function-graph/x86: Replace unbalanced ret with jmp
The function graph tracer replaces the return address with a hook
to trace the exit of the function call. This hook will finish by
returning to the real location the function should return to.
But the current implementation uses a ret to jump to the real
return location. This causes a imbalance between calls and ret.
That is the original function does a call, the ret goes to the
handler and then the handler does a ret without a matching call.
Although the function graph tracer itself still breaks the branch
predictor by replacing the original ret, by using a second ret and
causing an imbalance, it breaks the predictor even more.
This patch replaces the ret with a jmp to keep the calls and ret
balanced. I tested this on one box and it showed a 1.7% increase in
performance. Another box only showed a small 0.3% increase. But no
box that I tested this on showed a decrease in performance by
making this change.
Signed-off-by: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@goodmis.org>
Acked-by: Mathieu Desnoyers <mathieu.desnoyers@polymtl.ca>
Cc: Frederic Weisbecker <fweisbec@gmail.com>
LKML-Reference: <20091013203425.042034383@goodmis.org>
Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@elte.hu>
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S
index c097e7d..7d52e9d 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S
@@ -1185,17 +1185,14 @@
.globl return_to_handler
return_to_handler:
- pushl $0
pushl %eax
- pushl %ecx
pushl %edx
movl %ebp, %eax
call ftrace_return_to_handler
- movl %eax, 0xc(%esp)
+ movl %eax, %ecx
popl %edx
- popl %ecx
popl %eax
- ret
+ jmp *%ecx
#endif
.section .rodata,"a"
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
index b5c061f..bd5bbdd 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
@@ -155,11 +155,11 @@
call ftrace_return_to_handler
- movq %rax, 16(%rsp)
+ movq %rax, %rdi
movq 8(%rsp), %rdx
movq (%rsp), %rax
- addq $16, %rsp
- retq
+ addq $24, %rsp
+ jmp *%rdi
#endif
