[PATCH v2 2/3] thread-pool: replace semaphore with condition variable

Paolo Bonzini posted 3 patches 3 years, 9 months ago
There is a newer version of this series
[PATCH v2 2/3] thread-pool: replace semaphore with condition variable
Posted by Paolo Bonzini 3 years, 9 months ago
Since commit f9fc8932b1 ("thread-posix: remove the posix semaphore
support", 2022-04-06) QemuSemaphore has its own mutex and condition
variable; this adds unnecessary overhead on I/O with small block sizes.

Check the QTAILQ directly instead of adding the indirection of a
semaphore's count.  Using a semaphore has not been necessary since
qemu_cond_timedwait was introduced; the new code has to be careful about
spurious wakeups but it is simpler, for example thread_pool_cancel does
not have to worry about synchronizing the semaphore count with the number
of elements of pool->request_list.

Note that the return value of qemu_cond_timedwait (0 for timeout, 1 for
signal or spurious wakeup) is different from that of qemu_sem_timedwait
(-1 for timeout, 0 for success).

Reported-by: Lukáš Doktor <ldoktor@redhat.com>
Suggested-by: Stefan Hajnoczi <stefanha@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com>
---
 util/thread-pool.c | 64 +++++++++++++++++-----------------------------
 1 file changed, 24 insertions(+), 40 deletions(-)

diff --git a/util/thread-pool.c b/util/thread-pool.c
index 4979f30ca3..da189d9338 100644
--- a/util/thread-pool.c
+++ b/util/thread-pool.c
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ struct ThreadPool {
     QEMUBH *completion_bh;
     QemuMutex lock;
     QemuCond worker_stopped;
-    QemuSemaphore sem;
+    QemuCond request_cond;
     QEMUBH *new_thread_bh;
 
     /* The following variables are only accessed from one AioContext. */
@@ -74,23 +74,6 @@ struct ThreadPool {
     int max_threads;
 };
 
-static inline bool back_to_sleep(ThreadPool *pool, int ret)
-{
-    /*
-     * The semaphore timed out, we should exit the loop except when:
-     *  - There is work to do, we raced with the signal.
-     *  - The max threads threshold just changed, we raced with the signal.
-     *  - The thread pool forces a minimum number of readily available threads.
-     */
-    if (ret == -1 && (!QTAILQ_EMPTY(&pool->request_list) ||
-            pool->cur_threads > pool->max_threads ||
-            pool->cur_threads <= pool->min_threads)) {
-            return true;
-    }
-
-    return false;
-}
-
 static void *worker_thread(void *opaque)
 {
     ThreadPool *pool = opaque;
@@ -99,20 +82,27 @@ static void *worker_thread(void *opaque)
     pool->pending_threads--;
     do_spawn_thread(pool);
 
-    while (!pool->stopping) {
+    while (!pool->stopping && pool->cur_threads <= pool->max_threads) {
         ThreadPoolElement *req;
         int ret;
 
-        do {
+        if (QTAILQ_EMPTY(&pool->request_list)) {
             pool->idle_threads++;
-            qemu_mutex_unlock(&pool->lock);
-            ret = qemu_sem_timedwait(&pool->sem, 10000);
-            qemu_mutex_lock(&pool->lock);
+            ret = qemu_cond_timedwait(&pool->request_cond, &pool->lock, 10000);
             pool->idle_threads--;
-        } while (back_to_sleep(pool, ret));
-        if (ret == -1 || pool->stopping ||
-            pool->cur_threads > pool->max_threads) {
-            break;
+            if (ret == 0) {
+                if (QTAILQ_EMPTY(&pool->request_list) &&
+                    pool->cur_threads > pool->min_threads) {
+                    /* Timed out + no work to do + no need for warm threads = exit.  */
+                    break;
+                } else {
+                    /*
+                     * Even if there is some work to do, check if there aren't
+                     * too many worker threads before picking it up.
+                     */
+                    continue;
+                }
+            }
         }
 
         req = QTAILQ_FIRST(&pool->request_list);
@@ -229,13 +219,7 @@ static void thread_pool_cancel(BlockAIOCB *acb)
     trace_thread_pool_cancel(elem, elem->common.opaque);
 
     QEMU_LOCK_GUARD(&pool->lock);
-    if (elem->state == THREAD_QUEUED &&
-        /* No thread has yet started working on elem. we can try to "steal"
-         * the item from the worker if we can get a signal from the
-         * semaphore.  Because this is non-blocking, we can do it with
-         * the lock taken and ensure that elem will remain THREAD_QUEUED.
-         */
-        qemu_sem_timedwait(&pool->sem, 0) == 0) {
+    if (elem->state == THREAD_QUEUED) {
         QTAILQ_REMOVE(&pool->request_list, elem, reqs);
         qemu_bh_schedule(pool->completion_bh);
 
