On Wed, Mar 29, 2017 at 5:47 AM, Ola Liljedahl <[email protected]>
wrote:

> On 29 March 2017 at 10:43, Francois Ozog <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> If there is a cost to get virtual address, then I assume translation is
>> NOT just casting: correct?
>>
> Correct. linux-generic has a number of dereferences in the code that
> returns e.g. the buffer address from a buffer handle. This is not optimised
> for performance. The design does provide the ability to check buffer
> handles for correctness/validity but I cannot see any code that actually
> does this so an invalid buffer handle might crash the code (some out of
> bounds memory access).
>
> I suspect that the hot spots are due to the fact that in many cases we are
only using a 32-bit value and wrapping it in a 64-bit handle. This was
originally done to make the strong typing 32/64 bit agnostic.  But this can
change if we widen the linux-generic handles to use the full pointer width.
Ola: you should no longer be seeing those hot spots in the packet code
since with the more recent changes Petri introduced the odp_packet_t is now
simply a pointer to an odp_packet_hdr_t, similar to how in odp-dpdk it is a
pointer to an rte_mbuf.

Certainly in odp-cloud we should do a similar mapping for other key handle
types.

Another approach requires a bit more config/tools technology would be to
support multiple type definitions as a performance tuning option. When
developing you'd compile using an include structure that has handles
defined as pointers to structs to get the strong typing and then support a
compile option for production use that redefines the handles to be
uint32_t. That would reduce their footprint to 32-bits but would lose
strong type checking, however that's a trade-off an application writer
could decide is worth while.

Currently we support a -DDEBUG option that includes additional runtime
checking. We could do this via a similar -DTYPE_CHECK option (default) and
support a -DNO_TYPE_CHECK for the "compact" handles.


