From 07fe7cb7c7c179f473fd9c823348fd3eb5dad369 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: David Howells Date: Fri, 3 Apr 2009 16:42:35 +0100 Subject: Create a dynamically sized pool of threads for doing very slow work items Create a dynamically sized pool of threads for doing very slow work items, such as invoking mkdir() or rmdir() - things that may take a long time and may sleep, holding mutexes/semaphores and hogging a thread, and are thus unsuitable for workqueues. The number of threads is always at least a settable minimum, but more are started when there's more work to do, up to a limit. Because of the nature of the load, it's not suitable for a 1-thread-per-CPU type pool. A system with one CPU may well want several threads. This is used by FS-Cache to do slow caching operations in the background, such as looking up, creating or deleting cache objects. Signed-off-by: David Howells Acked-by: Serge Hallyn Acked-by: Steve Dickson Acked-by: Trond Myklebust Acked-by: Al Viro Tested-by: Daire Byrne --- kernel/slow-work.c | 388 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 388 insertions(+) create mode 100644 kernel/slow-work.c (limited to 'kernel/slow-work.c') diff --git a/kernel/slow-work.c b/kernel/slow-work.c new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..5a7392734c8 --- /dev/null +++ b/kernel/slow-work.c @@ -0,0 +1,388 @@ +/* Worker thread pool for slow items, such as filesystem lookups or mkdirs + * + * Copyright (C) 2008 Red Hat, Inc. All Rights Reserved. + * Written by David Howells (dhowells@redhat.com) + * + * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or + * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public Licence + * as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version + * 2 of the Licence, or (at your option) any later version. + */ + +#include +#include +#include +#include +#include +#include + +/* + * The pool of threads has at least min threads in it as long as someone is + * using the facility, and may have as many as max. + * + * A portion of the pool may be processing very slow operations. + */ +static unsigned slow_work_min_threads = 2; +static unsigned slow_work_max_threads = 4; +static unsigned vslow_work_proportion = 50; /* % of threads that may process + * very slow work */ +static atomic_t slow_work_thread_count; +static atomic_t vslow_work_executing_count; + +/* + * The queues of work items and the lock governing access to them. These are + * shared between all the CPUs. It doesn't make sense to have per-CPU queues + * as the number of threads bears no relation to the number of CPUs. + * + * There are two queues of work items: one for slow work items, and one for + * very slow work items. + */ +static LIST_HEAD(slow_work_queue); +static LIST_HEAD(vslow_work_queue); +static DEFINE_SPINLOCK(slow_work_queue_lock); + +/* + * The thread controls. A variable used to signal to the threads that they + * should exit when the queue is empty, a waitqueue used by the threads to wait + * for signals, and a completion set by the last thread to exit. + */ +static bool slow_work_threads_should_exit; +static DECLARE_WAIT_QUEUE_HEAD(slow_work_thread_wq); +static DECLARE_COMPLETION(slow_work_last_thread_exited); + +/* + * The number of users of the thread pool and its lock. Whilst this is zero we + * have no threads hanging around, and when this reaches zero, we wait for all + * active or queued work items to complete and kill all the threads we do have. + */ +static int slow_work_user_count; +static DEFINE_MUTEX(slow_work_user_lock); + +/* + * Calculate the maximum number of active threads in the pool that are + * permitted to process very slow work items. + * + * The answer is rounded up to at least 1, but may not equal or exceed the + * maximum number of the threads in the pool. This means we always have at + * least one thread that can process slow work items, and we always have at + * least one thread that won't get tied up doing so. + */ +static unsigned slow_work_calc_vsmax(void) +{ + unsigned vsmax; + + vsmax = atomic_read(&slow_work_thread_count) * vslow_work_proportion; + vsmax /= 100; + vsmax = max(vsmax, 1U); + return min(vsmax, slow_work_max_threads - 1); +} + +/* + * Attempt to execute stuff queued on a slow