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Date:      Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:42:18 -0400 (EDT)
From:      Benjamin Kaduk <kaduk@MIT.EDU>
To:        Wojciech Puchar <wojtek@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl>
Cc:        freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org, Sebastian Feld <sebastian.n.feld@gmail.com>
Subject:   Re: Multiple page size support on FreeBSD?
Message-ID:  <alpine.GSO.1.10.1304101438500.9389@multics.mit.edu>
In-Reply-To: <alpine.BSF.2.00.1304101947470.19441@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl>
References:  <CAHnbEGJuo9Jvskxaog0xLVM_LOse695b4E3fKae7YufOAVZuBg@mail.gmail.com> <alpine.GSO.1.10.1304072319300.9389@multics.mit.edu> <alpine.BSF.2.00.1304081238580.6013@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> <201304101006.13960.jhb@freebsd.org> <alpine.BSF.2.00.1304101947470.19441@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl>

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On Wed, 10 Apr 2013, Wojciech Puchar wrote:

>> How do your tests work?  Do you examine PTEs directly to check for 
>> superpages
>> or are you relying on the vm.pmap.pde sysctls?
>
> the later.
>
> anyway - algorithm described on list - that heuristics detects consecutive 
> page access doesn't really help the urgent case - RANDOM access to large 
> amount of memory.

The algorithm is not a heuristic based on consecutive accesses, promotion 
occurs when the entire superpage's worth of memory has actually been 
accessed.  If I remember correctly, the performance gain from superpages 
was only a few percent, so spending more time trying to decide when to use 
them would make the algorithm a net wash.

You should really watch the talk I linked to if you're interested, it was 
quite interesting.

> sequential access will get minimal improvement.
>
> IMHO the only way that really make sens is to add options to madvise to give 
> kernel information about usage.

Maybe.

-Ben Kaduk



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