Virtualization - Apr 2021 - [PATCH RFC v2 1/4] virtio: fix up virtio_disable_cb

On Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 10:01:11AM -0400, Willem de Bruijn
wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 1:47 AM Michael S. Tsirkin <mst at
redhat.com> wrote:
> >
> > virtio_disable_cb is currently a nop for split ring with event index.
> > This is because it used to be always called from a callback when we
know
> > device won't trigger more events until we update the index. 
However,
> > now that we run with interrupts enabled a lot we also poll without a
> > callback so that is different: disabling callbacks will help reduce
the
> > number of spurious interrupts.
> 
> The device may poll for transmit completions as a result of an interrupt
> from virtnet_poll_tx.
> 
> As well as asynchronously to this transmit interrupt, from start_xmit or
> from virtnet_poll_cleantx as a result of a receive interrupt.
> 
> As of napi-tx, transmit interrupts are left enabled to operate in standard
> napi mode. While previously they would be left disabled for most of the
> time, enabling only when the queue as low on descriptors.
> 
> (in practice, for the at the time common case of split ring with event
index,
> little changed, as that mode does not actually enable/disable the
interrupt,
> but looks at the consumer index in the ring to decide whether to interrupt)
> 
> Combined, this may cause the following:
> 
> 1. device sends a packet and fires transmit interrupt
> 2. driver cleans interrupts using virtnet_poll_cleantx
> 3. driver handles transmit interrupt using vring_interrupt,
>     detects that the vring is empty: !more_used(vq),
>     and records a spurious interrupt.
> 
> I don't quite follow how suppressing interrupt suppression, i.e.,
> skipping disable_cb, helps avoid this.
> I'm probably missing something. Is this solving a subtly different
> problem from the one as I understand it?
I was thinking of this one:

 1. device is sending packets
 2. driver cleans them at the same time using virtnet_poll_cleantx
 3. device fires transmit interrupts
 4. driver handles transmit interrupts using vring_interrupt,
     detects that the vring is empty: !more_used(vq),
     and records spurious interrupts.


but even yours is also fixed I think.

The common point is that a single spurious interrupt is not a problem.
The problem only exists if there are tons of spurious interrupts with no
real ones. For this to trigger, we keep polling the ring and while we do
device keeps firing interrupts. So just disable interrupts while we
poll.


> > Further, if using event index with a packed ring, and if being called
> > from a callback, we actually do disable interrupts which is
unnecessary.
> >
> > Fix both issues by tracking whenever we get a callback. If that is
> > the case disabling interrupts with event index can be a nop.
> > If not the case disable interrupts. Note: with a split ring
> > there's no explicit "no interrupts" value. For now we
write
> > a fixed value so our chance of triggering an interupt
> > is 1/ring size. It's probably better to write something
> > related to the last used index there to reduce the chance
> > even further. For now I'm keeping it simple.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Michael S. Tsirkin <mst at redhat.com>

On Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 3:54 PM Michael S. Tsirkin <mst at redhat.com>
wrote:
>
> On Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 10:01:11AM -0400, Willem de Bruijn wrote:
> > On Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 1:47 AM Michael S. Tsirkin <mst at
redhat.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > virtio_disable_cb is currently a nop for split ring with event
index.
> > > This is because it used to be always called from a callback when
we know
> > > device won't trigger more events until we update the index. 
However,
> > > now that we run with interrupts enabled a lot we also poll
without a
> > > callback so that is different: disabling callbacks will help
reduce the
> > > number of spurious interrupts.
> >
> > The device may poll for transmit completions as a result of an
interrupt
> > from virtnet_poll_tx.
> >
> > As well as asynchronously to this transmit interrupt, from start_xmit
or
> > from virtnet_poll_cleantx as a result of a receive interrupt.
> >
> > As of napi-tx, transmit interrupts are left enabled to operate in
standard
> > napi mode. While previously they would be left disabled for most of
the
> > time, enabling only when the queue as low on descriptors.
> >
> > (in practice, for the at the time common case of split ring with event
index,
> > little changed, as that mode does not actually enable/disable the
interrupt,
> > but looks at the consumer index in the ring to decide whether to
interrupt)
> >
> > Combined, this may cause the following:
> >
> > 1. device sends a packet and fires transmit interrupt
> > 2. driver cleans interrupts using virtnet_poll_cleantx
> > 3. driver handles transmit interrupt using vring_interrupt,
> >     detects that the vring is empty: !more_used(vq),
> >     and records a spurious interrupt.
> >
> > I don't quite follow how suppressing interrupt suppression, i.e.,
> > skipping disable_cb, helps avoid this.
> > I'm probably missing something. Is this solving a subtly different
> > problem from the one as I understand it?
>
> I was thinking of this one:
>
>  1. device is sending packets
>  2. driver cleans them at the same time using virtnet_poll_cleantx
>  3. device fires transmit interrupts
>  4. driver handles transmit interrupts using vring_interrupt,
>      detects that the vring is empty: !more_used(vq),
>      and records spurious interrupts.
I think that's the same scenario
>
>
> but even yours is also fixed I think.
>
> The common point is that a single spurious interrupt is not a problem.
> The problem only exists if there are tons of spurious interrupts with no
> real ones. For this to trigger, we keep polling the ring and while we do
> device keeps firing interrupts. So just disable interrupts while we
> poll.
But the main change in this patch is to turn some virtqueue_disable_cb
calls into no-ops. I don't understand how that helps reduce spurious
interrupts, as if anything, it keeps interrupts enabled for longer.

Another patch in the series disable callbacks* before starting to
clean the descriptors from the rx interrupt. That I do understand will
suppress additional tx interrupts that might see no work to be done. I
just don't entire follow this patch on its own.

*(I use interrupt and callback as a synonym in this context, correct
me if I'm glancing over something essential)