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remove no longer use of pdflush interface

PATCH Superseded Wanpeng Li 2 participants 2 messages Jun 5, 2012

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v1 of 5 Superseded Latest is v5 →

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Wanpeng Li

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PATCH 1/1 remove no longer use of pdflush interface

From: Wanpeng Li <[email protected]>

------------------

Change in v2:

* add printk warning
* add description in Documentation

------------------

---
 .../ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads    |    5 +++++
 Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt         |    8 ++++++++
 Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt                        |   11 -----------
 fs/fs-writeback.c                                  |    5 -----
 include/linux/sysctl.h                             |    3 +++
 include/linux/writeback.h                          |    5 -----
 kernel/sysctl.c                                    |   18 +++++++++++++-----
 kernel/sysctl_binary.c                             |    2 +-
 8 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 27 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads
Documentation/ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads new file +5 -0
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edbe548
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+What:		/proc/sys/vm/nr_pdflush_threads
+Date:		June 2012
+Contact:	Wanpeng Li <[email protected]>
+Description: Since pdflush is replaced by per-BDI flusher, the interface of old pdflush
+             exported in /proc/sys/vm/ should be removed.
Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt +8 -0
index e4b5775..7eea1ee 100644
@@ -6,6 +6,14 @@ be removed from this file.
 
 ---------------------------
 
+What: /proc/sys/vm/nr_pdflush_threads
+When: 2012
+Why: Since pdflush is deprecated, the interface exported in /proc/sys/vm/
+     should be removed.
+Who: Wanpeng Li <[email protected]>
+
+---------------------------
+
 What:	CONFIG_APM_CPU_IDLE, and its ability to call APM BIOS in idle
 When:	2012
 Why:	This optional sub-feature of APM is of dubious reliability,
Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt +0 -11
index 96f0ee8..71c17d2 100644
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ Currently, these files are in /proc/sys/vm:
 - mmap_min_addr
 - nr_hugepages
 - nr_overcommit_hugepages
-- nr_pdflush_threads
 - nr_trim_pages         (only if CONFIG_MMU=n)
 - numa_zonelist_order
 - oom_dump_tasks
@@ -426,16 +425,6 @@ See Documentation/vm/hugetlbpage.txt
 
 ==============================================================
 
-nr_pdflush_threads
-
-The current number of pdflush threads.  This value is read-only.
-The value changes according to the number of dirty pages in the system.
-
-When necessary, additional pdflush threads are created, one per second, up to
-nr_pdflush_threads_max.
-
-==============================================================
-
 nr_trim_pages
 
 This is available only on NOMMU kernels.
fs/fs-writeback.c +0 -5
index 539f36c..30ddb8a 100644
@@ -52,11 +52,6 @@ struct wb_writeback_work {
 	struct completion *done;	/* set if the caller waits */
 };
 
-/*
- * We don't actually have pdflush, but this one is exported though /proc...
- */
-int nr_pdflush_threads;
-
 /**
  * writeback_in_progress - determine whether there is writeback in progress
  * @bdi: the device's backing_dev_info structure.
include/linux/sysctl.h +3 -0
index c34b4c8..f25be74 100644
@@ -964,6 +964,9 @@ extern int proc_doulongvec_ms_jiffies_minmax(struct ctl_table *table, int,
 				      void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *);
 extern int proc_do_large_bitmap(struct ctl_table *, int,
 				void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *);
+extern int proc_deprecated(struct ctl_table *, int,
+				void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *);
+
 
 /*
  * Register a set of sysctl names by calling register_sysctl_table
include/linux/writeback.h +0 -5
index a2b84f5..13b5df7 100644
@@ -193,9 +193,4 @@ void tag_pages_for_writeback(struct address_space *mapping,
 
 void account_page_redirty(struct page *page);
 
