Re: [PATCH v4 1/4] fpga: dfl: change data type of feature id to u16

From: Xu Yilun
Date: Thu Aug 13 2020 - 05:07:51 EST


On Thu, Aug 13, 2020 at 08:28:05AM +0000, David Laight wrote:
> From: Xu Yilun
> > Sent: 13 August 2020 08:59
> > On Wed, Aug 12, 2020 at 08:52:39AM +0000, David Laight wrote:
> > > From: Moritz Fischer
> > > > Sent: 12 August 2020 04:56
> > > >
> > > > On Mon, Aug 10, 2020 at 10:41:10AM +0800, Xu Yilun wrote:
> > > > > The feature id is stored in a 12 bit field in DFH. So a u16 variable is
> > > > > enough for feature id.
> > > > >
> > > > > This patch changes all feature id related places to fit u16.
> > >
> > > How much bigger does it make the kernel?
> >
> > The patch changes the definition of feature id from u64 to u16, and will
> > make the kernel slightly smaller.
>
> Unlikely.
> Most of the structures will gain a 'pad' field.
> Using u16 for function parameters and results almost certainly
> requires instructions to mask the value.
> Any arithmetic on u16 will require masking instructions on
> (probably) all architectures except x86.
>
> Using 'unsigned int' is probably best.
>
> u16 is never a good idea unless you are defining enough
> of them in a structure (eg as an array) to reduce the
> structure size below some threshold.
> (Or are matching some hardware layout.)

I got it. Thanks for your detailed explanation. I think we may change them to
u32. Is it the same case for u8? Think we may also change the dfl_device_id.type.


Hi Moritz:

The patch is applied to for-next, is it possible we recall it, or we
make another fix after it?

Thanks,
Yilun.

>
> David
>
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