cpufreq: conservative: Decrease frequency faster for deferred updates
authorStratos Karafotis <stratosk@semaphore.gr>
Wed, 16 Nov 2016 17:26:29 +0000 (19:26 +0200)
committerRafael J. Wysocki <rafael.j.wysocki@intel.com>
Wed, 16 Nov 2016 22:15:56 +0000 (23:15 +0100)
commit00bfe05889e91b5112893b001e4a47b0a0f8bdd7
treeb847ae15c976553f630761b18588232fa26285b1
parentd5f905a93c321929ad8609c2478c1a5cd00aefdf
cpufreq: conservative: Decrease frequency faster for deferred updates

Conservative governor changes the CPU frequency in steps.
That means that if a CPU runs at max frequency, it will need several
sampling periods to return to min frequency when the workload
is finished.

If the update function that calculates the load and target frequency
is deferred, the governor might need even more time to decrease the
frequency.

This may have impact to power consumption and after all conservative
should decrease the frequency if there is no workload at every sampling
rate.

To resolve the above issue calculate the number of sampling periods
that the update is deferred. Considering that for each sampling period
conservative should drop the frequency by a freq_step because the
CPU was idle apply the proper subtraction to requested frequency.

Below, the kernel trace with and without this patch. First an
intensive workload is applied on a specific CPU. Then the workload
is removed and the CPU goes to idle.

WITHOUT

     <idle>-0     [007] dN..   620.329153: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   620.350857: cpu_frequency: state=1700000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   620.370856: cpu_frequency: state=1900000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   620.390854: cpu_frequency: state=2100000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   620.411853: cpu_frequency: state=2200000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   620.432854: cpu_frequency: state=2400000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   620.453854: cpu_frequency: state=2600000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   620.494856: cpu_frequency: state=2900000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   620.515856: cpu_frequency: state=3100000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   620.536858: cpu_frequency: state=3300000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   620.557857: cpu_frequency: state=3401000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   669.591363: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   669.591939: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   669.591980: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] dN..   669.591989: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   670.201224: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   670.221975: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   670.222016: cpu_frequency: state=3300000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   670.222026: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   670.234964: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   670.801251: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.236046: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   671.236073: cpu_frequency: state=3100000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.236112: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.393437: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.401277: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.404083: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   671.404111: cpu_frequency: state=2900000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.404125: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.404974: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.501180: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.995414: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   671.995459: cpu_frequency: state=2800000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.995469: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   671.996287: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.001305: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.078374: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   672.078410: cpu_frequency: state=2600000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.078419: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.158020: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   672.158040: cpu_frequency: state=2400000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.158044: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.160038: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.234557: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.237121: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   672.237174: cpu_frequency: state=2100000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.237186: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.237778: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.267902: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.269860: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   672.269906: cpu_frequency: state=1900000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.269914: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.271902: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.751342: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...   672.823056: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-556   [007] ....   672.823095: cpu_frequency: state=1600000 cpu_id=7

WITH

     <idle>-0     [007] dN..  4380.928009: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4380.949767: cpu_frequency: state=2000000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4380.969765: cpu_frequency: state=2200000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4381.009766: cpu_frequency: state=2500000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4381.029767: cpu_frequency: state=2600000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4381.049769: cpu_frequency: state=2800000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4381.069769: cpu_frequency: state=3000000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4381.089771: cpu_frequency: state=3100000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4381.109772: cpu_frequency: state=3400000 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4381.129773: cpu_frequency: state=3401000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.226159: cpu_idle: state=1 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.226176: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.226181: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.227177: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.551640: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.649239: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4428.649268: cpu_frequency: state=2800000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.649278: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.689856: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.799542: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.801683: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4428.801748: cpu_frequency: state=1700000 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.801761: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4428.806545: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
...
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4429.051880: cpu_idle: state=4 cpu_id=7
     <idle>-0     [007] d...  4429.086240: cpu_idle: state=4294967295 cpu_id=7
kworker/7:2-399   [007] ....  4429.086293: cpu_frequency: state=1600000 cpu_id=7

Without the patch the CPU dropped to min frequency after 3.2s
With the patch applied the CPU dropped to min frequency after 0.86s

Signed-off-by: Stratos Karafotis <stratosk@semaphore.gr>
Acked-by: Viresh Kumar <viresh.kumar@linaro.org>
Signed-off-by: Rafael J. Wysocki <rafael.j.wysocki@intel.com>
drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq_conservative.c
drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq_governor.c
drivers/cpufreq/cpufreq_governor.h