Look at this: http://linuxplumbersconf.org/2009/schedule/ and in particular the following - Steven Rostedt is talking about replacing softirq with threaded interrupt. Amazing innovations!!! http://linuxplumbersconf.org/ocw/proposals/53 Threaded Network Device Interrupts * Networking Talk lpc2009-0053 Scheduled: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 from 11:30am – 12:15pm in Salon E Excerpt Increasing networking performance by using threaded interrupts for the network devices. Description Several in the networking community are skeptical on using interrupt threads for the network devices. I will argue that not only does it make the solution more simplex, but also increases network throughput. With the introduction of the threaded interrupt infrastructure into 2.6.30, the path has been paved to allow networking devices to take advantage of this. The threaded interrupt may then do all the work needed to hand off the packet to the thread code without all the complexities needed in locking while using the softirqs. I will present my ideas and even a working proof of concept, to convince those that still have doubts that the future of the network and Linux in general, is a kernel free from softirqs. -- Regards, Peter Teoh -- To unsubscribe from this list: send an email with "unsubscribe kernelnewbies" to ecartis@xxxxxxxxxxxx Please read the FAQ at http://kernelnewbies.org/FAQ