thread. Return true if we managed + * it, false if there was nothing to do. + */ +static bool slow_work_execute(void) +{ + struct slow_work *work = NULL; + unsigned vsmax; + bool very_slow; + + vsmax = slow_work_calc_vsmax(); + + /* find something to execute */ + spin_lock_irq(&slow_work_queue_lock); + if (!list_empty(&vslow_work_queue) && + atomic_read(&vslow_work_executing_count) < vsmax) { + work = list_entry(vslow_work_queue.next, + struct slow_work, link); + if (test_and_set_bit_lock(SLOW_WORK_EXECUTING, &work->flags)) + BUG(); + list_del_init(&work->link); + atomic_inc(&vslow_work_executing_count); + very_slow = true; + } else if (!list_empty(&slow_work_queue)) { + work = list_entry(slow_work_queue.next, + struct slow_work, link); + if (test_and_set_bit_lock(SLOW_WORK_EXECUTING, &work->flags)) + BUG(); + list_del_init(&work->link); + very_slow = false; + } else { + very_slow = false; /* avoid the compiler warning */ + } + spin_unlock_irq(&slow_work_queue_lock); + + if (!work) + return false; + + if (!test_and_clear_bit(SLOW_WORK_PENDING, &work->flags)) + BUG(); + + work->ops->execute(work); + + if (very_slow) + atomic_dec(&vslow_work_executing_count); + clear_bit_unlock(SLOW_WORK_EXECUTING, &work->flags); + + /* if someone tried to enqueue the item whilst we were executing it, + * then it'll be left unenqueued to avoid multiple threads trying to + * execute it simultaneously + * + * there is, however, a race between us testing the pending flag and + * getting the spinlock, and between the enqueuer setting the pending + * flag and getting the spinlock, so we use a deferral bit to tell us + * if the enqueuer got there first + */ + if (test_bit(SLOW_WORK_PENDING, &work->flags)) { + spin_lock_irq(&slow_work_queue_lock); + + if (!test_bit(SLOW_WORK_EXECUTING, &work->flags) && + test_and_clear_bit(SLOW_WORK_ENQ_DEFERRED, &work->flags)) + goto auto_requeue; + + spin_unlock_irq(&slow_work_queue_lock); + } + + work->ops->put_ref(work); + return true; + +auto_requeue: + /* we must complete the enqueue operation + * - we transfer our ref on the item back to the appropriate queue + * - don't wake another thread up as we're awake already + */ + if (test_bit(SLOW_WORK_VERY_SLOW, &work->flags)) + list_add_tail(&work->link, &vslow_work_queue); + else + list_add_tail(&work->link, &slow_work_queue); + spin_unlock_irq(&slow_work_queue_lock); + return true; +} + +/** + * slow_work_enqueue - Schedule a slow work item for processing + * @work: The work item to queue + * + * Schedule a slow work item for processing. If the item is already undergoing + * execution, this guarantees not to re-enter the execution routine until the + * first execution finishes. + * + * The item is pinned by this function as it retains a reference to it, managed + * through the item operations. The item is unpinned once it has been + * executed. + * + * An item may hog the thread that is running it for a relatively large amount + * of time, sufficient, for example, to perform several lookup, mkdir, create + * and setxattr operations. It may sleep on I/O and may sleep to obtain locks. + * + * Conversely, if a number of items are awaiting processing, it may take some + * time before any given item is given attention. The number of threads in the + * pool may be increased to deal with demand, but only up to a limit. + * + * If SLOW_WORK_VERY_SLOW is set on the work item, then it will be placed in + * the very slow queue, from which only a portion of the threads will be + * allowed to pick items to execute. This ensures that very slow items won't + * overly block ones that are just ordinarily slow. + * + * Returns 0 if successful, -EAGAIN if not. + */ +int slow_work_enqueue(struct slow_work *work) +{ + unsigned long flags; + + BUG_ON(slow_work_user_count <= 0); + BUG_ON(!work); + BUG_ON(!work->ops); + BUG_ON(!work->ops->get_ref); + + /* when honouring an enqueue request, we only promise that we will run + * the work function in the future; we do not promise to run it once + * per enqueue request + * + * we use the PENDING bit to merge together repeat requests without + * having to disable IRQs and take the spinlock, whilst still + * maintaining our promise + */ + if (!test_and_set_bit_lock(SLOW_WORK_PENDING, &work->flags)) { + spin_lock_irqsave(&slow_work_queue_lock, flags); + + /* we