Linux 2.6.17-rc6
[linux-2.6/next.git] / mm / pdflush.c
blobc4b6d0afd73605cdc446a1cd9fc75aca8afb3693
1 /*
2 * mm/pdflush.c - worker threads for writing back filesystem data
4 * Copyright (C) 2002, Linus Torvalds.
6 * 09Apr2002 akpm@zip.com.au
7 * Initial version
8 * 29Feb2004 kaos@sgi.com
9 * Move worker thread creation to kthread to avoid chewing
10 * up stack space with nested calls to kernel_thread.
13 #include <linux/sched.h>
14 #include <linux/list.h>
15 #include <linux/signal.h>
16 #include <linux/spinlock.h>
17 #include <linux/gfp.h>
18 #include <linux/init.h>
19 #include <linux/module.h>
20 #include <linux/fs.h> // Needed by writeback.h
21 #include <linux/writeback.h> // Prototypes pdflush_operation()
22 #include <linux/kthread.h>
23 #include <linux/cpuset.h>
27 * Minimum and maximum number of pdflush instances
29 #define MIN_PDFLUSH_THREADS 2
30 #define MAX_PDFLUSH_THREADS 8
32 static void start_one_pdflush_thread(void);
36 * The pdflush threads are worker threads for writing back dirty data.
37 * Ideally, we'd like one thread per active disk spindle. But the disk
38 * topology is very hard to divine at this level. Instead, we take
39 * care in various places to prevent more than one pdflush thread from
40 * performing writeback against a single filesystem. pdflush threads
41 * have the PF_FLUSHER flag set in current->flags to aid in this.
45 * All the pdflush threads. Protected by pdflush_lock
47 static LIST_HEAD(pdflush_list);
48 static DEFINE_SPINLOCK(pdflush_lock);
51 * The count of currently-running pdflush threads. Protected
52 * by pdflush_lock.
54 * Readable by sysctl, but not writable. Published to userspace at
55 * /proc/sys/vm/nr_pdflush_threads.
57 int nr_pdflush_threads = 0;
60 * The time at which the pdflush thread pool last went empty
62 static unsigned long last_empty_jifs;
65 * The pdflush thread.
67 * Thread pool management algorithm:
69 * - The minimum and maximum number of pdflush instances are bound
70 * by MIN_PDFLUSH_THREADS and MAX_PDFLUSH_THREADS.
72 * - If there have been no idle pdflush instances for 1 second, create
73 * a new one.
75 * - If the least-recently-went-to-sleep pdflush thread has been asleep
76 * for more than one second, terminate a thread.
80 * A structure for passing work to a pdflush thread. Also for passing
81 * state information between pdflush threads. Protected by pdflush_lock.
83 struct pdflush_work {
84 struct task_struct *who; /* The thread */
85 void (*fn)(unsigned long); /* A callback function */
86 unsigned long arg0; /* An argument to the callback */
87 struct list_head list; /* On pdflush_list, when idle */
88 unsigned long when_i_went_to_sleep;
91 static int __pdflush(struct pdflush_work *my_work)
93 current->flags |= PF_FLUSHER | PF_SWAPWRITE;
94 my_work->fn = NULL;
95 my_work->who = current;
96 INIT_LIST_HEAD(&my_work->list);
98 spin_lock_irq(&pdflush_lock);
99 nr_pdflush_threads++;
100 for ( ; ; ) {
101 struct pdflush_work *pdf;
103 set_current_state(TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE);
104 list_move(&my_work->list, &pdflush_list);
105 my_work->when_i_went_to_sleep = jiffies;
106 spin_unlock_irq(&pdflush_lock);
108 schedule();
109 if (try_to_freeze()) {
110 spin_lock_irq(&pdflush_lock);
111 continue;
114 spin_lock_irq(&pdflush_lock);
115 if (!list_empty(&my_work->list)) {
116 printk("pdflush: bogus wakeup!\n");
117 my_work->fn = NULL;
118 continue;
120 if (my_work->fn == NULL) {
121 printk("pdflush: NULL work function\n");
122 continue;
124 spin_unlock_irq(&pdflush_lock);
126 (*my_work->fn)(my_work->arg0);
129 * Thread creation: For how long have there been zero
130 * available threads?