-/* pdflush.c */
-extern int nr_pdflush_threads;	/* Global so it can be exported to sysctl
-				   read-only. */
-
-
 #endif		/* WRITEBACK_H */
kernel/sysctl.c +13 -5
index 4ab1187..1ab53cb 100644
@@ -1095,11 +1095,9 @@ static struct ctl_table vm_table[] = {
 		.extra1		= &zero,
 	},
 	{
-		.procname	= "nr_pdflush_threads",
-		.data		= &nr_pdflush_threads,
-		.maxlen		= sizeof nr_pdflush_threads,
-		.mode		= 0444 /* read-only*/,
-		.proc_handler	= proc_dointvec,
+		.procname       = "nr_pdflush_threads",
+		.mode           = 0444 /* read-only */,
+		.proc_handler   = proc_deprecated,
 	},
 	{
 		.procname	= "swappiness",
@@ -2505,6 +2503,15 @@ int proc_doulongvec_ms_jiffies_minmax(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
 
 #endif /* CONFIG_PROC_SYSCTL */
 
+/* notice associated proc deprecated */
+int proc_deprecated(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
+		    void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp, loff_t *ppos)
+{
+	printk(KERN_WARNING "%s exported in /proc is deprecated\n",
+			table->procname);
+	return -ENOSYS;
+}
+
 /*
  * No sense putting this after each symbol definition, twice,
  * exception granted :-)
@@ -2517,3 +2524,4 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_dointvec_ms_jiffies);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_dostring);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_doulongvec_minmax);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_doulongvec_ms_jiffies_minmax);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_deprecated);
kernel/sysctl_binary.c +1 -1
index a650694..65bdcf1 100644
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ static const struct bin_table bin_vm_table[] = {
 	{ CTL_INT,	VM_DIRTY_RATIO,			"dirty_ratio" },
 	/* VM_DIRTY_WB_CS "dirty_writeback_centisecs" no longer used */
 	/* VM_DIRTY_EXPIRE_CS "dirty_expire_centisecs" no longer used */
-	{ CTL_INT,	VM_NR_PDFLUSH_THREADS,		"nr_pdflush_threads" },
+	/* VM_NR_PDFLUSH_THREADS "nr_pdflush_threads" no longer used */
 	{ CTL_INT,	VM_OVERCOMMIT_RATIO,		"overcommit_ratio" },
 	/* VM_PAGEBUF unused */
 	/* VM_HUGETLB_PAGES "nr_hugepages" no longer used */
Signature · 1 line
1.7.9.5
#1 lore raw
Quoted 8 lines · Wanpeng Li

From: Wanpeng Li <[email protected]>

------------------

Change in v2:

* add printk warning
* add description in Documentation

Do we have old distributions or other users commonly using nr_pdflush_threads?

Otherwise we should just remove the tunable as it is a big complicated no-op.

If someone is using it we need to do the entire rate limited warning thing. You should at least use printk_ratelimit to keep someone from dosing the system by writing to the file too fast.

Eric

Quoted 171 lines

------------------

---
 .../ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads    |    5 +++++
 Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt         |    8 ++++++++
 Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt                        |   11 -----------
 fs/fs-writeback.c                                  |    5 -----
 include/linux/sysctl.h                             |    3 +++
 include/linux/writeback.h                          |    5 -----
 kernel/sysctl.c                                    |   18 +++++++++++++-----
 kernel/sysctl_binary.c                             |    2 +-
 8 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 27 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads
Documentation/ABI/obsolete/proc-sys-vm-nr_pdflush_threads new file +5 -0
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edbe548
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+What:		/proc/sys/vm/nr_pdflush_threads
+Date:		June 2012
+Contact:	Wanpeng Li <[email protected]>
+Description: Since pdflush is replaced by per-BDI flusher, the interface of old pdflush
+             exported in /proc/sys/vm/ should be removed.
Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt +8 -0
index e4b5775..7eea1ee 100644
@@ -6,6 +6,14 @@ be removed from this file.
 
 ---------------------------
 
+What: /proc/sys/vm/nr_pdflush_threads
+When: 2012
+Why: Since pdflush is deprecated, the interface exported in /proc/sys/vm/
+     should be removed.
+Who: Wanpeng Li <[email protected]>
+
+---------------------------
+
 What:	CONFIG_APM_CPU_IDLE, and its ability to call APM BIOS in idle
 When:	2012
 Why:	This optional sub-feature of APM is of dubious reliability,
Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt +0 -11
index 96f0ee8..71c17d2 100644
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ Currently, these files are in /proc/sys/vm:
 - mmap_min_addr
 - nr_hugepages
 - nr_overcommit_hugepages
-- nr_pdflush_threads
 - nr_trim_pages         (only if CONFIG_MMU=n)
 - numa_zonelist_order
 - oom_dump_tasks
@@ -426,16 +425,6 @@ See Documentation/vm/hugetlbpage.txt
 