promise that we will not attempt to execute the work + * function in more than one thread simultaneously + * + * this, however, leaves us with a problem if we're asked to + * enqueue the work whilst someone is executing the work + * function as simply queueing the work immediately means that + * another thread may try executing it whilst it is already + * under execution + * + * to deal with this, we set the ENQ_DEFERRED bit instead of + * enqueueing, and the thread currently executing the work + * function will enqueue the work item when the work function + * returns and it has cleared the EXECUTING bit + */ + if (test_bit(SLOW_WORK_EXECUTING, &work->flags)) { + set_bit(SLOW_WORK_ENQ_DEFERRED, &work->flags); + } else { + if (work->ops->get_ref(work) < 0) + goto cant_get_ref; + if (test_bit(SLOW_WORK_VERY_SLOW, &work->flags)) + list_add_tail(&work->link, &vslow_work_queue); + else + list_add_tail(&work->link, &slow_work_queue); + wake_up(&slow_work_thread_wq); + } + + spin_unlock_irqrestore(&slow_work_queue_lock, flags); + } + return 0; + +cant_get_ref: + spin_unlock_irqrestore(&slow_work_queue_lock, flags); + return -EAGAIN; +} +EXPORT_SYMBOL(slow_work_enqueue); + +/* + * Determine if there is slow work available for dispatch + */ +static inline bool slow_work_available(int vsmax) +{ + return !list_empty(&slow_work_queue) || + (!list_empty(&vslow_work_queue) && + atomic_read(&vslow_work_executing_count) < vsmax); +} + +/* + * Worker thread dispatcher + */ +static int slow_work_thread(void *_data) +{ + int vsmax; + + DEFINE_WAIT(wait); + + set_freezable(); + set_user_nice(current, -5); + + for (;;) { + vsmax = vslow_work_proportion; + vsmax *= atomic_read(&slow_work_thread_count); + vsmax /= 100; + + prepare_to_wait(&slow_work_thread_wq, &wait, + TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE); + if (!freezing(current) && + !slow_work_threads_should_exit && + !slow_work_available(vsmax)) + schedule(); + finish_wait(&slow_work_thread_wq, &wait); + + try_to_freeze(); + + vsmax = vslow_work_proportion; + vsmax *= atomic_read(&slow_work_thread_count); + vsmax /= 100; + + if (slow_work_available(vsmax) && slow_work_execute()) { + cond_resched(); + continue; + } + + if (slow_work_threads_should_exit) + break; + } + + if (atomic_dec_and_test(&slow_work_thread_count)) + complete_and_exit(&slow_work_last_thread_exited, 0); + return 0; +} + +/** + * slow_work_register_user - Register a user of the facility + * + * Register a user of the facility, starting up the initial threads if there + * aren't any other users at this point. This will return 0 if successful, or + * an error if not. + */ +int slow_work_register_user(void) +{ + struct task_struct *p; + int loop; + + mutex_lock(&slow_work_user_lock); + + if (slow_work_user_count == 0) { + printk(KERN_NOTICE "Slow work thread pool: Starting up\n"); + init_completion(&slow_work_last_thread_exited); + + slow_work_threads_should_exit = false; + + /* start the minimum number of threads */ + for (loop = 0; loop < slow_work_min_threads; loop++) { + atomic_inc(&slow_work_thread_count); + p = kthread_run(slow_work_thread, NULL, "kslowd"); + if (IS_ERR(p)) + goto error; + } + printk(KERN_NOTICE "Slow work thread pool: Ready\n"); + } + + slow_work_user_count++; + mutex_unlock(&slow_work_user_lock); + return 0; + +error: + if (atomic_dec_and_test(&slow_work_thread_count)) + complete(&slow_work_last_thread_exited); + if (loop > 0) { + printk(KERN_ERR "Slow work thread pool:" + " Aborting startup on ENOMEM\n"); + slow_work_threads_should_exit = true; + wake_up_all(&slow_work_thread_wq); + wait_for_completion(&slow_work_last_thread_exited); + printk(KERN_ERR "Slow work thread pool: Aborted\n"); + } + mutex_unlock(&slow_work_user_lock); + return PTR_ERR(p); +} +EXPORT_SYMBOL(slow_work_register_user); + +/** + * slow_work_unregister_user - Unregister a user of the facility + * + * Unregister a user of the facility, killing all the threads if this was the + * last one. + */ +void slow_work_unregister_user(void) +{ + mutex_lock(&slow_work_user_lock); + + BUG_ON(slow_work_user_count <= 0); + + slow_work_user_count--; + if (slow_work_user_count == 0) { + printk(KERN_NOTICE "Slow work thread pool: Shutting