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- ====================================
- SLOW WORK ITEM EXECUTION THREAD POOL
- ====================================
-
-By: David Howells <dhowells@redhat.com>
-
-The slow work item execution thread pool is a pool of threads for performing
-things that take a relatively long time, such as making mkdir calls.
-Typically, when processing something, these items will spend a lot of time
-blocking a thread on I/O, thus making that thread unavailable for doing other
-work.
-
-The standard workqueue model is unsuitable for this class of work item as that
-limits the owner to a single thread or a single thread per CPU. For some
-tasks, however, more threads - or fewer - are required.
-
-There is just one pool per system. It contains no threads unless something
-wants to use it - and that something must register its interest first. When
-the pool is active, the number of threads it contains is dynamic, varying
-between a maximum and minimum setting, depending on the load.
-
-
-====================
-CLASSES OF WORK ITEM
-====================
-
-This pool support two classes of work items:
-
- (*) Slow work items.
-
- (*) Very slow work items.
-
-The former are expected to finish much quicker than the latter.
-
-An operation of the very slow class may do a batch combination of several
-lookups, mkdirs, and a create for instance.
-
-An operation of the ordinarily slow class may, for example, write stuff or
-expand files, provided the time taken to do so isn't too long.
-
-Operations of both types may sleep during execution, thus tying up the thread
-loaned to it.
-
-A further class of work item is available, based on the slow work item class:
-
- (*) Delayed slow work items.
-
-These are slow work items that have a timer to defer queueing of the item for
-a while.
-
-
-THREAD-TO-CLASS ALLOCATION
---------------------------
-
-Not all the threads in the pool are available to work on very slow work items.
-The number will be between one and one fewer than the number of active threads.
-This is configurable (see the "Pool Configuration" section).
-
-All the threads are available to work on ordinarily slow work items, but a
-percentage of the threads will prefer to work on very slow work items.
-
-The configuration ensures that at least one thread will be available to work on
-very slow work items, and at least one thread will be available that won't work
-on very slow work items at all.
-
-
-=====================
-USING SLOW WORK ITEMS
-=====================
-
-Firstly, a module or subsystem wanting to make use of slow work items must
-register its interest:
-
- int ret = slow_work_register_user(struct module *module);
-
-This will return 0 if successful, or a -ve error upon failure. The module
-pointer should be the module interested in using this facility (almost
-certainly THIS_MODULE).
-
-
-Slow work items may then be set up by:
-
- (1) Declaring a slow_work struct type variable:
-
- #include <linux/slow-work.h>
-
- struct slow_work myitem;
-
- (2) Declaring the operations to be used for this item:
-
- struct slow_work_ops myitem_ops = {
- .get_ref = myitem_get_ref,
- .put_ref = myitem_put_ref,
- .execute = myitem_execute,
- };
-
- [*] For a description of the ops, see section "Item Operations".
-
- (3) Initialising the item:
-
- slow_work_init(&myitem, &myitem_ops);
-
- or:
-
- delayed_slow_work_init(&myitem, &myitem_ops);
-
- or:
-
- vslow_work_init(&myitem, &myitem_ops);
-
- depending on its class.
-
-A suitably set up work item can then be enqueued for processing:
-
- int ret = slow_work_enqueue(&myitem);
-
-This will return a -ve error if the thread pool is unable to gain a reference
-on the item, 0 otherwise, or (for delayed work):
-
- int ret = delayed_slow_work_enqueue(&myitem, my_jiffy_delay);
-
-
-The items are reference counted, so there ought to be no need for a flush
-operation. But as the reference counting is optional, means to cancel
-existing work items are also included:
-
- cancel_slow_work(&myitem);
- cancel_delayed_slow_work(&myitem);
-
-can be used to cancel pending work. The above cancel function waits for
-existing work to have been executed (or prevent execution of them, depending
-on timing).
