I All, I would like to propose that we have a session on Rust in the block layer again this year. Specifically I would like to discuss some rather puzzling results I observe when I benchmark the C and Rust null block drivers. I did a write up of the challenges I face at [1]. The observations are not tied to rust, they also manifest in the C driver. Being able to consistently benchmark performance of the null block driver is rather important in terms of validating Rust for use in the block layer. I would hope to be able to collect some feedback on these issues during a session. If time permits, I would like to give a status update on the efforts of building a feature complete null block driver in Rust. I will send additional patches that enable memory backed devices and timer completions before the Summit. Most of the patches have been ready for a while, but they are pending merge of dependencies (xarray, hrtimer, module_params). If anyone is interested, I would make myself available for deep dives on the Rust block layer code base, 1:1 or tutorial style. We (the Rust kernel hackers) have had some good experiences with these kinds of sessions in other subsystems. Best regards, Andreas Hindborg [1] https://metaspace.github.io/2024/12/02/problems-in-benchmark-land.html