down\n"); + slow_work_threads_should_exit = true; + wake_up_all(&slow_work_thread_wq); + wait_for_completion(&slow_work_last_thread_exited); + printk(KERN_NOTICE "Slow work thread pool:" + " Shut down complete\n"); + } + + mutex_unlock(&slow_work_user_lock); +} +EXPORT_SYMBOL(slow_work_unregister_user); + +/* + * Initialise the slow work facility + */ +static int __init init_slow_work(void) +{ + unsigned nr_cpus = num_possible_cpus(); + + if (nr_cpus > slow_work_max_threads) + slow_work_max_threads = nr_cpus; + return 0; +} + +subsys_initcall(init_slow_work); -- cgit v1.2.3-70-g09d2 From 109d9272c423f46604d45fedfe87e21ee0b25180 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: David Howells Date: Fri, 3 Apr 2009 16:42:35 +0100 Subject: Make slow-work thread pool actually dynamic Make the slow-work thread pool actually dynamic in the number of threads it contains. With this patch, it will both create additional threads when it has extra work to do, and cull excess threads that aren't doing anything. Signed-off-by: David Howells Acked-by: Serge Hallyn Acked-by: Steve Dickson Acked-by: Trond Myklebust Acked-by: Al Viro Tested-by: Daire Byrne --- kernel/slow-work.c | 138 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 137 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) (limited to 'kernel/slow-work.c') diff --git a/kernel/slow-work.c b/kernel/slow-work.c index 5a7392734c8..454abb21c8b 100644 --- a/kernel/slow-work.c +++ b/kernel/slow-work.c @@ -16,6 +16,14 @@ #include #include +#define SLOW_WORK_CULL_TIMEOUT (5 * HZ) /* cull threads 5s after running out of + * things to do */ +#define SLOW_WORK_OOM_TIMEOUT (5 * HZ) /* can't start new threads for 5s after + * OOM */ + +static void slow_work_cull_timeout(unsigned long); +static void slow_work_oom_timeout(unsigned long); + /* * The pool of threads has at least min threads in it as long as someone is * using the facility, and may have as many as max. @@ -29,6 +37,12 @@ static unsigned vslow_work_proportion = 50; /* % of threads that may process static atomic_t slow_work_thread_count; static atomic_t vslow_work_executing_count; +static bool slow_work_may_not_start_new_thread; +static bool slow_work_cull; /* cull a thread due to lack of activity */ +static DEFINE_TIMER(slow_work_cull_timer, slow_work_cull_timeout, 0, 0); +static DEFINE_TIMER(slow_work_oom_timer, slow_work_oom_timeout, 0, 0); +static struct slow_work slow_work_new_thread; /* new thread starter */ + /* * The queues of work items and the lock governing access to them. These are * shared between all the CPUs. It doesn't make sense to have per-CPU queues @@ -89,6 +103,14 @@ static bool slow_work_execute(void) vsmax = slow_work_calc_vsmax(); + /* see if we can schedule a new thread to be started if we're not + * keeping up with the work */ + if (!waitqueue_active(&slow_work_thread_wq) && + (!list_empty(&slow_work_queue) || !list_empty(&vslow_work_queue)) && + atomic_read(&slow_work_thread_count) < slow_work_max_threads && + !slow_work_may_not_start_new_thread) + slow_work_enqueue(&slow_work_new_thread); + /* find something to execute */ spin_lock_irq(&slow_work_queue_lock); if (!list_empty(&vslow_work_queue) && @@ -242,6 +264,33 @@ cant_get_ref: } EXPORT_SYMBOL(slow_work_enqueue); +/* + * Worker thread culling algorithm + */ +static bool slow_work_cull_thread(void) +{ + unsigned long flags; + bool do_cull = false; + + spin_lock_irqsave(&slow_work_queue_lock, flags); + + if (slow_work_cull) { + slow_work_cull = false; + + if (list_empty(&slow_work_queue) && + list_empty(&vslow_work_queue) && + atomic_read(&slow_work_thread_count) > + slow_work_min_threads) { + mod_timer(&slow_work_cull_timer, + jiffies + SLOW_WORK_CULL_TIMEOUT); + do_cull = true; + } + } + + spin_unlock_irqrestore(&slow_work_queue_lock, flags); + return do_cull; +} + /* * Determine if there is slow work available for dispatch */ @@ -273,7 +322,8 @@ static int slow_work_thread(void *_data) TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE); if (!freezing(current) && !slow_work_threads_should_exit && - !slow_work_available(vsmax)) + !slow_work_available(vsmax) && + !slow_work_cull) schedule(); finish_wait(&slow_work_thread_wq, &wait); @@ -285,11 +335,20 @@ static int slow_work_thread(void *_data) if (slow_work_available(vsmax) && slow_work_execute()) { cond_resched(); + if (list_empty(&slow_work_queue) && + list_empty(&vslow_work_queue) && + atomic_read(&slow_work_thread_count) > + slow_work_min_threads) + mod_timer(&slow_work_cull_timer, + jiffies + SLOW_WORK_CULL_TIMEOUT); continue; } if (slow_work_threads_should_exit) break; + + if (slow_work_cull && slow_work_cull_thread()) + break; } if (atomic_dec_and_test(&slow_work_thread_count)) @@ -297,6 +356,77 @@ static int slow_work_thread(void *_data) return 0; } +/* + * Handle thread cull timer expiration + */ +static void slow_work_cull_timeout(unsigned long data) +{ + slow_work_cull = true; + wake_up(&slow_work_thread_wq); +} + +/* + * Get a reference on slow work thread starter + */ +static int slow_work_new_thread_get_ref(struct slow_work *work) +{ + return 0; +} + +/* + * Drop a reference on slow work thread starter + */ +static void slow_work_new_thread_put_ref(struct slow_work *work) +{ +} + +/* + * Start a new slow work thread + */ +static void slow_work_new_thread_execute(struct slow_work *work) +{ + struct task_struct *p; + + if (slow_work_threads_should_exit) + return; + + if (atomic_read(&slow_work_thread_count) >= slow_work_max_threads) + return; + + if (!mutex_trylock(&slow_work_user_lock)) + return; + + slow_work_may_not_start_new_thread = true; + atomic_inc(&slow_work_thread_count); + p = kthread_run(slow_work_thread, NULL, "kslowd"); + if (IS_ERR(p)) { + printk(KERN_DEBUG "Slow work thread pool: OOM\n"); + if (atomic_dec_and_test(&slow_work_thread_count)) + BUG(); /* we're running on a slow work thread... */ + mod_timer(&slow_work_oom_timer, + jiffies + SLOW_WORK_OOM_TIMEOUT); + } else { + /* ratelimit the starting of new threads */ + mod_timer(&slow_work_oom_timer, jiffies + 1); + } + + mutex_unlock(&slow_work_user_lock); +} + +static const struct slow_work_ops slow_work_new_thread_ops = { + .get_ref = slow_work_new_thread_get_ref, + .put_ref = slow_work_new_thread_put_ref, + .execute = slow_work_new_thread_execute, +}; + +/* + * post-OOM new thread start suppression expiration + */ +static void slow_work_oom_timeout(unsigned long data) +{ + slow_work_may_not_start_new_thread = false; +} + /** * slow_work_register_user - Register a user of the facility * @@ -316,6 +446,10 @@ int slow_work_register_user(void) init_completion(&slow_work_last_thread_exited); slow_work_threads_should_exit = false; + slow_work_init(&slow_work_new_thread, + &slow_work_new_thread_ops); + slow_work_may_not_start_new_thread = false; + slow_work_cull = false; /* start the minimum number of threads */ for (loop = 0; loop < slow_work_min_threads; loop++) { @@ -369,6 +503,8 @@ void slow_work_unregister_user(void) " Shut down complete\n"); } + del_timer_sync(&slow_work_cull_timer); + mutex_unlock(&slow_work_user_lock); } EXPORT_SYMBOL(slow_work_unregister_user); -- cgit v1.2.3-70-g09d2 From 12e22c5e4bc08ab4b05ac079fe40d9891c5e81a0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: David Howells Date: Fri, 3 Apr 2009 16:42:35 +0100 Subject: Make the slow work pool configurable Make the slow work pool configurable through /proc/sys/kernel/slow-work. (*) /proc/sys/kernel/slow-work/min-threads The minimum number of threads that should be in the pool as long as it is in use. This may be anywhere between 2 and max-threads. (*) /proc/sys/kernel/slow-work/max-threads The maximum number of threads that should in the pool. This may be anywhere between min-threads and 255 or NR_CPUS * 2, whichever is greater. (*) /proc/sys/kernel/slow-work/vslow-percentage The percentage of active threads in the pool that may be used to execute very slow work items. This may be between 1 and 99. The resultant number is bounded to between 1 and one fewer than the number of active threads. This ensures there is always at least one thread that can process very slow work items, and always at least one thread that won't. Signed-off-by: David Howells Acked-by: Serge Hallyn Acked-by: Steve Dickson Acked-by: Trond Myklebust Acked-by: Al Viro Tested-by: Daire Byrne --- include/linux/slow-work.h | 5 ++ kernel/slow-work.c | 118 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- kernel/sysctl.c | 9 ++++ 3 files changed, 130 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) (limited to 