-
-
-When all a module's slow work items have been processed, and the
-module has no further interest in the facility, it should unregister its
-interest:
-
- slow_work_unregister_user(struct module *module);
-
-The module pointer is used to wait for all outstanding work items for that
-module before completing the unregistration. This prevents the put_ref() code
-from being taken away before it completes. module should almost certainly be
-THIS_MODULE.
-
-
-================
-HELPER FUNCTIONS
-================
-
-The slow-work facility provides a function by which it can be determined
-whether or not an item is queued for later execution:
-
- bool queued = slow_work_is_queued(struct slow_work *work);
-
-If it returns false, then the item is not on the queue (it may be executing
-with a requeue pending). This can be used to work out whether an item on which
-another depends is on the queue, thus allowing a dependent item to be queued
-after it.
-
-If the above shows an item on which another depends not to be queued, then the
-owner of the dependent item might need to wait. However, to avoid locking up
-the threads unnecessarily be sleeping in them, it can make sense under some
-circumstances to return the work item to the queue, thus deferring it until
-some other items have had a chance to make use of the yielded thread.
-
-To yield a thread and defer an item, the work function should simply enqueue
-the work item again and return. However, this doesn't work if there's nothing
-actually on the queue, as the thread just vacated will jump straight back into
-the item's work function, thus busy waiting on a CPU.
-
-Instead, the item should use the thread to wait for the dependency to go away,
-but rather than using schedule() or schedule_timeout() to sleep, it should use
-the following function:
-
- bool requeue = slow_work_sleep_till_thread_needed(
- struct slow_work *work,
- signed long *_timeout);
-
-This will add a second wait and then sleep, such that it will be woken up if
-either something appears on the queue that could usefully make use of the
-thread - and behind which this item can be queued, or if the event the caller
-set up to wait for happens. True will be returned if something else appeared
-on the queue and this work function should perhaps return, of false if
-something else woke it up. The timeout is as for schedule_timeout().
-
-For example:
-
- wq = bit_waitqueue(&my_flags, MY_BIT);
- init_wait(&wait);
- requeue = false;
- do {
- prepare_to_wait(wq, &wait, TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE);
- if (!test_bit(MY_BIT, &my_flags))
- break;
- requeue = slow_work_sleep_till_thread_needed(&my_work,
- &timeout);
- } while (timeout > 0 && !requeue);
- finish_wait(wq, &wait);
- if (!test_bit(MY_BIT, &my_flags)
- goto do_my_thing;
- if (requeue)
- return; // to slow_work
-
-
-===============
-ITEM OPERATIONS
-===============
-
-Each work item requires a table of operations of type struct slow_work_ops.
-Only ->execute() is required; the getting and putting of a reference and the
-describing of an item are all optional.
-
- (*) Get a reference on an item:
-
- int (*get_ref)(struct slow_work *work);
-
- This allows the thread pool to attempt to pin an item by getting a
- reference on it. This function should return 0 if the reference was
- granted, or a -ve error otherwise. If an error is returned,
- slow_work_enqueue() will fail.
-
- The reference is held whilst the item is queued and whilst it is being
- executed. The item may then be requeued with the same reference held, or
- the reference will be released.
-
- (*) Release a reference on an item:
-
- void (*put_ref)(struct slow_work *work);
-
- This allows the thread pool to unpin an item by releasing the reference on
- it. The thread pool will not touch the item again once this has been
- called.
-
- (*) Execute an item:
-
- void (*execute)(struct slow_work *work);
-
- This should perform the work required of the item. It may sleep, it may
- perform disk I/O and it may wait for locks.
-
- (*) View an item through /proc:
-
- void (*desc)(struct slow_work *work, struct seq_file *m);
-
- If supplied, this should print to 'm' a small string describing the work
- the item is to do. This should be no more than about 40 characters, and
- shouldn't include a newline character.
-
- See the 'Viewing executing and queued items' section below.
-
-
-==================
-POOL CONFIGURATION
-==================
-
-The slow-work thread pool has a number of configurables:
-
- (*) /proc/sys/kernel/slow-work/min-threads
-
- The minimum number of threads that should be in the pool whilst it is in
- use. This may be anywhere between 2 and max-threads.
