Re: [PATCH v2 4/4] perf/x86/uncore: modularize Intel uncore driver

From: Yan, Zheng
Date: Thu Apr 24 2014 - 06:25:59 EST


On 04/24/2014 04:14 PM, Ingo Molnar wrote:
>
> * Stephane Eranian <eranian@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>>> Most of the codes without comments are hardware specific codes.
>>>> The corresponding contents in Intel uncore documents are big
>>>> tables/lists, nothing tricky/interesting. I really don't know how
>>>> to comment these code.
>>>
>>> Have a look at other PMU drivers, such as
>>> arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_intel_rapl.c, which begin with a
>>> general explanation attached below.
>>
>> I think a more useful modularization would be to split that huge
>> file (perf_event_intel_uncore.c) into smaller files like we do for
>> the core PMU. There is just too much stuff in this file for my own
>> taste. Hard to navigate and I spend quite some time looking at it
>> and modifying it!
>>
>> You could follow the model of the core PMU support files.
>> You'd have a "core" file with the common routines, and then
>> a file perf processor:
>> - perf_event_intel_uncore.c
>> - perf_event_intel_snbep_uncore.c
>> - perf_event_intel_nhmex_uncore.c
>> - perf_event_intel_ivt_uncore.c
>> - ...
>>
>> Each processor specific module, would be a kernel module. The core
>> could be one too. Note that this would not alleviate the need for
>> some basic descriptions at the beginning of each file outlining the
>> PMU boxes exported to a minimum.

Most of hardware specific codes in the Intel uncore driver are for SandyBridge/IvyBridge/Haswell. Uncore subsystem in these CPUs are similar. One module per CPU type means we have to duplicate lots of code. I don't think it's a good idea.

Regards
Yan, Zheng

>
> This structure you outline sounds like a good first step, I like it.
>
> To simplify this restructuring, initially we could even keep the core
> uncore bits in the core (ha!), to not have module-on-module
> dependencies.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ingo
>

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