2009-03-11 13:35:46

by Wolfgang Mües

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: [PATCH 6/7] mmc_spi: convert timeout handling to jiffies and avoid busy waiting

From: Wolfgang Muees <[email protected]>

o SD/MMC card timeouts can be very high. So avoid busy-waiting,
using the scheduler. Calculate all timeouts in jiffies units,
because this will give us the correct sign when to involve
the scheduler.

Signed-off-by: Wolfgang Muees <[email protected]>

---
This is one of a line of patches to enhance the usability of
the mmc spi host port driver from "don't work with most SD cards"
to "work with nearly all SD cards" (including those ugly cards
with non-byte-aligned responses).

diff -uprN 2_6_29_rc7_patch5_extra_spi_timeouts/drivers/mmc/host/mmc_spi.c 2_6_29_rc7_patch6_jiffies_and_scheduling/drivers/mmc/host/mmc_spi.c
--- 2_6_29_rc7_patch5_extra_spi_timeouts/drivers/mmc/host/mmc_spi.c 2009-03-11 13:43:39.000000000 +0100
+++ 2_6_29_rc7_patch6_jiffies_and_scheduling/drivers/mmc/host/mmc_spi.c 2009-03-11 13:49:53.000000000 +0100
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
* along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
* Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
*/
-#include <linux/hrtimer.h>
+#include <linux/sched.h>
#include <linux/delay.h>
#include <linux/bio.h>
#include <linux/dma-mapping.h>
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@
* reads which takes nowhere near that long. Older cards may be able to use
* shorter timeouts ... but why bother?
*/
-#define r1b_timeout ktime_set(3, 0)
+#define r1b_timeout (HZ * 3)


/****************************************************************************/
@@ -183,12 +183,11 @@ mmc_spi_readbytes(struct mmc_spi_host *h
return status;
}

-static int
-mmc_spi_skip(struct mmc_spi_host *host, ktime_t timeout, unsigned n, u8 byte)
+static int mmc_spi_skip(struct mmc_spi_host *host, unsigned long timeout,
+ unsigned n, u8 byte)
{
u8 *cp = host->data->status;
-
- timeout = ktime_add(timeout, ktime_get());
+ unsigned long start = jiffies;

while (1) {
int status;
@@ -203,22 +202,26 @@ mmc_spi_skip(struct mmc_spi_host *host,
return cp[i];
}

- /* REVISIT investigate msleep() to avoid busy-wait I/O
- * in at least some cases.
- */
- if (ktime_to_ns(ktime_sub(ktime_get(), timeout)) > 0)
+ if (time_is_before_jiffies(start + timeout))
break;
+
+ /* If we need long timeouts, we may release the CPU.
+ * We use jiffies here because we want to have a relation
+ * between elapsed time and the blocking of the scheduler.
+ */
+ if (time_is_before_jiffies(start+1))
+ schedule();
}
return -ETIMEDOUT;
}

static inline int
-mmc_spi_wait_unbusy(struct mmc_spi_host *host, ktime_t timeout)
+mmc_spi_wait_unbusy(struct mmc_spi_host *host, unsigned long timeout)
{
return mmc_spi_skip(host, timeout, sizeof(host->data->status), 0);
}

-static int mmc_spi_readtoken(struct mmc_spi_host *host, ktime_t timeout)
+static int mmc_spi_readtoken(struct mmc_spi_host *host, unsigned long timeout)
{
return mmc_spi_skip(host, timeout, 1, 0xff);
}
@@ -607,7 +610,7 @@ mmc_spi_setup_data_message(
*/
static int
mmc_spi_writeblock(struct mmc_spi_host *host, struct spi_transfer *t,
- ktime_t timeout)
+ unsigned long timeout)
{
struct spi_device *spi = host->spi;
int status, i;
@@ -712,7 +715,7 @@ mmc_spi_writeblock(struct mmc_spi_host *
*/
static int
mmc_spi_readblock(struct mmc_spi_host *host, struct spi_transfer *t,
- ktime_t timeout)
+ unsigned long timeout)
{
struct spi_device *spi = host->spi;
int status;
@@ -802,7 +805,7 @@ mmc_spi_data_do(struct mmc_spi_host *hos
unsigned n_sg;
int multiple = (data->blocks > 1);
u32 clock_rate;
- ktime_t timeout;
+ unsigned long timeout;

