Re: [PATCH net-next 2/3] net: use skb_for_each_frag() helper where possible

[Matteo Croce]

On Fri, Apr 9, 2021 at 11:28 PM Jakub Kicinski <kuba@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> On Fri, 9 Apr 2021 22:44:50 +0200 Matteo Croce wrote:
> > > What pops to mind (although quite nit picky) is the question if the
> > > assembly changes much between driver which used to cache nr_frags and
> > > now always going skb_shinfo(skb)->nr_frags? It's a relatively common
> > > pattern.
> >
> > Since skb_shinfo() is a macro and skb_end_pointer() a static inline,
> > it should be the same, but I was curious to check so, this is a diff
> > between the following snippet before and afer the macro:
> >
> > int frags = skb_shinfo(skb)->nr_frags;
> > int i;
> > for (i = 0; i < frags; i++)
> >     kfree(skb->frags[i]);
> >
> >  1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
> >
> > --- ins1.s 2021-04-09 22:35:59.384523865 +0200
> > +++ ins2.s 2021-04-09 22:36:08.132594737 +0200
> > @@ -1,26 +1,27 @@
> >  iter:
> >          movsx   rax, DWORD PTR [rdi+16]
> >          mov     rdx, QWORD PTR [rdi+8]
> >          mov     eax, DWORD PTR [rdx+rax]
> >          test    eax, eax
> >          jle     .L6
> >          push    rbp
> > -        sub     eax, 1
> > +        mov     rbp, rdi
> >          push    rbx
> > -        lea     rbp, [rdi+32+rax*8]
> > -        lea     rbx, [rdi+24]
> > +        xor     ebx, ebx
> >          sub     rsp, 8
> >  .L3:
> > -        mov     rdi, QWORD PTR [rbx]
> > -        add     rbx, 8
> > +        mov     rdi, QWORD PTR [rbp+24+rbx*8]
> > +        add     rbx, 1
> >          call    kfree
> > -        cmp     rbx, rbp
> > -        jne     .L3
> > +        movsx   rax, DWORD PTR [rbp+16]
> > +        mov     rdx, QWORD PTR [rbp+8]
> > +        cmp     DWORD PTR [rdx+rax], ebx
> > +        jg      .L3
> >          add     rsp, 8
> >          xor     eax, eax
> >          pop     rbx
> >          pop     rbp
> >          ret
> >  .L6:
> >          xor     eax, eax
> >      for (i = 0; i < frags; i++)    ret
> >
>
> So looks like before compiler generated:
>
>         end = &frags[nfrags]
>         for (ptr = &frag[0]; ptr < end; ptr++)
>
> and now it has to use the actual value of i, read nfrags in the loop
> each time and compare it to i.
>
> That makes sense, since it can't prove kfree() doesn't change nr_frags.
>
> IDK if we care, but at least commit message should mention this.

Anyway, the chunks using a local nr_frags are too few and not worth it.
I think you're right and that's better to use the cached value, I see
the instructions here being ligther.
Drop the series, I will make a new one which only acts where
skb_shinfo(skb) is accessed.

Thanks,
-- 
per aspera ad upstream