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diff --git a/docs/multiple-iothreads.txt b/docs/multiple-iothreads.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..40b8419916 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/multiple-iothreads.txt @@ -0,0 +1,134 @@ +Copyright (c) 2014 Red Hat Inc. + +This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL, version 2 or later. See +the COPYING file in the top-level directory. + + +This document explains the IOThread feature and how to write code that runs +outside the QEMU global mutex. + +The main loop and IOThreads +--------------------------- +QEMU is an event-driven program that can do several things at once using an +event loop. The VNC server and the QMP monitor are both processed from the +same event loop, which monitors their file descriptors until they become +readable and then invokes a callback. + +The default event loop is called the main loop (see main-loop.c). It is +possible to create additional event loop threads using -object +iothread,id=my-iothread. + +Side note: The main loop and IOThread are both event loops but their code is +not shared completely. Sometimes it is useful to remember that although they +are conceptually similar they are currently not interchangeable. + +Why IOThreads are useful +------------------------ +IOThreads allow the user to control the placement of work. The main loop is a +scalability bottleneck on hosts with many CPUs. Work can be spread across +several IOThreads instead of just one main loop. When set up correctly this +can improve I/O latency and reduce jitter seen by the guest. + +The main loop is also deeply associated with the QEMU global mutex, which is a +scalability bottleneck in itself. vCPU threads and the main loop use the QEMU +global mutex to serialize execution of QEMU code. This mutex is necessary +because a lot of QEMU's code historically was not thread-safe. + +The fact that all I/O processing is done in a single main loop and that the +QEMU global mutex is contended by all vCPU threads and the main loop explain +why it is desirable to place work into IOThreads. + +The experimental virtio-blk data-plane implementation has been benchmarked and +shows these effects: +ftp://public.dhe.ibm.com/linux/pdfs/KVM_Virtualized_IO_Performance_Paper.pdf + +How to program for IOThreads +---------------------------- +The main difference between legacy code and new code that can run in an +IOThread is dealing explicitly with the event loop object, AioContext +(see include/block/aio.h). Code that only works in the main loop +implicitly uses the main loop's AioContext. Code that supports running +in IOThreads must be aware of its AioContext. + +AioContext supports the following services: + * File descriptor monitoring (read/write/error on POSIX hosts) + * Event notifiers (inter-thread signalling) + * Timers + * Bottom Halves (BH) deferred callbacks + +There are several old APIs that use the main loop AioContext: + * LEGACY qemu_aio_set_fd_handler() - monitor a file descriptor + * LEGACY qemu_aio_set_event_notifier() - monitor an event notifier + * LEGACY timer_new_ms() - create a timer + * LEGACY qemu_bh_new() - create a BH + * LEGACY qemu_aio_wait() - run an event loop iteration + +Since they implicitly work on the main loop they cannot be used in code that +runs in an IOThread. They might cause a crash or deadlock if called from an +IOThread since the QEMU global mutex is not held. + +Instead, use the AioContext functions directly (see include/block/aio.h): + * aio_set_fd_handler() - monitor a file descriptor + * aio_set_event_notifier() - monitor an event notifier + * aio_timer_new() - create a timer + * aio_bh_new() - create a BH + * aio_poll() - run an event loop iteration + +The AioContext can be obtained from the IOThread using +iothread_get_aio_context() or for the main loop using qemu_get_aio_context(). +Code that takes an AioContext argument works both in IOThreads or the main +loop, depending on which AioContext instance the caller passes in. + +How to synchronize with an IOThread +----------------------------------- +AioContext is not thread-safe so some rules must be followed when using file +descriptors, event notifiers, timers, or BHs across threads: + +1. AioContext functions can be called safely from file descriptor, event +notifier, timer, or BH callbacks invoked by the AioContext. No locking is +necessary. + +2. Other threads wishing to access the AioContext must use +aio_context_acquire()/aio_context_release() for mutual exclusion. Once the +context is acquired no other thread can access it or run event loop iterations +in this AioContext. + +aio_context_acquire()/aio_context_release() calls may be nested. This +means you can call them if you're not sure whether #1 applies. + +There is currently no lock ordering rule if a thread needs to acquire multiple +AioContexts simultaneously. Therefore, it is only safe for code holding the +QEMU global mutex to acquire other AioContexts. + +Side note: the best way to schedule a function call across threads is to create +a BH in the target AioContext beforehand and then call qemu_bh_schedule(). No +acquire/release or locking is needed for the qemu_bh_schedule() call. But be +sure to acquire the AioContext for aio_bh_new() if necessary. + +The relationship between AioContext and the block layer +------------------------------------------------------- +The AioContext originates from the QEMU block layer because it provides a +scoped way of running event loop iterations until all work is done. This +feature is used to complete all in-flight block I/O requests (see +bdrv_drain_all()). Nowadays AioContext is a generic event loop that can be +used by any QEMU subsystem. + +The block layer has support for AioContext integrated. Each BlockDriverState +is associated with an AioContext using bdrv_set_aio_context() and +bdrv_get_aio_context(). This allows block layer code to process I/O inside the +right AioContext. Other subsystems may wish to follow a similar approach. + +Block layer code must therefore expect to run in an IOThread and avoid using +old APIs that implicitly use the main loop. See the "How to program for +IOThreads" above for information on how to do that. + +If main loop code such as a QMP function wishes to access a BlockDriverState it +must first call aio_context_acquire(bdrv_get_aio_context(bs)) to ensure the +IOThread does not run in parallel. + +Long-running jobs (usually in the form of coroutines) are best scheduled in the +BlockDriverState's AioContext to avoid the need to acquire/release around each +bdrv_*() call. Be aware that there is currently no mechanism to get notified +when bdrv_set_aio_context() moves this BlockDriverState to a different +AioContext (see bdrv_detach_aio_context()/bdrv_attach_aio_context()), so you +may need to add this if you want to support long-running jobs. |