if (data->flags & MMC_DATA_READ)
direction = DMA_FROM_DEVICE;
@@ -816,8 +819,11 @@ mmc_spi_data_do(struct mmc_spi_host *hos
else
clock_rate = spi->max_speed_hz;

- timeout = ktime_add_ns(ktime_set(0, 0), data->timeout_ns +
- data->timeout_clks * 1000000 / clock_rate);
+ timeout = data->timeout_ns +
+ data->timeout_clks * 1000000 / clock_rate;
+ timeout = usecs_to_jiffies((unsigned int)(timeout / 1000));
+ if (!timeout)
+ timeout = 1;

/* Handle scatterlist segments one at a time, with synch for
* each 512-byte block

---
regards

i. A. Wolfgang M?es
--
Auerswald GmbH & Co. KG
Hardware Development
Telefon: +49 (0)5306 9219 0
Telefax: +49 (0)5306 9219 94
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.auerswald.de
?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Auerswald GmbH & Co. KG, Vor den Grash?fen 1, 38162 Cremlingen
Registriert beim AG Braunschweig HRA 13289
p.h.G Auerswald Gesch?ftsf?hrungsges. mbH
Registriert beim AG Braunschweig HRB 7463
Gesch?ftsf?hrer: Dipl-Ing. Gerhard Auerswald


2009-03-12 02:45:41

by David Brownell

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: [PATCH 6/7] mmc_spi: convert timeout handling to jiffies and avoid busy waiting

On Wednesday 11 March 2009, Wolfgang M?es wrote:
> o SD/MMC card timeouts can be very high. So avoid busy-waiting,
> ? using the scheduler. Calculate all timeouts in jiffies units,
> ? because this will give us the correct sign when to involve
> ? the scheduler.

Of these patches, this is the one that bothers me the most.

First, earlier versions used jiffies ... but switching to
ktime sped things up. (I forget the details by now.)
So it's odd to think that switching again could improve
things. At any rate, if that's worth doing it's worth
having as a separate patch.

Second, as someone previously pointed out, there's a comment
there about switching to sleep() calls ... did you explore
just kicking in schedule_hrtimeout() or somesuch, right at
that point? Heck, just calling schedule() would cut the
busy-wait overhead...




2009-03-12 09:34:20

by Wolfgang Mües

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: [PATCH 6/7] mmc_spi: convert timeout handling to jiffies and avoid busy waiting

David,

Am Donnerstag, 12. M?rz 2009 schrieb David Brownell:
> > o SD/MMC card timeouts can be very high. So avoid busy-waiting,
> > ? using the scheduler. Calculate all timeouts in jiffies units,
> > ? because this will give us the correct sign when to involve
> > ? the scheduler.
>
> Of these patches, this is the one that bothers me the most.
>
> First, earlier versions used jiffies ... but switching to
> ktime sped things up. (I forget the details by now.)

I doubt that it was the switching to ktime_t that sped things up.
(In fact, I found that mmc_spi.c uses ktime_t from the first moment it was
included in the kernel 2007). Maybe a earlier version used jiffies, but
I have not find it.

The computing power needed for jiffies (32 bit) can not be more than the
computing power for ktime_t (2x32 or 64 bit).

In fact, ktime_t with its nanosecond resolution seems to be an overkill if
there are timeouts in the area of 10 .. 3000 ms.

My goal in programming is to keep it as simple and lightwight as possible.

> So it's odd to think that switching again could improve
> things.