 ==============================================================
 
-nr_pdflush_threads
-
-The current number of pdflush threads.  This value is read-only.
-The value changes according to the number of dirty pages in the system.
-
-When necessary, additional pdflush threads are created, one per second, up to
-nr_pdflush_threads_max.
-
-==============================================================
-
 nr_trim_pages
 
 This is available only on NOMMU kernels.
fs/fs-writeback.c +0 -5
index 539f36c..30ddb8a 100644
@@ -52,11 +52,6 @@ struct wb_writeback_work {
 	struct completion *done;	/* set if the caller waits */
 };
 
-/*
- * We don't actually have pdflush, but this one is exported though /proc...
- */
-int nr_pdflush_threads;
-
 /**
  * writeback_in_progress - determine whether there is writeback in progress
  * @bdi: the device's backing_dev_info structure.
include/linux/sysctl.h +3 -0
index c34b4c8..f25be74 100644
@@ -964,6 +964,9 @@ extern int proc_doulongvec_ms_jiffies_minmax(struct ctl_table *table, int,
 				      void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *);
 extern int proc_do_large_bitmap(struct ctl_table *, int,
 				void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *);
+extern int proc_deprecated(struct ctl_table *, int,
+				void __user *, size_t *, loff_t *);
+
 
 /*
  * Register a set of sysctl names by calling register_sysctl_table
include/linux/writeback.h +0 -5
index a2b84f5..13b5df7 100644
@@ -193,9 +193,4 @@ void tag_pages_for_writeback(struct address_space *mapping,
 
 void account_page_redirty(struct page *page);
 
-/* pdflush.c */
-extern int nr_pdflush_threads;	/* Global so it can be exported to sysctl
-				   read-only. */
-
-
 #endif		/* WRITEBACK_H */
kernel/sysctl.c +13 -5
index 4ab1187..1ab53cb 100644
@@ -1095,11 +1095,9 @@ static struct ctl_table vm_table[] = {
 		.extra1		= &zero,
 	},
 	{
-		.procname	= "nr_pdflush_threads",
-		.data		= &nr_pdflush_threads,
-		.maxlen		= sizeof nr_pdflush_threads,
-		.mode		= 0444 /* read-only*/,
-		.proc_handler	= proc_dointvec,
+		.procname       = "nr_pdflush_threads",
+		.mode           = 0444 /* read-only */,
+		.proc_handler   = proc_deprecated,
 	},
 	{
 		.procname	= "swappiness",
@@ -2505,6 +2503,15 @@ int proc_doulongvec_ms_jiffies_minmax(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
 
 #endif /* CONFIG_PROC_SYSCTL */
 
+/* notice associated proc deprecated */
+int proc_deprecated(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
+		    void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp, loff_t *ppos)
+{
+	printk(KERN_WARNING "%s exported in /proc is deprecated\n",
+			table->procname);
+	return -ENOSYS;
+}
+
 /*
  * No sense putting this after each symbol definition, twice,
  * exception granted :-)
@@ -2517,3 +2524,4 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_dointvec_ms_jiffies);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_dostring);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_doulongvec_minmax);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_doulongvec_ms_jiffies_minmax);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(proc_deprecated);
kernel/sysctl_binary.c +1 -1
index a650694..65bdcf1 100644
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ static const struct bin_table bin_vm_table[] = {
 	{ CTL_INT,	VM_DIRTY_RATIO,			"dirty_ratio" },
 	/* VM_DIRTY_WB_CS "dirty_writeback_centisecs" no longer used */
 	/* VM_DIRTY_EXPIRE_CS "dirty_expire_centisecs" no longer used */
-	{ CTL_INT,	VM_NR_PDFLUSH_THREADS,		"nr_pdflush_threads" },
+	/* VM_NR_PDFLUSH_THREADS "nr_pdflush_threads" no longer used */
 	{ CTL_INT,	VM_OVERCOMMIT_RATIO,		"overcommit_ratio" },
 	/* VM_PAGEBUF unused */
 	/* VM_HUGETLB_PAGES "nr_hugepages" no longer used */