>
>> FF
>>
>> On 29 March 2017 at 10:00, Ola Liljedahl <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> So there is a choice between
>>> A) enabling static type checking in the compiler through strong typing
>>> => requires (syntactical) pointers i C => handles are 64-bit on 64-bit
>>> systems
>>> B) optimise for size and cache efficiency by using 32-bit (scalar)
>>> handles
>>>
>>> Currently this choice is hard-wired into the ODP linux-generic
>>> implementation.
>>>
>>> When profiling some ODP examples, I can see hot spots in the functions
>>> that convert "pointer"-handles into the actual object pointers
>>> (virtual addresses). So we are paying a double price here, handles are
>>> large (increases cache pressure) and we have to translate handles to
>>> address before we can reference the objects in the ODP calls.
>>>
>>> On 29 March 2017 at 06:10, Bill Fischofer <[email protected]>
>>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > On Tue, Mar 28, 2017 at 10:47 PM Honnappa Nagarahalli
>>> > <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >> On 28 March 2017 at 22:27, Bill Fischofer <[email protected]>
>>> >> wrote:
>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>> >> > On Mon, Mar 27, 2017 at 10:11 PM, Honnappa Nagarahalli
>>> >> > <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> On 27 March 2017 at 08:36, Ola Liljedahl <[email protected]
>>> >
>>> >> >> wrote:
>>> >> >> > On 27 March 2017 at 07:58, Honnappa Nagarahalli
>>> >> >> > <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> >> >> >> My answers inline. I was confused as hell just a month back :)
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> On 23 March 2017 at 06:28, Francois Ozog <
>>> [email protected]>
>>> >> >> >> wrote:
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >>> The more I dig the less I understand ;-)
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> Let me ask a few questions:
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> - in the future, when selling 32 bit silicon, which
>>> architecture
>>> >> >> >>> version
>>> >> >> >>> will it be ARMv7 or ARMv8 ?
>>> >> >> > AFAIK, future 32-bit ARM cores (from ARM) will be ARMv8. But
>>> people
>>> >> >> > are still building SoC's with e.g. ARM920 which is ARMv4T or
>>> >> >> > something.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> What you are referring to is ISA version, not architecture.
>>> AArch32
>>> >> >> >> and
>>> >> >> >> AArch64 are architectures. ARMv8 also supports AArch32 (i.e.
>>> AArch32
>>> >> >> >> with
>>> >> >> >> ARMv8 ISA)
>>> >> >> > ARMv8 has two architectural states, AArch32 and AArch64. An ARMv8
>>> >> >> > implementation can implement either-or or both. There are already
>>> >> >> > examples out there of all these different combinations.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > AAarch32 supports the A32 and T32 ISA's, these are closely
>>> related to
>>> >> >> > (basically extensions of) the corresponding ARMv7a ARM and
>>> Thumb(-2)
>>> >> >> > ISA's.
>>> >> >> > The A32 (and T32?) ISA's have some of the ARMv8 extensions, e.g.
>>> >> >> > load-acquire, store-release, crypto instructions, simplified WFE
>>> >> >> > support etc.
>>> >> >> > A user space ARMv7a image should run unmodified on
>>> ARMv8/AArch32, I
>>> >> >> > don't know about other privilege levels but I can imagine an
>>> ARMv7a
>>> >> >> > kernel running in AArch32 with an AArch64 hypervisor.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > AArch64 supports the A64 ISA. This ISA actually supports both
>>> 32-bit
>>> >> >> > and 64-bit operations (although all addresses are 64-bit AFAIK).
>>> >> >> > 32-bit operations use Wn registers and 64-bit operations use Xn
>>> >> >> > registers. It's the same register set, Wn just denotes the lower
>>> 32
>>> >> >> > bits.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> - is the target solution will be running ALL in 32 bits? (boot
>>> in 32
>>> >> >> >> bits,
>>> >> >> >>> Linux 32 bits, 32 bits apps)?
>>> >> >> >>> - or is the target solution will be hybrid (64 bits Linux and
>>> some
>>> >> >> >>> 32
>>> >> >> >>> bits
>>> >> >> >>> apps).
>>> >> >> > I think this is the more likely path. If you have >= than 4GB of
>>> RAM
>>> >> >> > (and also other stuff that needs physical addressing), you want a
>>> >> >> > 64-bit kernel.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> The target solution could be Hybrid. Linux could be 64b, the
>>> >> >> >> applications
>>> >> >> >> could be 32b. It is my understanding that everything 32b is also
>>> >> >> >> possible
>>> >> >> >> using AArch32.
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >>> When I read "AArch64 was designed to remove known
>>> implementation
>>> >> >> >>> challenges of AArch32 cores" on http://infocenter.arm.com/
>>> >> >> >>> help/index.jsp?topic=/com.arm.doc.dai0490a/ar01s01.html
>>> >> >> >>> I wonder if stating we support AArch32 is a good idea...
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> So what is the best way to describe what we want?
>>> >> >> >>> -  ARMv8    LP64 or ILP32 ?
>>> >> >> >>> - AArch64  LP64 or ILP32 ?
>>> >> >> >>> - LP64 or ILP32?
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> I think the best way to say is 'we support AArch64 and
>>> AArch32'.
>>> >> >> > Re AArch64, LP64 or ILP32 applications?
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > AArch32 or ARMv7a?
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >>> FF
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> On 23 March 2017 at 04:57, Honnappa Nagarahalli <
>>> >> >> >>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>>> Hi Bill / Matt and others,
>>> >> >> >>>>             What I was trying to say in our discussion is
>>> that,
>>> >> >> >>>> the
>>> >> >> >>>> ODP-Cloud code should not be pointer heavy.
>>> >> >> >>>>
>>> >> >> >>>> Please take a look at this video from BUD17:
>>> >> >> >>>> http://connect.linaro.org/resource/bud17/bud17-101/
>>> (unfortunately
>>> >> >> >>>> there are no slides, I am trying to get them). This talks
>>> about
>>> >> >> >>>> the
>>> >> >> >>>> performance of the 32b application on AArch64. One of the
>>> >> >> >>>> applications, has huge performance improvement while running
>>> in
>>> >> >> >>>> 32b
>>> >> >> >>>> mode (ILP32 in this particular case) on AArch64 (when
>>> compared to
>>> >> >> >>>> the
>>> >> >> >>>> same application compiled for 64b mode running on AArch64
>>> i.e. in
>>> >> >> >>>> 64b
>>> >> >> >>>> compilation it performed very poorly). My understanding is
>>> that
>>> >> >> >>>> this
>>> >> >> >>>> particular application is a pointer chasing application. Other
>>> >> >> >>>> applications which are not pointer heavy, do not have this
>>> >> >> >>>> behavior.
>>> >> >> > Isn't the problem with LP64 that if you have a lot of pointers
>>> stored
>>> >> >> > in data structures, these take 2x the space of ILP32 pointers and
>>> >> >> > thus
>>> >> >> > increases the cache pressure.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > I don't think it is the pointer chasing itself that is penalised
>>> by
>>> >> >> > 64-bit pointers. Pointer chasing apps are penalised by long
>>> >> >> > load-to-use latencies (L1 cache hit latency, L2/L3 latencies,
>>> DRAM
>>> >> >> > latency).
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >>>>
>>> >> >> >>>> So, we need to make sure ODP-Cloud is not pointer heavy and
>>> does
>>> >> >> >>>> not
>>> >> >> >>>> force the application to be pointer heavy, to get good
>>> performance
>>> >> >> >>>> out
>>> >> >> >>>> of 64b systems.
>>> >> >> > Even with LP64, ODP could use 32-bit handles for ODP objects. The
>>> >> >> > address lookup of the handle needs to be efficient (from a cache
>>> >> >> > perspective) though, already now I can see hotspots in the
>>> function
>>> >> >> > that returns an address from a handle.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Yes, this is what I am trying to convey. If we have 32-bit
>>> handles, it
>>> >> >> does not matter whether it is Aarch32 or Aarch64, the performance
>>> will
>>> >> >> be optimized.
>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>> >> > The only way we've been able to achieve strong typing with ODP is
>>> if the
>>> >> > handles are of size sizeof(void *). This isn't the case in AArch64,
>>> so I
>>> >> > don't think this will hold. Obviously when ODP is compiled for
>>> AArch32
>>> >> > pointers (and hence handles) are 32-bits.
>>> >> >
>>> >> I did not understand your comment on strong typing. Can you elaborate
>>> >> or provide an example?
>>> >> If the handles need to be 64b (i.e. even on a 32b system they are
>>> >> 64b), then we should keep them as 64b. Otherwise, performance should
>>> >> be given higher priority.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Look at the ODP strong type files in the plat directory. We achieve
>>> strong
>>> > typing by defining handles to be pointers to structs, which C treats as
>>> > different types. There doesn't appear to be any other way to achieve
>>> this
>>> > since C typedefs are weakly typed.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> >>>>
>>> >> >> >>>> Thank you,
>>> >> >> >>>> Honnappa
>>> >> >> >>>>
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> --
>>> >> >> >>> [image: Linaro] <http://www.linaro.org/>
>>> >> >> >>> François-Frédéric Ozog | *Director Linaro Networking Group*
>>> >> >> >>> T: +33.67221.6485
>>> >> >> >>> [email protected] | Skype: ffozog
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> [image: Linaro] <http://www.linaro.org/>
>> François-Frédéric Ozog | *Director Linaro Networking Group*
>> T: +33.67221.6485
>> [email protected] | Skype: ffozog
>>
>>
>

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