'kernel/slow-work.c') diff --git a/include/linux/slow-work.h b/include/linux/slow-work.h index 4dd754af393..8262809dfa8 100644 --- a/include/linux/slow-work.h +++ b/include/linux/slow-work.h @@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ #ifdef CONFIG_SLOW_WORK +#include + struct slow_work; /* @@ -83,6 +85,9 @@ extern int slow_work_enqueue(struct slow_work *work); extern int slow_work_register_user(void); extern void slow_work_unregister_user(void); +#ifdef CONFIG_SYSCTL +extern ctl_table slow_work_sysctls[]; +#endif #endif /* CONFIG_SLOW_WORK */ #endif /* _LINUX_SLOW_WORK_H */ diff --git a/kernel/slow-work.c b/kernel/slow-work.c index 454abb21c8b..3f65900aa3c 100644 --- a/kernel/slow-work.c +++ b/kernel/slow-work.c @@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ #include #include #include -#include #define SLOW_WORK_CULL_TIMEOUT (5 * HZ) /* cull threads 5s after running out of * things to do */ @@ -24,6 +23,14 @@ static void slow_work_cull_timeout(unsigned long); static void slow_work_oom_timeout(unsigned long); +#ifdef CONFIG_SYSCTL +static int slow_work_min_threads_sysctl(struct ctl_table *, int, struct file *, + void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *); + +static int slow_work_max_threads_sysctl(struct ctl_table *, int , struct file *, + void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *); +#endif + /* * The pool of threads has at least min threads in it as long as someone is * using the facility, and may have as many as max. @@ -34,6 +41,51 @@ static unsigned slow_work_min_threads = 2; static unsigned slow_work_max_threads = 4; static unsigned vslow_work_proportion = 50; /* % of threads that may process * very slow work */ + +#ifdef CONFIG_SYSCTL +static const int slow_work_min_min_threads = 2; +static int slow_work_max_max_threads = 255; +static const int slow_work_min_vslow = 1; +static const int slow_work_max_vslow = 99; + +ctl_table slow_work_sysctls[] = { + { + .ctl_name = CTL_UNNUMBERED, + .procname = "min-threads", + .data = &slow_work_min_threads, + .maxlen = sizeof(unsigned), + .mode = 0644, + .proc_handler = slow_work_min_threads_sysctl, + .extra1 = (void *) &slow_work_min_min_threads, + .extra2 = &slow_work_max_threads, + }, + { + .ctl_name = CTL_UNNUMBERED, + .procname = "max-threads", + .data = &slow_work_max_threads, + .maxlen = sizeof(unsigned), + .mode = 0644, + .proc_handler = slow_work_max_threads_sysctl, + .extra1 = &slow_work_min_threads, + .extra2 = (void *) &slow_work_max_max_threads, + }, + { + .ctl_name = CTL_UNNUMBERED, + .procname = "vslow-percentage", + .data = &vslow_work_proportion, + .maxlen = sizeof(unsigned), + .mode = 0644, + .proc_handler = &proc_dointvec_minmax, + .extra1 = (void *) &slow_work_min_vslow, + .extra2 = (void *) &slow_work_max_vslow, + }, + { .ctl_name = 0 } +}; +#endif + +/* + * The active state of the thread pool + */ static atomic_t slow_work_thread_count; static atomic_t vslow_work_executing_count; @@ -427,6 +479,64 @@ static void slow_work_oom_timeout(unsigned long data) slow_work_may_not_start_new_thread = false; } +#ifdef CONFIG_SYSCTL +/* + * Handle adjustment of the minimum number of threads + */ +static int slow_work_min_threads_sysctl(struct ctl_table *table, int write, + struct file *filp, void __user *buffer, + size_t *lenp, loff_t *ppos) +{ + int ret = proc_dointvec_minmax(table, write, filp, buffer, lenp, ppos); + int n; + + if (ret == 0) { + mutex_lock(&slow_work_user_lock); + if (slow_work_user_count > 0) { + /* see if we need to start or stop threads */ + n = atomic_read(&slow_work_thread_count) - + slow_work_min_threads; + + if (n < 0 && !slow_work_may_not_start_new_thread) + slow_work_enqueue(&slow_work_new_thread); + else if (n > 0) + mod_timer(&slow_work_cull_timer, + jiffies + SLOW_WORK_CULL_TIMEOUT); + } + mutex_unlock(&slow_work_user_lock); + } + + return ret; +} + +/* + * Handle adjustment of the maximum number of threads + */ +static int slow_work_max_threads_sysctl(struct ctl_table *table, int write, + struct file *filp, void __user *buffer, + size_t *lenp, loff_t *ppos) +{ + int ret = proc_dointvec_minmax(table, write, filp, buffer, lenp, ppos); + int n; + + if (ret == 0) { + mutex_lock(&slow_work_user_lock); + if (slow_work_user_count > 0) { + /* see if we need to stop