• Shaohua Li's avatar
    readahead: fix pipeline break caused by block plug · 3deaa719
    Shaohua Li authored
    Herbert Poetzl reported a performance regression since 2.6.39.  The test
    is a simple dd read, but with big block size.  The reason is:
    
    T1: ra (A, A+128k), (A+128k, A+256k)
    T2: lock_page for page A, submit the 256k
    T3: hit page A+128K, ra (A+256k, A+384). the range isn't submitted
    because of plug and there isn't any lock_page till we hit page A+256k
    because all pages from A to A+256k is in memory
    T4: hit page A+256k, ra (A+384, A+ 512). Because of plug, the range isn't
    submitted again.
    T5: lock_page A+256k, so (A+256k, A+512k) will be submitted. The task is
    waitting for (A+256k, A+512k) finish.
    
    There is no request to disk in T3 and T4, so readahead pipeline breaks.
    
    We really don't need block plug for generic_file_aio_read() for buffered
    I/O.  The readahead already has plug and has fine grained control when I/O
    should be submitted.  Deleting plug for buffered I/O fixes the regression.
    
    One side effect is plug makes the request size 256k, the size is 128k...
    3deaa719
filemap.c 69.5 KB