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Use bool for boolean flag in printk_once()

PATCH In review Roland Dreier 3 participants 3 messages Aug 13, 2009

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#0 lore raw

PATCH 1/1 Use bool for boolean flag in printk_once()

Using the type bool (instead of int) for the __print_once flag in the printk_once() macro matches the intent of the code better, and allows the compiler to generate smaller code; eg a typical callsite with gcc 4.3.3 on i386:

add/remove: 0/0 grow/shrink: 0/2 up/down: 0/-6 (-6)
function old new delta
static.__print_once 4 1 -3
get_cpu_vendor 146 143 -3

Saving 6 bytes of object size per callsite by slightly improving the readability of the source seems like a win to me.

---
 include/linux/kernel.h |    4 ++--
 1 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
include/linux/kernel.h +2 -2
index d6320a3..f828ce9 100644
@@ -249,10 +249,10 @@ extern bool printk_timed_ratelimit(unsigned long *caller_jiffies,
  * Print a one-time message (analogous to WARN_ONCE() et al):
  */
 #define printk_once(x...) ({			\
-	static int __print_once = 1;		\
+	static bool __print_once = true;	\
 						\
 	if (__print_once) {			\
-		__print_once = 0;		\
+		__print_once = false;		\
 		printk(x);			\
 	}					\
 })
#1 lore raw
Quoted 25 lines · On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:48:26 -0700 Roland Dreier <[email protected]> wrote:

Using the type bool (instead of int) for the __print_once flag in the printk_once() macro matches the intent of the code better, and allows the compiler to generate smaller code; eg a typical callsite with gcc 4.3.3 on i386:

add/remove: 0/0 grow/shrink: 0/2 up/down: 0/-6 (-6)
function old new delta
static.__print_once 4 1 -3
get_cpu_vendor 146 143 -3

Saving 6 bytes of object size per callsite by slightly improving the readability of the source seems like a win to me.

---
 include/linux/kernel.h |    4 ++--
 1 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
include/linux/kernel.h +0 -0
index d6320a3..f828ce9 100644
@@ -249,10 +249,10 @@ extern bool printk_timed_ratelimit(unsigned long *caller_jiffies,
  * Print a one-time message (analogous to WARN_ONCE() et al):
  */

include/linux/kernel.h extern bool printk_timed_ratelimit(unsigned long *caller_jiffies, · line 258

Quoted 10 lines
include/linux/kernel.h +2 -2
 #define printk_once(x...) ({			\
-	static int __print_once = 1;		\
+	static bool __print_once = true;	\
 						\
 	if (__print_once) {			\
-		__print_once = 0;		\
+		__print_once = false;		\
 		printk(x);			\
 	}					\
 })

hm, OK, in trace_recursive_lock() we get:

	cmpl	$0, __print_once.28104(%rip)	#, __print_once
	je	.L719	#,

changed to

	cmpb	$0, __print_once.28104(%rip)	# __print_once
	je	.L719	#,

so the compiler used a byte for the bool.

Interestingly that bool is in section `data'. I bet printk_once() should use __read_mostly.

Also, that bool still uses four bytes of storage:

   text    data     bss     dec     hex filename
  22527    1445    6392   30364    769c kernel/trace/ring_buffer.o
  22524    1445    6392   30361    7699 kernel/trace/ring_buffer.o (patched)

I wonder if there's some way in which we could/should cause all these little random __read_mostly bytes to get packed together somewhere.

#2 lore raw
Quoted 41 lines · Andrew Morton
Quoted 25 lines · On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:48:26 -0700 Roland Dreier <[email protected]> wrote:

Using the type bool (instead of int) for the __print_once flag in the printk_once() macro matches the intent of the code better, and allows the compiler to generate smaller code; eg a typical callsite with gcc 4.3.3 on i386:

add/remove: 0/0 grow/shrink: 0/2 up/down: 0/-6 (-6)
function old new delta
static.__print_once 4 1 -3
get_cpu_vendor 146 143 -3

Saving 6 bytes of object size per callsite by slightly improving the readability of the source seems like a win to me.

---
 include/linux/kernel.h |    4 ++--
 1 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
include/linux/kernel.h +0 -0
index d6320a3..f828ce9 100644
@@ -249,10 +249,10 @@ extern bool printk_timed_ratelimit(unsigned long *caller_jiffies,
  * Print a one-time message (analogous to WARN_ONCE() et al):
  */

include/linux/kernel.h extern bool printk_timed_ratelimit(unsigned long *caller_jiffies, · line 258

Quoted 10 lines
include/linux/kernel.h +2 -2
 #define printk_once(x...) ({			\
-	static int __print_once = 1;		\
+	static bool __print_once = true;	\
 						\
 	if (__print_once) {			\
-		__print_once = 0;		\
+		__print_once = false;		\
 		printk(x);			\
 	}					\
 })

hm, OK, in trace_recursive_lock() we get:

Quoted 7 lines
	cmpl	$0, __print_once.28104(%rip)	#, __print_once
	je	.L719	#,

changed to

	cmpb	$0, __print_once.28104(%rip)	# __print_once
	je	.L719	#,

The test should be inverted so that it's not initialized.

I submitted this once:
http://lkml.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0905.2/02636.html

	static bool printed;
	if (!printed) {
		printed = true;
		printk...
	}