threads */ + n = slow_work_max_threads - + atomic_read(&slow_work_thread_count); + + if (n < 0) + mod_timer(&slow_work_cull_timer, + jiffies + SLOW_WORK_CULL_TIMEOUT); + } + mutex_unlock(&slow_work_user_lock); + } + + return ret; +} +#endif /* CONFIG_SYSCTL */ + /** * slow_work_register_user - Register a user of the facility * @@ -516,8 +626,12 @@ static int __init init_slow_work(void) { unsigned nr_cpus = num_possible_cpus(); - if (nr_cpus > slow_work_max_threads) + if (slow_work_max_threads < nr_cpus) slow_work_max_threads = nr_cpus; +#ifdef CONFIG_SYSCTL + if (slow_work_max_max_threads < nr_cpus * 2) + slow_work_max_max_threads = nr_cpus * 2; +#endif return 0; } diff --git a/kernel/sysctl.c b/kernel/sysctl.c index 5ec4543dfc0..82350f8f04f 100644 --- a/kernel/sysctl.c +++ b/kernel/sysctl.c @@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ #include #include #include +#include #include #include @@ -897,6 +898,14 @@ static struct ctl_table kern_table[] = { .proc_handler = &scan_unevictable_handler, }, #endif +#ifdef CONFIG_SLOW_WORK + { + .ctl_name = CTL_UNNUMBERED, + .procname = "slow-work", + .mode = 0555, + .child = slow_work_sysctls, + }, +#endif /* * NOTE: do not add new entries to this table unless you have read * Documentation/sysctl/ctl_unnumbered.txt -- cgit v1.2.3-70-g09d2 From 8f0aa2f25b31ba27db84259141e52ee6ec0d2820 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: David Howells Date: Fri, 3 Apr 2009 16:42:35 +0100 Subject: Document the slow work thread pool Document the slow work thread pool. Signed-off-by: David Howells Acked-by: Steve Dickson Acked-by: Trond Myklebust Acked-by: Al Viro Tested-by: Daire Byrne --- Documentation/slow-work.txt | 174 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ include/linux/slow-work.h | 2 + kernel/slow-work.c | 2 + 3 files changed, 178 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Documentation/slow-work.txt (limited to 'kernel/slow-work.c') diff --git a/Documentation/slow-work.txt b/Documentation/slow-work.txt new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..ebc50f808ea --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/slow-work.txt @@ -0,0 +1,174 @@ + ==================================== + SLOW WORK ITEM EXECUTION THREAD POOL + ==================================== + +By: David Howells + +The slow work item execution thread pool is a pool of threads for performing +things that take a relatively long time, such as making mkdir calls. +Typically, when processing something, these items will spend a lot of time +blocking a thread on I/O, thus making that thread unavailable for doing other +work. + +The standard workqueue model is unsuitable for this class of work item as that +limits the owner to a single thread or a single thread per CPU. For some +tasks, however, more threads - or fewer - are required. + +There is just one pool per system. It contains no threads unless something +wants to use it - and that something must register its interest first. When +the pool is active, the number of threads it contains is dynamic, varying +between a maximum and minimum setting, depending on the load. + + +==================== +CLASSES OF WORK ITEM +==================== + +This pool support two classes of work items: + + (*) Slow work items. + + (*) Very slow work items. + +The former are expected to finish much quicker than the latter. + +An operation of the very slow class may do a batch combination of several +lookups, mkdirs, and a create for instance. + +An operation of the ordinarily slow class may, for example, write stuff or +expand files, provided the time taken to do so isn't too long. + +Operations of both types may sleep during execution, thus tying up the thread +loaned to it. + + +THREAD-TO-CLASS ALLOCATION +-------------------------- + +Not all the threads in the pool are available to work on very slow work items. +The number will be between one and one fewer than the number of active threads. +This is configurable (see the "Pool Configuration" section). + +All the threads are available to work on ordinarily slow work items, but a +percentage of the threads will prefer to work on very slow work items. + +The configuration ensures that at least one thread will be available to work on +very slow work