Re: [PATCH v2 2/2] Documentation: sysfs/memory: clarify some memory block device properties

[Oscar Salvador]

On Mon, Feb 01, 2021 at 07:13:47PM +0100, David Hildenbrand wrote:
> In commit 53cdc1cb29e8 ("drivers/base/memory.c: indicate all memory blocks
> as removable") we changed the output of the "removable" property of memory
> devices to return "1" if and only if the kernel supports memory offlining.
> 
> Let's update documentation, stating that the interface is legacy. Also
> update documentation of the "state" property and "valid_zones"
> properties.
> 
> Acked-by: Michal Hocko <mhocko@xxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Michal Hocko <mhocko@xxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Oscar Salvador <osalvador@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: David Hildenbrand <david@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Jonathan Cameron <Jonathan.Cameron@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Ilya Dryomov <idryomov@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab+huawei@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Geert Uytterhoeven <geert+renesas@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: linux-doc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Signed-off-by: David Hildenbrand <david@xxxxxxxxxx>

Reviewed-by: Oscar Salvador <osalvador@xxxxxxx>

> ---
>  .../ABI/testing/sysfs-devices-memory          | 53 ++++++++++++-------
>  .../admin-guide/mm/memory-hotplug.rst         | 16 +++---
>  2 files changed, 41 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-devices-memory b/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-devices-memory
> index 58dbc592bc57..d8b0f80b9e33 100644
> --- a/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-devices-memory
> +++ b/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-devices-memory
> @@ -13,13 +13,13 @@ What:		/sys/devices/system/memory/memoryX/removable
>  Date:		June 2008
>  Contact:	Badari Pulavarty <pbadari@xxxxxxxxxx>
>  Description:
> -		The file /sys/devices/system/memory/memoryX/removable
> -		indicates whether this memory block is removable or not.
> -		This is useful for a user-level agent to determine
> -		identify removable sections of the memory before attempting
> -		potentially expensive hot-remove memory operation
> +		The file /sys/devices/system/memory/memoryX/removable is a
> +		legacy interface used to indicated whether a memory block is
> +		likely to be offlineable or not.  Newer kernel versions return
> +		"1" if and only if the kernel supports memory offlining.
>  Users:		hotplug memory remove tools
>  		http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/wikis/display/LinuxP/powerpc-utils
> +		lsmem/chmem part of util-linux
>  
>  What:		/sys/devices/system/memory/memoryX/phys_device
>  Date:		September 2008
> @@ -44,23 +44,25 @@ Date:		September 2008
>  Contact:	Badari Pulavarty <pbadari@xxxxxxxxxx>
>  Description:
>  		The file /sys/devices/system/memory/memoryX/state
> -		is read-write.  When read, its contents show the
> -		online/offline state of the memory section.  When written,
> -		root can toggle the the online/offline state of a removable
> -		memory section (see removable file description above)
> -		using the following commands::
> +		is read-write.  When read, it returns the online/offline
> +		state of the memory block.  When written, root can toggle
> +		the online/offline state of a memory block using the following
> +		commands::
>  
>  		  # echo online > /sys/devices/system/memory/memoryX/state
>  		  # echo offline > /sys/devices/system/memory/memoryX/state
>  
> -		For example, if /sys/devices/system/memory/memory22/removable
> -		contains a value of 1 and
> -		/sys/devices/system/memory/memory22/state contains the
> -		string "online" the following command can be executed by
> -		by root to offline that section::
> -
> -		  # echo offline > /sys/devices/system/memory/memory22/state
> -
> +		On newer kernel versions, advanced states can be specified
> +		when onlining to select a target zone: "online_movable"
> +		selects the movable zone.  "online_kernel" selects the
> +		applicable kernel zone (DMA, DMA32, or Normal).  However,
> +		after successfully setting one of the advanced states,
> +		reading the file will return "online"; the zone information
> +		can be obtained via "valid_zones" instead.
> +
> +		While onlining is unlikely to fail, there are no guarantees
> +		that offlining will succeed.  Offlining is more likely to
> +		succeed if "valid_zones" indicates "Movable".
>  Users:		hotplug memory remove tools
>  		http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/wikis/display/LinuxP/powerpc-utils
>  
> @@ -70,8 +72,19 @@ Date:           July 2014
>  Contact:	Zhang Zhen <zhenzhang.zhang@xxxxxxxxxx>
>  Description:
>  		The file /sys/devices/system/memory/memoryX/valid_zones	is
> -		read-only and is designed to show which zone this memory
> -		block can be onlined to.
> +		read-only.
> +
> +		For online memory blocks, it returns in which zone memory
> +		provided by a memory block is managed.  If multiple zones
> +		apply (not applicable for hotplugged memory), "None" is returned
> +		and the memory block cannot be offlined.
> +
> +		For offline memory blocks, it returns by which zone memory
> +		provided by a memory block can be managed when onlining.
> +		The first returned zone ("default") will be used when setting
> +		the state of an offline memory block to "online".  Only one of
> +		the kernel zones (DMA, DMA32, Normal) is applicable for a single
> +		memory block.
>  
>  What:		/sys/devices/system/memoryX/nodeY
>  Date:		October 2009
> diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/memory-hotplug.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/memory-hotplug.rst
> index 245739f55ac7..5307f90738aa 100644
> --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/memory-hotplug.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/memory-hotplug.rst
> @@ -162,14 +162,14 @@ Under each memory block, you can see 5 files:
>                      which will be performed on all sections in the block.
>  ``phys_device``	    read-only: legacy interface only ever used on s390x to
>  		    expose the covered storage increment.
> -``removable``       read-only: contains an integer value indicating
> -                    whether the memory block is removable or not
> -                    removable.  A value of 1 indicates that the memory
> -                    block is removable and a value of 0 indicates that
> -                    it is not removable. A memory block is removable only if
> -                    every section in the block is removable.
> -``valid_zones``     read-only: designed to show which zones this memory block
> -		    can be onlined to.
> +``removable``	    read-only: legacy interface that indicated whether a memory
> +		    block was likely to be offlineable or not.  Newer kernel
> +		    versions return "1" if and only if the kernel supports
> +		    memory offlining.
> +``valid_zones``     read-only: designed to show by which zone memory provided by
> +		    a memory block is managed, and to show by which zone memory
> +		    provided by an offline memory block could be managed when
> +		    onlining.
>  
>  		    The first column shows it`s default zone.
>  
> -- 
> 2.29.2
> 

-- 
Oscar Salvador
SUSE L3