The move_tasks() function is currently multiplexed with two distinct
capabilities:
1. attempt to move a specified amount of weighted load from one run
queue to another; and
2. attempt to move a specified number of tasks from one run queue to
another.
The first of these capabilities is used in two places, load_balance()
and load_balance_idle(), and in both of these cases the return value of
move_tasks() is used purely to decide if tasks/load were moved and no
notice of the actual number of tasks moved is taken.
The second capability is used in exactly one place,
active_load_balance(), to attempt to move exactly one task and, as
before, the return value is only used as an indicator of success or failure.
This multiplexing of sched_task() was introduced, by me, as part of the
smpnice patches and was motivated by the fact that the alternative, one
function to move specified load and one to move a single task, would
have led to two functions of roughly the same complexity as the old
move_tasks() (or the new balance_tasks()). However, the new modular
design of the new CFS scheduler allows a simpler solution to be adopted
and this patch addresses that solution by:
1. adding a new function, move_one_task(), to be used by
active_load_balance(); and
2. making move_tasks() a single purpose function that tries to move a
specified weighted load and returns 1 for success and 0 for failure.
One of the consequences of these changes is that neither move_one_task()
or the new move_tasks() care how many tasks sched_class.load_balance()
moves and this enables its interface to be simplified by returning the
amount of load moved as its result and removing the load_moved pointer
from the argument list. This helps simplify the new move_tasks() and
slightly reduces the amount of work done in each of
sched_class.load_balance()'s implementations.
Further simplification, e.g. changes to balance_tasks(), are possible
but (slightly) complicated by the special needs of load_balance_fair()
so I've left them to a later patch (if this one gets accepted).
NB Since move_tasks() gets called with two run queue locks held even
small reductions in overhead are worthwhile.
Signed-off-by: Peter Williams <[email protected]>
--
Peter Williams [email protected]
"Learning, n. The kind of ignorance distinguishing the studious."
-- Ambrose Bierce
* Peter Williams <[email protected]> wrote:
> NB Since move_tasks() gets called with two run queue locks held even
> small reductions in overhead are worthwhile.
thanks, i've applied your patch. It also shaves off a bit of code from
sched.o:
text data bss dec hex filename
39216 3618 24 42858 a76a sched.o.before
39173 3618 24 42815 a73f sched.o.after
Ingo