items, and at least one thread will be available that won't work +on very slow work items at all. + + +===================== +USING SLOW WORK ITEMS +===================== + +Firstly, a module or subsystem wanting to make use of slow work items must +register its interest: + + int ret = slow_work_register_user(); + +This will return 0 if successful, or a -ve error upon failure. + + +Slow work items may then be set up by: + + (1) Declaring a slow_work struct type variable: + + #include + + struct slow_work myitem; + + (2) Declaring the operations to be used for this item: + + struct slow_work_ops myitem_ops = { + .get_ref = myitem_get_ref, + .put_ref = myitem_put_ref, + .execute = myitem_execute, + }; + + [*] For a description of the ops, see section "Item Operations". + + (3) Initialising the item: + + slow_work_init(&myitem, &myitem_ops); + + or: + + vslow_work_init(&myitem, &myitem_ops); + + depending on its class. + +A suitably set up work item can then be enqueued for processing: + + int ret = slow_work_enqueue(&myitem); + +This will return a -ve error if the thread pool is unable to gain a reference +on the item, 0 otherwise. + + +The items are reference counted, so there ought to be no need for a flush +operation. When all a module's slow work items have been processed, and the +module has no further interest in the facility, it should unregister its +interest: + + slow_work_unregister_user(); + + +=============== +ITEM OPERATIONS +=============== + +Each work item requires a table of operations of type struct slow_work_ops. +All members are required: + + (*) Get a reference on an item: + + int (*get_ref)(struct slow_work *work); + + This allows the thread pool to attempt to pin an item by getting a + reference on it. This function should return 0 if the reference was + granted, or a -ve error otherwise. If an error is returned, + slow_work_enqueue() will fail. + + The reference is held whilst the item is queued and whilst it is being + executed. The item may then be requeued with the same reference held, or + the reference will be released. + + (*) Release a reference on an item: + + void (*put_ref)(struct slow_work *work); + + This allows the thread pool to unpin an item by releasing the reference on + it. The thread pool will not touch the item again once this has been + called. + + (*) Execute an item: + + void (*execute)(struct slow_work *work); + + This should perform the work required of the item. It may sleep, it may + perform disk I/O and it may wait for locks. + + +================== +POOL CONFIGURATION +================== + +The slow-work thread pool has a number of configurables: + + (*) /proc/sys/kernel/slow-work/min-threads + + The minimum number of threads that should be in the pool whilst it is in + use. This may be anywhere between 2 and max-threads. + + (*) /proc/sys/kernel/slow-work/max-threads + + The maximum number of threads that should in the pool. This may be + anywhere between min-threads and 255 or NR_CPUS * 2, whichever is greater. + + (*) /proc/sys/kernel/slow-work/vslow-percentage + + The percentage of active threads in the pool that may be used to execute + very slow work items. This may be between 1 and 99. The resultant number + is bounded to between 1 and one fewer than the number of active threads. + This ensures there is always at least one thread that can process very + slow work items, and always at least one thread that won't. diff --git a/include/linux/slow-work.h b/include/linux/slow-work.h index 8262809dfa8..85958277f83 100644 --- a/include/linux/slow-work.h +++ b/include/linux/slow-work.h @@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public Licence * as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version * 2 of the Licence, or (at your option) any later version. + * + * See Documentation/slow-work.txt */ #ifndef _LINUX_SLOW_WORK_H diff --git a/kernel/slow-work.c b/kernel/slow-work.c index 3f65900aa3c..cf2bc01186e 100644 --- a/kernel/slow-work.c +++ b/kernel/slow-work.c @@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public Licence * as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version * 2 of the Licence, or (at your option) any later version. + * + * See Documentation/slow-work.txt */ #include -- cgit v1.2.3-70-g09d2