@@ -280,7 +264,7 @@ BlockAIOCB *thread_pool_submit_aio(ThreadPool *pool,
     }
     QTAILQ_INSERT_TAIL(&pool->request_list, req, reqs);
     qemu_mutex_unlock(&pool->lock);
-    qemu_sem_post(&pool->sem);
+    qemu_cond_signal(&pool->request_cond);
     return &req->common;
 }
 
@@ -323,7 +307,7 @@ void thread_pool_update_params(ThreadPool *pool, AioContext *ctx)
      * We either have to:
      *  - Increase the number available of threads until over the min_threads
      *    threshold.
-     *  - Decrease the number of available threads until under the max_threads
+     *  - Bump the worker threads so that they exit, until under the max_threads
      *    threshold.
      *  - Do nothing. The current number of threads fall in between the min and
      *    max thresholds. We'll let the pool manage itself.
@@ -333,7 +317,7 @@ void thread_pool_update_params(ThreadPool *pool, AioContext *ctx)
     }
 
     for (int i = pool->cur_threads; i > pool->max_threads; i--) {
-        qemu_sem_post(&pool->sem);
+        qemu_cond_signal(&pool->request_cond);
     }
 
     qemu_mutex_unlock(&pool->lock);
@@ -350,7 +334,7 @@ static void thread_pool_init_one(ThreadPool *pool, AioContext *ctx)
     pool->completion_bh = aio_bh_new(ctx, thread_pool_completion_bh, pool);
     qemu_mutex_init(&pool->lock);
     qemu_cond_init(&pool->worker_stopped);
-    qemu_sem_init(&pool->sem, 0);
+    qemu_cond_init(&pool->request_cond);
     pool->new_thread_bh = aio_bh_new(ctx, spawn_thread_bh_fn, pool);
 
     QLIST_INIT(&pool->head);
@@ -383,15 +367,15 @@ void thread_pool_free(ThreadPool *pool)
 
     /* Wait for worker threads to terminate */
     pool->stopping = true;
+    qemu_cond_broadcast(&pool->request_cond);
     while (pool->cur_threads > 0) {
-        qemu_sem_post(&pool->sem);
         qemu_cond_wait(&pool->worker_stopped, &pool->lock);
     }
 
     qemu_mutex_unlock(&pool->lock);
 
     qemu_bh_delete(pool->completion_bh);
-    qemu_sem_destroy(&pool->sem);
+    qemu_cond_destroy(&pool->request_cond);
     qemu_cond_destroy(&pool->worker_stopped);
     qemu_mutex_destroy(&pool->lock);
     g_free(pool);
-- 
2.36.0


Re: [PATCH v2 2/3] thread-pool: replace semaphore with condition variable
Posted by Nicolas Saenz Julienne 3 years, 9 months ago
Hi Paolo,

On Thu, 2022-05-12 at 12:43 +0200, Paolo Bonzini wrote:

[...]

> diff --git a/util/thread-pool.c b/util/thread-pool.c
> index 4979f30ca3..da189d9338 100644
> --- a/util/thread-pool.c
> +++ b/util/thread-pool.c
> @@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ struct ThreadPool {
>      QEMUBH *completion_bh;
>      QemuMutex lock;
>      QemuCond worker_stopped;
> -    QemuSemaphore sem;
> +    QemuCond request_cond;
>      QEMUBH *new_thread_bh;
>  
>      /* The following variables are only accessed from one
> AioContext. */
> @@ -74,23 +74,6 @@ struct ThreadPool {
>      int max_threads;
>  };
>  
> -static inline bool back_to_sleep(ThreadPool *pool, int ret)
> -{
> -    /*
> -     * The semaphore timed out, we should exit the loop except when:
> -     *  - There is work to do, we raced with the signal.
> -     *  - The max threads threshold just changed, we raced with the
> signal.
> -     *  - The thread pool forces a minimum number of readily
> available threads.
> -     */
> -    if (ret == -1 && (!QTAILQ_EMPTY(&pool->request_list) ||
> -            pool->cur_threads > pool->max_threads ||
> -            pool->cur_threads <= pool->min_threads)) {
> -            return true;
> -    }
> -
> -    return false;
> -}
> -
>  static void *worker_thread(void *opaque)
>  {
>      ThreadPool *pool = opaque;
> @@ -99,20 +82,27 @@ static void *worker_thread(void *opaque)
>      pool->pending_threads--;
>      do_spawn_thread(pool);
>  
> -    while (!pool->stopping) {
> +    while (!pool->stopping && pool->cur_threads <= pool-
> >max_threads) {
>          ThreadPoolElement *req;
>          int ret;
>  
> -        do {
> +        if (QTAILQ_EMPTY(&pool->request_list)) {
>              pool->idle_threads++;
> -            qemu_mutex_unlock(&pool->lock);
> -            ret = qemu_sem_timedwait(&pool->sem, 10000);
> -            qemu_mutex_lock(&pool->lock);
> +            ret = qemu_cond_timedwait(&pool->request_cond, &pool-
> >lock, 10000);
>              pool->idle_threads--;
> -        } while (back_to_sleep(pool, ret));
> -        if (ret == -1 || pool->stopping ||

