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