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[RFC][PATCH] net drivers and cache alignment

To: Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, netdev@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [RFC][PATCH] net drivers and cache alignment
From: Jeff Garzik <jgarzik@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 07 Dec 2002 17:37:17 -0500
Cc: "David S. Miller" <davem@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sender: netdev-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxx
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.2) Gecko/20021202
One of the [many] nice properties of the traditional Don Becker drivers has been that often the driver-private structures are arranged such that the structure is broken up on cacheline boundaries. The RX thread has a cacheline, the TX thread has a cacheline, etc. Jes Sorensen also independently, in his review of 8139cp.c, suggested that the driver-private struct be update with attention to cacheline boundaries.

Early next year, I would like to start cleaning up some of the net drivers along these lines (no pun intended). To make it easier for vendors and random coders to cacheline-align struct members, I would like to make more explicit these cacheline boundaries, in a manner that is portable between 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

I attach a sample implementation, and request feedback on this approach. The general idea is to make implementing this sort of concept "harder to screw up."
===== drivers/net/tg3.c 1.41 vs edited =====
--- 1.41/drivers/net/tg3.c      Wed Nov 20 00:49:23 2002
+++ edited/drivers/net/tg3.c    Sat Dec  7 17:12:38 2002
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include <linux/if_vlan.h>
 #include <linux/ip.h>
 #include <linux/tcp.h>
+#include <linux/cache.h>
 
 #include <asm/system.h>
 #include <asm/io.h>
===== drivers/net/tg3.h 1.19 vs edited =====
--- 1.19/drivers/net/tg3.h      Mon Nov 11 05:27:52 2002
+++ edited/drivers/net/tg3.h    Sat Dec  7 17:20:25 2002
@@ -1741,17 +1741,66 @@
         * necessary for acquisition of 'tx_lock'.
         */
        spinlock_t                      lock;
-       spinlock_t                      tx_lock;
+       spinlock_t                      indirect_lock;
+
+       unsigned long                   regs;
+       struct net_device               *dev;
+       struct pci_dev                  *pdev;
+
+       struct tg3_hw_status            *hw_status;
+       dma_addr_t                      status_mapping;
+
+       u32                             msg_enable;
+
+       /* end "general, frequently-used members" cacheline section */
+       ALIGNED_PAD(_pad1_)
 
        u32                             tx_prod;
        u32                             tx_cons;
+       u32                             tx_pending;
+
+       spinlock_t                      tx_lock;
+
+       /* TX descs are only used if TG3_FLAG_HOST_TXDS is set. */
+       struct tg3_tx_buffer_desc       *tx_ring;
+       struct tx_ring_info             *tx_buffers;
+       dma_addr_t                      tx_desc_mapping;
+
+       /* end "tx thread" cacheline section */
+       ALIGNED_PAD(_pad2_)
+
        u32                             rx_rcb_ptr;
        u32                             rx_std_ptr;
        u32                             rx_jumbo_ptr;
 #if TG3_MINI_RING_WORKS
        u32                             rx_mini_ptr;
 #endif
-       spinlock_t                      indirect_lock;
+       u32                             rx_pending;
+#if TG3_MINI_RING_WORKS
+       u32                             rx_mini_pending;
+#endif
+       u32                             rx_jumbo_pending;
+#if TG3_VLAN_TAG_USED
+       struct vlan_group               *vlgrp;
+#endif
+
+       struct tg3_rx_buffer_desc       *rx_std;
+       struct ring_info                *rx_std_buffers;
+       dma_addr_t                      rx_std_mapping;
+#if TG3_MINI_RING_WORKS
+       struct tg3_rx_buffer_desc       *rx_mini;
+       struct ring_info                *rx_mini_buffers;
+       dma_addr_t                      rx_mini_mapping;
+#endif
+       struct tg3_rx_buffer_desc       *rx_jumbo;
+       struct ring_info                *rx_jumbo_buffers;
+       dma_addr_t                      rx_jumbo_mapping;
+
+       struct tg3_rx_buffer_desc       *rx_rcb;
+       dma_addr_t                      rx_rcb_mapping;
+
+       /* end "rx thread" cacheline section */
+       ALIGNED_PAD(_pad3_)
 
        struct net_device_stats         net_stats;
        struct net_device_stats         net_stats_prev;
@@ -1791,8 +1840,6 @@
 #define TG3_FLAG_SPLIT_MODE            0x40000000
 #define TG3_FLAG_INIT_COMPLETE         0x80000000
 
-       u32                             msg_enable;
-
        u32                             split_mode_max_reqs;
 #define SPLIT_MODE_5704_MAX_REQ                3
 
@@ -1806,13 +1853,6 @@
        struct tg3_link_config          link_config;
        struct tg3_bufmgr_config        bufmgr_config;
 
-       u32                             rx_pending;
-#if TG3_MINI_RING_WORKS
-       u32                             rx_mini_pending;
-#endif
-       u32                             rx_jumbo_pending;
-       u32                             tx_pending;
-
        /* cache h/w values, often passed straight to h/w */
        u32                             rx_mode;
        u32                             tx_mode;
@@ -1865,38 +1905,10 @@
         (X) == PHY_ID_BCM5703 || (X) == PHY_ID_BCM5704 || \
         (X) == PHY_ID_BCM8002 || (X) == PHY_ID_SERDES)
 
-       unsigned long                   regs;
-       struct pci_dev                  *pdev;
-       struct net_device               *dev;
-#if TG3_VLAN_TAG_USED
-       struct vlan_group               *vlgrp;
-#endif
-
-       struct tg3_rx_buffer_desc       *rx_std;
-       struct ring_info                *rx_std_buffers;
-       dma_addr_t                      rx_std_mapping;
-#if TG3_MINI_RING_WORKS
-       struct tg3_rx_buffer_desc       *rx_mini;
-       struct ring_info                *rx_mini_buffers;
-       dma_addr_t                      rx_mini_mapping;
-#endif
-       struct tg3_rx_buffer_desc       *rx_jumbo;
-       struct ring_info                *rx_jumbo_buffers;
-       dma_addr_t                      rx_jumbo_mapping;
-
-       struct tg3_rx_buffer_desc       *rx_rcb;
-       dma_addr_t                      rx_rcb_mapping;
-
-       /* TX descs are only used if TG3_FLAG_HOST_TXDS is set. */
-       struct tg3_tx_buffer_desc       *tx_ring;
-       struct tx_ring_info             *tx_buffers;
-       dma_addr_t                      tx_desc_mapping;
-
-       struct tg3_hw_status            *hw_status;
-       dma_addr_t                      status_mapping;
-
        struct tg3_hw_stats             *hw_stats;
        dma_addr_t                      stats_mapping;
+
+       /* end "everything else" cacheline(s) section */
 };
 
 #endif /* !(_T3_H) */
===== include/linux/cache.h 1.5 vs edited =====
--- 1.5/include/linux/cache.h   Tue Aug 27 16:04:10 2002
+++ edited/include/linux/cache.h        Sat Dec  7 17:12:13 2002
@@ -53,4 +53,14 @@
 #endif
 #endif
 
+/* helper used inside struct definitions to break up struct at
+ * cacheline boundaries.
+ * Note: do not add a semi-colon (';') after an ALIGNED_PAD use.
+ */
+struct dummy_cacheline_struct {
+       int x;
+} ____cacheline_aligned;
+#define ALIGNED_PAD(name) \
+       struct dummy_cacheline_struct name;
+
 #endif /* __LINUX_CACHE_H */
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