I think, you need to check for 'pool->stopping' upon exiting wait_cond().
Otherwise it'll blindly try to dequeue a request from a list that is otherwise
empty.

BTW, I see there is no thread_pool_free() unit test.

> -            pool->cur_threads > pool->max_threads) {
> -            break;
> +            if (ret == 0) {
> +                if (QTAILQ_EMPTY(&pool->request_list) &&
> +                    pool->cur_threads > pool->min_threads) {
> +                    /* Timed out + no work to do + no need for warm
> threads = exit.  */
> +                    break;
> +                } else {
> +                    /*
> +                     * Even if there is some work to do, check if
> there aren't
> +                     * too many worker threads before picking it up.
> +                     */
> +                    continue;
> +                }
> +            }
>          }
>  
>          req = QTAILQ_FIRST(&pool->request_list);
> @@ -229,13 +219,7 @@ static void thread_pool_cancel(BlockAIOCB *acb)
>      trace_thread_pool_cancel(elem, elem->common.opaque);
>  
>      QEMU_LOCK_GUARD(&pool->lock);
> -    if (elem->state == THREAD_QUEUED &&
> -        /* No thread has yet started working on elem. we can try to
> "steal"
> -         * the item from the worker if we can get a signal from the
> -         * semaphore.  Because this is non-blocking, we can do it
> with
> -         * the lock taken and ensure that elem will remain
> THREAD_QUEUED.
> -         */
> -        qemu_sem_timedwait(&pool->sem, 0) == 0) {
> +    if (elem->state == THREAD_QUEUED) {
>          QTAILQ_REMOVE(&pool->request_list, elem, reqs);
>          qemu_bh_schedule(pool->completion_bh);


The 'thread-pool cancel' unit test fails.

I think it's because there is an assumption in worker_thread() that if you get
woken up, you'll have a pending request. And you're now 'stealing' work
requests, without 'stealing' a wakeup (what qemu_sem_timedwait(sem, 0) achieved
in the past).

Regards,

-- 
Nicolás Sáenz
Re: [PATCH v2 2/3] thread-pool: replace semaphore with condition variable
Posted by Paolo Bonzini 3 years, 9 months ago
On 5/13/22 13:56, Nicolas Saenz Julienne wrote:
>>               pool->idle_threads++;
>> -            qemu_mutex_unlock(&pool->lock);
>> -            ret = qemu_sem_timedwait(&pool->sem, 10000);
>> -            qemu_mutex_lock(&pool->lock);
>> +            ret = qemu_cond_timedwait(&pool->request_cond, &pool-
>>> lock, 10000);
>>               pool->idle_threads--;
>> -        } while (back_to_sleep(pool, ret));
>> -        if (ret == -1 || pool->stopping ||
>
> I think, you need to check for 'pool->stopping' upon exiting wait_cond().
> Otherwise it'll blindly try to dequeue a request from a list that is otherwise
> empty.

Good point, thanks.

>> -    if (elem->state == THREAD_QUEUED &&
>> -        /* No thread has yet started working on elem. we can try to
>> "steal"
>> -         * the item from the worker if we can get a signal from the
>> -         * semaphore.  Because this is non-blocking, we can do it
>> with
>> -         * the lock taken and ensure that elem will remain
>> THREAD_QUEUED.
>> -         */
>> -        qemu_sem_timedwait(&pool->sem, 0) == 0) {
>> +    if (elem->state == THREAD_QUEUED) {
>>           QTAILQ_REMOVE(&pool->request_list, elem, reqs);
>>           qemu_bh_schedule(pool->completion_bh);
> 
> The 'thread-pool cancel' unit test fails.
> 
> I think it's because there is an assumption in worker_thread() that if you get
> woken up, you'll have a pending request. And you're now 'stealing' work
> requests, without 'stealing' a wakeup (what qemu_sem_timedwait(sem, 0) achieved
> in the past).

You don't need to steal a wakeup because cond_wait does not "count", but 
yeah it's essentially the same issue that you mentioned above.

Paolo