2020-09-23 15:04:57

by George Prekas

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: [PATCH] latency improvement in __smp_call_single_queue

If an interrupt arrives between llist_add and
send_call_function_single_ipi in the following code snippet, then the
remote CPU will not receive the IPI in a timely manner and subsequent
SMP calls even from other CPUs for other functions will be delayed:

    if (llist_add(node, &per_cpu(call_single_queue, cpu)))
        send_call_function_single_ipi(cpu);

Note: llist_add returns 1 if it was empty before the operation.

CPU 0                           | CPU 1                     | CPU 2
__smp_call_single_q(2,f1)       | __smp_call_single_q(2,f2) |
  llist_add returns 1           |                           |
  interrupted                   |   llist_add returns 0     |
      ...                       |   branch not taken        |
      ...                       |                           |
  resumed                       |                           |
  send_call_function_single_ipi |                           |
                                |                           | f1
                                |                           | f2

The call from CPU 1 for function f2 will be delayed because CPU 0 was
interrupted.

Signed-off-by: George Prekas <[email protected]>
---
 kernel/smp.c | 4 ++++
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+)

diff --git a/kernel/smp.c b/kernel/smp.c
index aa17eedff5be..9dc679466cf0 100644
--- a/kernel/smp.c
+++ b/kernel/smp.c
@@ -135,6 +135,8 @@ static
DEFINE_PER_CPU_SHARED_ALIGNED(call_single_data_t, csd_data);

 void __smp_call_single_queue(int cpu, struct llist_node *node)
 {
+    unsigned long flags;
+
     /*
      * The list addition should be visible before sending the IPI
      * handler locks the list to pull the entry off it because of
@@ -146,8 +148,10 @@ void __smp_call_single_queue(int cpu, struct
llist_node *node)
      * locking and barrier primitives. Generic code isn't really
      * equipped to do the right thing...
      */
+    local_irq_save(flags);
     if (llist_add(node, &per_cpu(call_single_queue, cpu)))
         send_call_function_single_ipi(cpu);
+    local_irq_restore(flags);
 }

 /*
--
2.16.6



2020-09-24 08:44:21

by Peter Zijlstra

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: [PATCH] latency improvement in __smp_call_single_queue

On Wed, Sep 23, 2020 at 10:00:41AM -0500, George Prekas wrote:
> If an interrupt arrives between llist_add and
> send_call_function_single_ipi in the following code snippet, then the
> remote CPU will not receive the IPI in a timely manner and subsequent
> SMP calls even from other CPUs for other functions will be delayed:
>
> ??? if (llist_add(node, &per_cpu(call_single_queue, cpu)))
> ??????? send_call_function_single_ipi(cpu);
>
> Note: llist_add returns 1 if it was empty before the operation.
>
> CPU 0?????????????????????????? | CPU 1???????????????????? | CPU 2
> __smp_call_single_q(2,f1)?????? | __smp_call_single_q(2,f2) |
> ? llist_add returns 1?????????? |?????????????????????????? |
> ? interrupted?????????????????? |?? llist_add returns 0???? |
> ????? ...?????????????????????? |?? branch not taken??????? |
> ????? ...?????????????????????? |?????????????????????????? |
> ? resumed?????????????????????? |?????????????????????????? |
> ? send_call_function_single_ipi |?????????????????????????? |
> ??????????????????????????????? |?????????????????????????? | f1
> ??????????????????????????????? |?????????????????????????? | f2
>
> The call from CPU 1 for function f2 will be delayed because CPU 0 was
> interrupted.

Do you happen to have any actual numbers and a use-case where this was
relevant?

2020-09-24 15:07:04

by George Prekas

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: [PATCH] latency improvement in __smp_call_single_queue

On 9/24/2020 3:42 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 23, 2020 at 10:00:41AM -0500, George Prekas wrote:
>> If an interrupt arrives between llist_add and
>> send_call_function_single_ipi in the following code snippet, then the
>> remote CPU will not receive the IPI in a timely manner and subsequent
>> SMP calls even from other CPUs for other functions will be delayed:
>>
>>     if (llist_add(node, &per_cpu(call_single_queue, cpu)))
>>         send_call_function_single_ipi(cpu);
>>
>> Note: llist_add returns 1 if it was empty before the operation.
>>
>> CPU 0                           | CPU 1 | CPU 2
>> __smp_call_single_q(2,f1)       | __smp_call_single_q(2,f2) |
>>   llist_add returns 1           | |
>>   interrupted                   |   llist_add returns 0 |
>>       ...                       |   branch not taken |
>>       ...                       | |
>>   resumed                       | |
>>   send_call_function_single_ipi | |
>>                                 | | f1
>>                                 | | f2
>>
>> The call from CPU 1 for function f2 will be delayed because CPU 0 was
>> interrupted.
>
> Do you happen to have any actual numbers and a use-case where this was
> relevant?

Hi Peter,

I encountered this problem while developing a device driver that used
smp_call_function_single to communicate with other cores. I observed
latency spikes and after investigation I figured out the problem
described above.

I have written a simple device driver to validate the above fix. It does
smp_call_function_single and measures the latency. I can post it here if
it is appropriate. The latency impact is equal to the duration of the
CPU 0's interruption.

--
George