132 if (jiffies - last_empty_jifs > 1 * HZ) {
133 /* unlocked list_empty() test is OK here */
134 if (list_empty(&pdflush_list)) {
135 /* unlocked test is OK here */
136 if (nr_pdflush_threads < MAX_PDFLUSH_THREADS)
137 start_one_pdflush_thread();
141 spin_lock_irq(&pdflush_lock);
142 my_work->fn = NULL;
145 * Thread destruction: For how long has the sleepiest
146 * thread slept?
148 if (list_empty(&pdflush_list))
149 continue;
150 if (nr_pdflush_threads <= MIN_PDFLUSH_THREADS)
151 continue;
152 pdf = list_entry(pdflush_list.prev, struct pdflush_work, list);
153 if (jiffies - pdf->when_i_went_to_sleep > 1 * HZ) {
154 /* Limit exit rate */
155 pdf->when_i_went_to_sleep = jiffies;
156 break; /* exeunt */
159 nr_pdflush_threads--;
160 spin_unlock_irq(&pdflush_lock);
161 return 0;
165 * Of course, my_work wants to be just a local in __pdflush(). It is
166 * separated out in this manner to hopefully prevent the compiler from
167 * performing unfortunate optimisations against the auto variables. Because
168 * these are visible to other tasks and CPUs. (No problem has actually
169 * been observed. This is just paranoia).
171 static int pdflush(void *dummy)
173 struct pdflush_work my_work;
174 cpumask_t cpus_allowed;
177 * pdflush can spend a lot of time doing encryption via dm-crypt. We
178 * don't want to do that at keventd's priority.
180 set_user_nice(current, 0);
183 * Some configs put our parent kthread in a limited cpuset,
184 * which kthread() overrides, forcing cpus_allowed == CPU_MASK_ALL.
185 * Our needs are more modest - cut back to our cpusets cpus_allowed.
186 * This is needed as pdflush's are dynamically created and destroyed.
187 * The boottime pdflush's are easily placed w/o these 2 lines.
189 cpus_allowed = cpuset_cpus_allowed(current);
190 set_cpus_allowed(current, cpus_allowed);
192 return __pdflush(&my_work);
196 * Attempt to wake up a pdflush thread, and get it to do some work for you.
197 * Returns zero if it indeed managed to find a worker thread, and passed your
198 * payload to it.
200 int pdflush_operation(void (*fn)(unsigned long), unsigned long arg0)
202 unsigned long flags;
203 int ret = 0;
205 if (fn == NULL)
206 BUG(); /* Hard to diagnose if it's deferred */
208 spin_lock_irqsave(&pdflush_lock, flags);
209 if (list_empty(&pdflush_list)) {
210 spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pdflush_lock, flags);
211 ret = -1;
212 } else {
213 struct pdflush_work *pdf;
215 pdf = list_entry(pdflush_list.next, struct pdflush_work, list);
216 list_del_init(&pdf->list);
217 if (list_empty(&pdflush_list))
218 last_empty_jifs = jiffies;
219 pdf->fn = fn;
220 pdf->arg0 = arg0;
221 wake_up_process(pdf->who);
222 spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pdflush_lock, flags);
224 return ret;
227 static void start_one_pdflush_thread(void)
229 kthread_run(pdflush, NULL, "pdflush");
232 static int __init pdflush_init(void)
234 int i;
236 for (i = 0; i < MIN_PDFLUSH_THREADS; i++)
237 start_one_pdflush_thread();
238 return 0;
241 module_init(pdflush_init);