• [$] Freezing out the page reference count

    From LWN.net@1337:1/100 to All on Fri Dec 6 16:00:05 2024
    [$] Freezing out the page reference count

    Date:
    Fri, 06 Dec 2024 15:55:16 +0000

    Description:
    The page structure sits at the core of the kernel's memory-management subsystem
    (for now), and a key part of that structure is its reference count, stored
    in refcount . The page reference count tells the kernel how many
    users a given page has and when it can be freed. That count is not needed
    for every page in the system, though. Matthew Wilcox has recently
    resurrected an old
    patch set that expands the concept of a "frozen" page one that lacks a meaningful reference count to the immediate benefit of the slab allocator
    but in the service of a longer-term goal as well.

    ======================================================================
    Link to news story:
    https://lwn.net/Articles/1000654/


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