WARNING - OLD ARCHIVES

This is an archived copy of the Xen.org mailing list, which we have preserved to ensure that existing links to archives are not broken. The live archive, which contains the latest emails, can be found at http://lists.xen.org/
   
 
 
Xen 
 
Home Products Support Community News
 
   
 

xen-devel

RE: [Xen-devel] [PATCH] linux/balloon: don't allow ballooningdowna domai

To: "Keir Fraser" <keir.fraser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "xen-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <xen-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: [Xen-devel] [PATCH] linux/balloon: don't allow ballooningdowna domain below a reasonable limit
From: "Dan Magenheimer" <dan.magenheimer@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 3 May 2008 07:53:41 -0600
Delivery-date: Sat, 03 May 2008 06:54:33 -0700
Envelope-to: www-data@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In-reply-to: <C4407BB3.181AA%keir.fraser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
List-help: <mailto:xen-devel-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=help>
List-id: Xen developer discussion <xen-devel.lists.xensource.com>
List-post: <mailto:xen-devel@lists.xensource.com>
List-subscribe: <http://lists.xensource.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xen-devel>, <mailto:xen-devel-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=subscribe>
List-unsubscribe: <http://lists.xensource.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xen-devel>, <mailto:xen-devel-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=unsubscribe>
Organization: Oracle Corporation
Reply-to: "dan.magenheimer@xxxxxxxxxx" <dan.magenheimer@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sender: xen-devel-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thread-index: Acir4vjMmun6nBQMSpW/phdu9vBZbAAP+FopAD7pJPA=
> From: Keir Fraser [mailto:keir.fraser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> Okay, I will comment when I see it. I'm not sure what design you are working
> on: perhaps extract memory stats from the guest via xenbus and implement
> ballooning policy in dom0? That is what I would prefer to see. The Novell
> ballooning-limit checks were only added as a safety backstop in the guest
> itself. Apart from tweaking it to make it less conservative where we are
> confident that is safe, any more complicated policy, and of course and
> cross-domain global optimisation, doesn't belong in the 
> individual guests.

(cc's removed due to topic drift)

I was planning on providing both Model C and Model D (see below),
but let me know if you will only accept Model C (or even Model B)
and I will adjust accordingly. 

===============
MODEL A (current):

Domain 0 sez: "Hey guest A, I have no clue how much memory you have
(though you may or may not have obeyed a previous request) or how much
you need, but change your memory usage to 150MB"
Guest A (silently): "(Silly domain 0 wants me to reduce my memory
usage to 150MB but my minimum is 160MB.  Well, I guess I'll do
my best.)"
===============
MODEL B (guest provides info when prodded):

Domain 0 sez: "Hey guest A, tell me how much memory you have and how
much you need"
Guest A sez: "I have 198MB but I really only need 129MB"
Domain 0 sez: "Guest A, reduce your memory usage to 129MB"
Guest A (silently): "(My min is 150MB but I'll do my best)"
Domain 0 sez: "Hey guest A, tell me how much memory you have and how
much you need"
Guest A sez: "I have 150MB but I really only need 129MB"
[etc]
===============
MODEL C (guest provides info regularly):

Guest A sez: "I have 198 MB, I really only need 180MB, and my
minimum is 150MB.  I'll provide another update in a second."
[one second later]
Guest A sez: "I have 198 MB, I really only need 129MB, and my
minimum is 150MB.  I'll provide another update in a second."
Domain 0 sez: "Guest A, reduce your memory to 150MB"
Guest A (silently): "(ballooning down now to 150MB)"
[one second later]
Guest A sez: "I have 150MB, I really need 250MB and my minimum
is 150MB. I'll provide another update in a second."
Domain 0 sez: "Guest A, increase your memory to 250MB"
===============
MODEL D (autoballooning):

Domain 0 sez: "Hey Guest A, do the right thing with your memory"
Guest A sez: "I have 198MB, I really only need 129MB, and my
minimum is 150MB"
Guest A (silently): "(ballooning down now to 150MB)"
[one second later]
Guest A sez: "I have 150MB, I really need 250MB, and my
minimum is 150MB"
Guest A (silently): "(ballooning up now to 250MB... oops looks
like I can't get that much but I'll take what I can get)"
[one second later]
Guest A sez: "I have 200MB, I really need 300MB, and my
minimum is 150MB"
Guest A (silently): "(ballooning up now to 250MB... oops looks
like I can't get any more... time to start swapping)"


===================================
Thanks... for the memory
I really could use more / My throughput's on the floor
The balloon is flat / My swap disk's fat / I've O-O-M's in store
Overcommitted we are
(with apologies to the late great Bob Hope)


_______________________________________________
Xen-devel mailing list
Xen-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.xensource.com/xen-devel

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>