-
- (*) /proc/sys/kernel/slow-work/max-threads
-
- The maximum number of threads that should in the pool. This may be
- anywhere between min-threads and 255 or NR_CPUS * 2, whichever is greater.
-
- (*) /proc/sys/kernel/slow-work/vslow-percentage
-
- The percentage of active threads in the pool that may be used to execute
- very slow work items. This may be between 1 and 99. The resultant number
- is bounded to between 1 and one fewer than the number of active threads.
- This ensures there is always at least one thread that can process very
- slow work items, and always at least one thread that won't.
-
-
-==================================
-VIEWING EXECUTING AND QUEUED ITEMS
-==================================
-
-If CONFIG_SLOW_WORK_DEBUG is enabled, a debugfs file is made available:
-
- /sys/kernel/debug/slow_work/runqueue
-
-through which the list of work items being executed and the queues of items to
-be executed may be viewed. The owner of a work item is given the chance to
-add some information of its own.
-
-The contents look something like the following:
-
- THR PID ITEM ADDR FL MARK DESC
- === ===== ================ == ===== ==========
- 0 3005 ffff880023f52348 a 952ms FSC: OBJ17d3: LOOK
- 1 3006 ffff880024e33668 2 160ms FSC: OBJ17e5 OP60d3b: Write1/Store fl=2
- 2 3165 ffff8800296dd180 a 424ms FSC: OBJ17e4: LOOK
- 3 4089 ffff8800262c8d78 a 212ms FSC: OBJ17ea: CRTN
- 4 4090 ffff88002792bed8 2 388ms FSC: OBJ17e8 OP60d36: Write1/Store fl=2
- 5 4092 ffff88002a0ef308 2 388ms FSC: OBJ17e7 OP60d2e: Write1/Store fl=2
- 6 4094 ffff88002abaf4b8 2 132ms FSC: OBJ17e2 OP60d4e: Write1/Store fl=2
- 7 4095 ffff88002bb188e0 a 388ms FSC: OBJ17e9: CRTN
- vsq - ffff880023d99668 1 308ms FSC: OBJ17e0 OP60f91: Write1/EnQ fl=2
- vsq - ffff8800295d1740 1 212ms FSC: OBJ16be OP4d4b6: Write1/EnQ fl=2
- vsq - ffff880025ba3308 1 160ms FSC: OBJ179a OP58dec: Write1/EnQ fl=2
- vsq - ffff880024ec83e0 1 160ms FSC: OBJ17ae OP599f2: Write1/EnQ fl=2
- vsq - ffff880026618e00 1 160ms FSC: OBJ17e6 OP60d33: Write1/EnQ fl=2
- vsq - ffff880025a2a4b8 1 132ms FSC: OBJ16a2 OP4d583: Write1/EnQ fl=2
- vsq - ffff880023cbe6d8 9 212ms FSC: OBJ17eb: LOOK
- vsq - ffff880024d37590 9 212ms FSC: OBJ17ec: LOOK
- vsq - ffff880027746cb0 9 212ms FSC: OBJ17ed: LOOK
- vsq - ffff880024d37ae8 9 212ms FSC: OBJ17ee: LOOK
- vsq - ffff880024d37cb0 9 212ms FSC: OBJ17ef: LOOK
- vsq - ffff880025036550 9 212ms FSC: OBJ17f0: LOOK
- vsq - ffff8800250368e0 9 212ms FSC: OBJ17f1: LOOK
- vsq - ffff880025036aa8 9 212ms FSC: OBJ17f2: LOOK
-
-In the 'THR' column, executing items show the thread they're occupying and
-queued threads indicate which queue they're on. 'PID' shows the process ID of
-a slow-work thread that's executing something. 'FL' shows the work item flags.
-'MARK' indicates how long since an item was queued or began executing. Lastly,
-the 'DESC' column permits the owner of an item to give some information.
-