Re: [PATCH V3 09/30] arm/mm: Enable ARCH_HAS_VM_GET_PAGE_PROT

[Anshuman Khandual <anshuman.khandual@arm.com>]

On 3/2/22 12:35 PM, Christophe Leroy wrote:
> 
> 
> Le 02/03/2022 à 04:22, Anshuman Khandual a écrit :
>>
>>
>> On 3/1/22 1:46 PM, Christophe Leroy wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Le 01/03/2022 à 01:31, Russell King (Oracle) a écrit :
>>>> On Tue, Mar 01, 2022 at 05:30:41AM +0530, Anshuman Khandual wrote:
>>>>> On 2/28/22 4:27 PM, Russell King (Oracle) wrote:
>>>>>> On Mon, Feb 28, 2022 at 04:17:32PM +0530, Anshuman Khandual wrote:
>>>>>>> This defines and exports a platform specific custom vm_get_page_prot() via
>>>>>>> subscribing ARCH_HAS_VM_GET_PAGE_PROT. Subsequently all __SXXX and __PXXX
>>>>>>> macros can be dropped which are no longer needed.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What I would really like to know is why having to run _code_ to work out
>>>>>> what the page protections need to be is better than looking it up in a
>>>>>> table.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Not only is this more expensive in terms of CPU cycles, it also brings
>>>>>> additional code size with it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm struggling to see what the benefit is.
>>>>>
>>>>> Currently vm_get_page_prot() is also being _run_ to fetch required page
>>>>> protection values. Although that is being run in the core MM and from a
>>>>> platform perspective __SXXX, __PXXX are just being exported for a table.
>>>>> Looking it up in a table (and applying more constructs there after) is
>>>>> not much different than a clean switch case statement in terms of CPU
>>>>> usage. So this is not more expensive in terms of CPU cycles.
>>>>
>>>> I disagree.
>>>
>>> So do I.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> However, let's base this disagreement on some evidence. Here is the
>>>> present 32-bit ARM implementation:
>>>>
>>>> 00000048 <vm_get_page_prot>:
>>>>         48:       e200000f        and     r0, r0, #15
>>>>         4c:       e3003000        movw    r3, #0
>>>>                           4c: R_ARM_MOVW_ABS_NC   .LANCHOR1
>>>>         50:       e3403000        movt    r3, #0
>>>>                           50: R_ARM_MOVT_ABS      .LANCHOR1
>>>>         54:       e7930100        ldr     r0, [r3, r0, lsl #2]
>>>>         58:       e12fff1e        bx      lr
>>>>
>>>> That is five instructions long.
>>>
>>> On ppc32 I get:
>>>
>>> 00000094 <vm_get_page_prot>:
>>>         94:	3d 20 00 00 	lis     r9,0
>>> 			96: R_PPC_ADDR16_HA	.data..ro_after_init
>>>         98:	54 84 16 ba 	rlwinm  r4,r4,2,26,29
>>>         9c:	39 29 00 00 	addi    r9,r9,0
>>> 			9e: R_PPC_ADDR16_LO	.data..ro_after_init
>>>         a0:	7d 29 20 2e 	lwzx    r9,r9,r4
>>>         a4:	91 23 00 00 	stw     r9,0(r3)
>>>         a8:	4e 80 00 20 	blr
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Please show that your new implementation is not more expensive on
>>>> 32-bit ARM. Please do so by building a 32-bit kernel, and providing
>>>> the disassembly.
>>>
>>> With your series I get:
>>>
>>> 00000000 <vm_get_page_prot>:
>>>      0:	3d 20 00 00 	lis     r9,0
>>> 			2: R_PPC_ADDR16_HA	.rodata
>>>      4:	39 29 00 00 	addi    r9,r9,0
>>> 			6: R_PPC_ADDR16_LO	.rodata
>>>      8:	54 84 16 ba 	rlwinm  r4,r4,2,26,29
>>>      c:	7d 49 20 2e 	lwzx    r10,r9,r4
>>>     10:	7d 4a 4a 14 	add     r10,r10,r9
>>>     14:	7d 49 03 a6 	mtctr   r10
>>>     18:	4e 80 04 20 	bctr
>>>     1c:	39 20 03 15 	li      r9,789
>>>     20:	91 23 00 00 	stw     r9,0(r3)
>>>     24:	4e 80 00 20 	blr
>>>     28:	39 20 01 15 	li      r9,277
>>>     2c:	91 23 00 00 	stw     r9,0(r3)
>>>     30:	4e 80 00 20 	blr
>>>     34:	39 20 07 15 	li      r9,1813
>>>     38:	91 23 00 00 	stw     r9,0(r3)
>>>     3c:	4e 80 00 20 	blr
>>>     40:	39 20 05 15 	li      r9,1301
>>>     44:	91 23 00 00 	stw     r9,0(r3)
>>>     48:	4e 80 00 20 	blr
>>>     4c:	39 20 01 11 	li      r9,273
>>>     50:	4b ff ff d0 	b       20 <vm_get_page_prot+0x20>
>>>
>>>
>>> That is definitely more expensive, it implements a table of branches.
>>
>> Okay, will split out the PPC32 implementation that retains existing
>> table look up method. Also planning to keep that inside same file
>> (arch/powerpc/mm/mmap.c), unless you have a difference preference.
> 
> My point was not to get something specific for PPC32, but to amplify on 
> Russell's objection.
> 
> As this is bad for ARM and bad for PPC32, do we have any evidence that 
> your change is good for any other architecture ?
> 
> I checked PPC64 and there is exactly the same drawback. With the current 
> implementation it is a small function performing table read then a few 
> adjustment. After your change it is a bigger function implementing a 
> table of branches.

I am wondering if this would not be the case for any other switch case
statement on the platform ? Is there something specific/different just
on vm_get_page_prot() implementation ? Are you suggesting that switch
case statements should just be avoided instead ?

> 
> So, as requested by Russell, could you look at the disassembly for other 
> architectures and show us that ARM and POWERPC are the only ones for 
> which your change is not optimal ?

But the primary purpose of this series is not to guarantee optimized
code on platform by platform basis, while migrating from a table based
look up method into a switch case statement.

But instead, the purposes is to remove current levels of unnecessary
abstraction while converting a vm_flags access combination into page
protection. The switch case statement for platform implementation of
vm_get_page_prot() just seemed logical enough. Christoph's original
suggestion patch for x86 had the same implementation as well.

But if the table look up is still better/preferred method on certain
platforms like arm or ppc32, will be happy to preserve that.

- Anshuman

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