writeback: replace custom worker pool implementation with unbound workqueue

Writeback implements its own worker pool - each bdi can be associated
with a worker thread which is created and destroyed dynamically.  The
worker thread for the default bdi is always present and serves as the
"forker" thread which forks off worker threads for other bdis.

there's no reason for writeback to implement its own worker pool when
using unbound workqueue instead is much simpler and more efficient.
This patch replaces custom worker pool implementation in writeback
with an unbound workqueue.

The conversion isn't too complicated but the followings are worth
mentioning.

* bdi_writeback->last_active, task and wakeup_timer are removed.
  delayed_work ->dwork is added instead.  Explicit timer handling is
  no longer necessary.  Everything works by either queueing / modding
  / flushing / canceling the delayed_work item.

* bdi_writeback_thread() becomes bdi_writeback_workfn() which runs off
  bdi_writeback->dwork.  On each execution, it processes
  bdi->work_list and reschedules itself if there are more things to
  do.

  The function also handles low-mem condition, which used to be
  handled by the forker thread.  If the function is running off a
  rescuer thread, it only writes out limited number of pages so that
  the rescuer can serve other bdis too.  This preserves the flusher
  creation failure behavior of the forker thread.

* INIT_LIST_HEAD(&bdi->bdi_list) is used to tell
  bdi_writeback_workfn() about on-going bdi unregistration so that it
  always drains work_list even if it's running off the rescuer.  Note
  that the original code was broken in this regard.  Under memory
  pressure, a bdi could finish unregistration with non-empty
  work_list.

* The default bdi is no longer special.  It now is treated the same as
  any other bdi and bdi_cap_flush_forker() is removed.

* BDI_pending is no longer used.  Removed.

* Some tracepoints become non-applicable.  The following TPs are
  removed - writeback_nothread, writeback_wake_thread,
  writeback_wake_forker_thread, writeback_thread_start,
  writeback_thread_stop.

Everything, including devices coming and going away and rescuer
operation under simulated memory pressure, seems to work fine in my
test setup.

Signed-off-by: Tejun Heo <tj@kernel.org>
Reviewed-by: Jan Kara <jack@suse.cz>
Cc: Jens Axboe <axboe@kernel.dk>
Cc: Fengguang Wu <fengguang.wu@intel.com>
Cc: Jeff Moyer <jmoyer@redhat.com>

2 files changed, 5 insertions, 15 deletions

diff --git a/include/linux/backing-dev.h b/include/linux/backing-dev.h
index a5ef27f5411..c3881553f7d 100644
--- a/include/linux/backing-dev.h
+++ b/include/linux/backing-dev.h
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <linux/writeback.h>
 #include <linux/atomic.h>
 #include <linux/sysctl.h>
+#include <linux/workqueue.h>
 
 struct page;
 struct device;
@@ -27,7 +28,6 @@ struct dentry;
  * Bits in backing_dev_info.state
  */
 enum bdi_state {
-	BDI_pending,		/* On its way to being activated */
 	BDI_wb_alloc,		/* Default embedded wb allocated */
 	BDI_async_congested,	/* The async (write) queue is getting full */
 	BDI_sync_congested,	/* The sync queue is getting full */
@@ -53,10 +53,8 @@ struct bdi_writeback {
 	unsigned int nr;
 
 	unsigned long last_old_flush;	/* last old data flush */
-	unsigned long last_active;	/* last time bdi thread was active */
 
-	struct task_struct *task;	/* writeback thread */
-	struct timer_list wakeup_timer; /* used for delayed bdi thread wakeup */
+	struct delayed_work dwork;	/* work item used for writeback */
 	struct list_head b_dirty;	/* dirty inodes */
 	struct list_head b_io;		/* parked for writeback */
 	struct list_head b_more_io;	/* parked for more writeback */
@@ -123,7 +121,7 @@ int bdi_setup_and_register(struct backing_dev_info *, char *, unsigned int);
 void bdi_start_writeback(struct backing_dev_info *bdi, long nr_pages,
 			enum wb_reason reason);
 void bdi_start_background_writeback(struct backing_dev_info *bdi);
-int bdi_writeback_thread(void *data);
+void bdi_writeback_workfn(struct work_struct *work);
 int bdi_has_dirty_io(struct backing_dev_info *bdi);
 void bdi_wakeup_thread_delayed(struct backing_dev_info *bdi);
 void bdi_lock_two(struct bdi_writeback *wb1, struct bdi_writeback *wb2);
@@ -131,6 +129,8 @@ void bdi_lock_two(struct bdi_writeback *wb1, struct bdi_writeback *wb2);
 extern spinlock_t bdi_lock;
 extern struct list_head bdi_list;
 
+extern struct workqueue_struct *bdi_wq;
+
 static inline int wb_has_dirty_io(struct bdi_writeback *wb)
 {
 	return !list_empty(&wb->b_dirty) ||
@@ -335,11 +335,6 @@ static inline bool bdi_cap_swap_backed(struct backing_dev_info *bdi)
 	return bdi->capabilities & BDI_CAP_SWAP_BACKED;
 }
 
-static inline bool bdi_cap_flush_forker(struct backing_dev_info *bdi)
-{
-	return bdi == &default_backing_dev_info;
-}
-
 static inline bool mapping_cap_writeback_dirty(struct address_space *mapping)
 {
 	return bdi_cap_writeback_dirty(mapping->backing_dev_info);
diff --git a/include/trace/events/writeback.h b/include/trace/events/writeback.h
index 6a16fd2e70e..464ea82e10d 100644
--- a/include/trace/events/writeback.h
+++ b/include/trace/events/writeback.h
@@ -183,7 +183,6 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_work_class,
 DEFINE_EVENT(writeback_work_class, name, \
 	TP_PROTO(struct backing_dev_info *bdi, struct wb_writeback_work *work), \
 	TP_ARGS(bdi, work))
-DEFINE_WRITEBACK_WORK_EVENT(writeback_nothread);
 DEFINE_WRITEBACK_WORK_EVENT(writeback_queue);
 DEFINE_WRITEBACK_WORK_EVENT(writeback_exec);
 DEFINE_WRITEBACK_WORK_EVENT(writeback_start);
@@ -222,12 +221,8 @@ DEFINE_EVENT(writeback_class, name, \
 
 DEFINE_WRITEBACK_EVENT(writeback_nowork);
 DEFINE_WRITEBACK_EVENT(writeback_wake_background);
-DEFINE_WRITEBACK_EVENT(writeback_wake_thread);
-DEFINE_WRITEBACK_EVENT(writeback_wake_forker_thread);
 DEFINE_WRITEBACK_EVENT(writeback_bdi_register);
 DEFINE_WRITEBACK_EVENT(writeback_bdi_unregister);
-DEFINE_WRITEBACK_EVENT(writeback_thread_start);
-DEFINE_WRITEBACK_EVENT(writeback_thread_stop);
 
 DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(wbc_class,
 	TP_PROTO(struct writeback_control *wbc, struct backing_dev_info *bdi),