Using jiffies does not sped up. This can't be. Speed is a matter of the fast
reaction of the SD card. All we can do in the driver is to poll often, so
that we do not incure an additional delay here.

My rationale for using jiffies is:

o The creator of an (embedded) system is choosing a value for HZ. A jiffie may
be 10ms or 1ms. The creator chooses this value due to the soft realtime
requirements of the system. So the value of HZ is a good estimation of the
expected reaction time of the system.

o So if I use the value of HZ and say: "if I do busy waiting and polling for
less than a jiffie, it's giving me fastest possible reaction time, without
violating the expectation of the overall reaction time of the system".

o If I have to wait for MORE than a jiffie, I start to release computing power
to other tasks in the system, but continue to poll with a resolution of
jiffies. So the worst additional delay I impose will be a jiffie, and not
more. I use the fact that the scheduler prefers friendly processes which
call schedule() often.

> Second, as someone previously pointed out, there's a comment
> there about switching to sleep() calls ... did you explore
> just kicking in schedule_hrtimeout() or somesuch, right at
> that point?

If I use a xxx_timeout() function, there will be fewer pollings because until
the xxx_timeout function returns, there will be no polling, even if the whole
system is idle.

And the result of the schedule_hrtimeout() is that the task is in the running
state afterwards. The next poll of the SD card will happen if the scheduler
selects this task to actually run. This is no difference to schedule().

So I expect the schedule_hrtimeout() function to perform worse as schedule(),
because of the fewer polls. (The system may be more idle and conserve power
during the waiting-for-response-time).

> Heck, just calling schedule() would cut the busy-wait overhead...

Yepp. That's my primary goal. Some soft realtime tasks need to run in my
target system...

So the overall result of my patch is:

o if the system is idle (expect for the file-IO-process), SD card IO
performance will be the same as before, because schedule() will return
immediately.

o if there are other tasks in the running state beside the file-IO-process,
these tasks will run (not blocked as before) during the busy time of the SD
card. Throughput to SD card will suffer a bit, but not notable. (Because the
long waiting times only kick in if the SD card has to flush its internal
buffers).

I have a takeMS SDHC card (speed class 6). If you write a continous data
stream to the card, there is ONE long waiting time of 900ms for each 10s of
stream writing. This was the worst timing I observed.

Hey, if someone comes with a better patch, I will appreciate it!

best regards

i. A. Wolfgang M?es
--
Auerswald GmbH & Co. KG
Hardware Development
Telefon: +49 (0)5306 9219 0
Telefax: +49 (0)5306 9219 94
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.auerswald.de
?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Auerswald GmbH & Co. KG, Vor den Grash?fen 1, 38162 Cremlingen
Registriert beim AG Braunschweig HRA 13289
p.h.G Auerswald Gesch?ftsf?hrungsges. mbH
Registriert beim AG Braunschweig HRB 7463
Gesch?ftsf?hrer: Dipl-Ing. Gerhard Auerswald

2009-03-15 11:37:31

by Pierre Ossman

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: [PATCH 6/7] mmc_spi: convert timeout handling to jiffies and avoid busy waiting

On Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:35:03 +0100
Wolfgang Mües <[email protected]> wrote:

> @@ -816,8 +819,11 @@ mmc_spi_data_do(struct mmc_spi_host *hos
> else
> clock_rate = spi->max_speed_hz;
>
> - timeout = ktime_add_ns(ktime_set(0, 0), data->timeout_ns +
> - data->timeout_clks * 1000000 / clock_rate);
> + timeout = data->timeout_ns +
> + data->timeout_clks * 1000000 / clock_rate;
> + timeout = usecs_to_jiffies((unsigned int)(timeout / 1000));
> + if (!timeout)
> + timeout = 1;
>

Does this round properly upwards? Having a timeout 6 ms shorter than it
should be can be a real problem (although the huge timeout your other
patch introduces means we probably won't be affected by it).

Rgds
--
-- Pierre Ossman

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