Toke Høiland-Jørgensen <toke@xxxxxxx> writes: >>>> This is great work but due to the regressions I'm not sure if this >>>> will be ready for 4.9. To get more testing time I wonder if we should >>>> wait for 4.10? IMHO applying this in the end of the cycle is too risky >>>> and we should try to maximise the time linux-next by applying this >>>> just after -rc1 is released. >>>> >>>> Thoughts? >>> >>> Well, now that we understand what is causing the throughput regressions, >>> fixing them should be fairly straight forward (yeah, famous last words, >>> but still...). I already have a patch for the fast path and will go poke >>> at the slow path next. It'll probably require another workaround or two, >>> so I guess it won't be the architecturally clean ideal solution; but it >>> would make it possible to have something that works for 4.9 and then >>> iterate for a cleaner design for 4.10. >> >> But if we try to rush this to 4.9 it won't be in linux-next for long. We >> are now in -rc3 and let's say that the patches are ready to apply in two >> weeks. That would leave us only two weeks of -next time before the merge >> window, which I think is not enough for a controversial patch like this >> one. There might be other bugs lurking which haven't been found yet. > > What, other hidden bugs? Unpossible! :) Yeah, right ;) > Would it be possible to merge the partial solution (which is ready now, > basically) and fix the slow path in a separate patch later? What do you mean with partial solution? You mean ath9k users would suffer from regressions until they are fixed? We can't do that. > (Just spit-balling here; I'm still fairly new to this process. But I am > concerned that we'll hit a catch-22 where we can't get wider testing > before it's "ready" and we can't prove that it's "ready" until we've had > wider testing...) I understand your point, but I don't want to rush this to 4.9 and then start getting lots of bug reports and eventually forced to revert it. If we just found a new serious regression the chances are that there are more lurking somewhere and this patch is just not ready yet. -- Kalle Valo
