Current busy-wait loops are implemented by repeatedly calling cpu_relax()
to give an arch option for a low-latency option to improve power and/or
SMT resource contention.
This poses some difficulties for powerpc, which has SMT priority setting
instructions (priorities determine how ifetch cycles are apportioned).
powerpc's cpu_relax() is implemented by setting a low priority then
setting normal priority. This has several problems:
- Changing thread priority can have some execution cost and potential
impact to other threads in the core. It's inefficient to execute them
every time around a busy-wait loop.
- Depending on implementation details, a `low ; medium` sequence may
not have much if any affect. Some software with similar pattern
actually inserts a lot of nops between, in order to cause a few fetch
cycles with the low priority.
- The busy-wait loop runs with regular priority. This might only be a few
fetch cycles, but if there are several threads running such loops, they
could cause a noticable impact on a non-idle thread.
Implement spin_begin, spin_end primitives that can be used around busy
wait loops, which default to no-ops. And spin_cpu_relax which defaults to
cpu_relax.
This will allow architectures to hook the entry and exit of busy-wait
loops, and will allow powerpc to set low SMT priority at entry, and
normal priority at exit.
Suggested-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
Signed-off-by: Nicholas Piggin <npiggin@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Michael Ellerman <mpe@ellerman.id.au>
Nicholas Piggin