Re: [PATCH RFC 1/2] kvm: Handle undercommitted guest case in PLEhandler

From: Konrad Rzeszutek Wilk
Date: Fri Sep 28 2012 - 13:59:33 EST


> >> PLE:
> >> - works for unmodified / non-Linux guests
> >> - works for all types of spins (e.g. smp_call_function*())
> >> - utilizes an existing hardware interface (PAUSE instruction) so likely
> >> more robust compared to a software interface
> >>
> >> PV:
> >> - has more information, so it can perform better
> >
> > Should we also consider that we always have an edge here for non-PLE
> > machine?
>
> True. The deployment share for these is decreasing rapidly though. I
> hate optimizing for obsolete hardware.

Keep in mind that the patchset that Jeremy provided also cleans (remove)
parts of the pv spinlock code. It removes the various spin_lock,
spin_unlock, etc that touch paravirt code. Instead the pv code is only
in the slowpath. And if you don't compile with CONFIG_PARAVIRT_SPINLOCK
the end code is the same as it is now.

On a different subject- I am curious whether the Haswell new locking
instructions (the transactional ones?) can be put in usage for the slow
case?
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