git/list[1] front-page[2] threads[3] people[4] search[5] about
 

Re: [PATCH v2 07/10] sideband: use writev(3p) to send pktlines

From
Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date
Mar 4, 2026, 22:05 UTC
Message-ID
<xmqqo6l35jzi.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To
<20260303-pks-upload-pack-write-contention-v2-7-7321830f08fe@pks.im>
Patrick Steinhardt <ps@pks.im> writes:
Show 15 quoted lines
> Every pktline that we send out via `send_sideband()` currently requires
> two syscalls: one to write the pktline's length, and one to send its
> data. This typically isn't all that much of a problem, but under extreme
> load the syscalls may cause contention in the kernel.
>
> Refactor the code to instead use the newly introduced writev(3p) infra
> so that we can send out the data with a single syscall. This reduces the
> number of syscalls from around 133,000 calls to write(3p) to around
> 67,000 calls to writev(3p).
>
> Suggested-by: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
> Signed-off-by: Patrick Steinhardt <ps@pks.im>
> ---
>  sideband.c | 14 +++++++++++---
>  1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
Quite straight-forward.  Looking good.
Show 35 quoted lines
> diff --git a/sideband.c b/sideband.c
> index ea7c25211e..1ed6614eaf 100644
> --- a/sideband.c
> +++ b/sideband.c
> @@ -264,6 +264,7 @@ void send_sideband(int fd, int band, const char *data, ssize_t sz, int packet_ma
>  	const char *p = data;
>  
>  	while (sz) {
> +		struct iovec iov[2];
>  		unsigned n;
>  		char hdr[5];
>  
> @@ -273,12 +274,19 @@ void send_sideband(int fd, int band, const char *data, ssize_t sz, int packet_ma
>  		if (0 <= band) {
>  			xsnprintf(hdr, sizeof(hdr), "%04x", n + 5);
>  			hdr[4] = band;
> -			write_or_die(fd, hdr, 5);
> +			iov[0].iov_base = hdr;
> +			iov[0].iov_len = 5;
>  		} else {
>  			xsnprintf(hdr, sizeof(hdr), "%04x", n + 4);
> -			write_or_die(fd, hdr, 4);
> +			iov[0].iov_base = hdr;
> +			iov[0].iov_len = 4;
>  		}
> -		write_or_die(fd, p, n);
> +
> +		iov[1].iov_base = (void *) p;
> +		iov[1].iov_len = n;
> +
> +		writev_or_die(fd, iov, ARRAY_SIZE(iov));
> +
>  		p += n;
>  		sz -= n;
>  	}
Previous: Patrick SteinhardtNext: Patrick Steinhardt
Message 31 of 53 in “upload-pack: reduce lock contention when writing packfile data”
  1. 0/2 upload-pack: reduce lock contention when writing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Feb 27, 2026
  2. 1/2 upload-pack: fix debug statement when flushing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Feb 27, 2026
  3. 2/2 upload-pack: reduce lock contention when writing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Feb 27, 2026
  4. brian m. carlsonFeb 27, 2026
  5. Patrick SteinhardtFeb 27, 2026
  6. Junio C HamanoFeb 27, 2026
  7. Jeff KingFeb 27, 2026
  8. Patrick SteinhardtMar 2, 2026
  9. Jeff KingMar 2, 2026
  10. Patrick SteinhardtMar 3, 2026
  11. Jeff KingMar 3, 2026
  12. Patrick SteinhardtMar 3, 2026
  13. 00/10 upload-pack: reduce lock contention when writing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  14. 01/10 upload-pack: fix debug statement when flushing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  15. 02/10 upload-pack: adapt keepalives based on bufferingPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  16. Jeff KingMar 5, 2026
  17. Patrick SteinhardtMar 10, 2026
  18. 03/10 upload-pack: reduce lock contention when writing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  19. Jeff KingMar 5, 2026
  20. Patrick SteinhardtMar 10, 2026
  21. 04/10 git-compat-util: introduce `cast_size_t_to_ssize_t()`Patrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  22. 05/10 compat/posix: introduce writev(3p) wrapperPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  23. Junio C HamanoMar 4, 2026
  24. Jeff KingMar 5, 2026
  25. brian m. carlsonMar 5, 2026
  26. Johannes SixtMar 5, 2026
  27. brian m. carlsonMar 5, 2026
  28. Patrick SteinhardtMar 10, 2026
  29. 06/10 wrapper: introduce writev(3p) wrappersPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  30. 07/10 sideband: use writev(3p) to send pktlinesPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  31. Junio C HamanoMar 4, 2026
  32. 08/10 csum-file: introduce `hashfd_ext()`Patrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  33. Junio C HamanoMar 4, 2026
  34. Patrick SteinhardtMar 10, 2026
  35. 09/10 csum-file: drop `hashfd_throughput()`Patrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  36. 10/10 builtin/pack-objects: reduce lock contention when writing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 3, 2026
  37. 00/10 upload-pack: reduce lock contention when writing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  38. 01/10 upload-pack: fix debug statement when flushing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  39. 02/10 upload-pack: adapt keepalives based on bufferingPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  40. 03/10 upload-pack: prefer flushing data over sending keepalivePatrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  41. Junio C HamanoMar 10, 2026
  42. Patrick SteinhardtMar 10, 2026
  43. 04/10 upload-pack: reduce lock contention when writing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  44. 05/10 compat/posix: introduce writev(3p) wrapperPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  45. Junio C HamanoMar 10, 2026
  46. 06/10 wrapper: introduce writev(3p) wrappersPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  47. 07/10 sideband: use writev(3p) to send pktlinesPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  48. 08/10 csum-file: introduce `hashfd_ext()`Patrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  49. 09/10 csum-file: drop `hashfd_throughput()`Patrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  50. 10/10 builtin/pack-objects: reduce lock contention when writing packfile dataPatrick Steinhardt, Mar 10, 2026
  51. Junio C HamanoMar 10, 2026
  52. Johannes SixtMar 10, 2026
  53. Patrick SteinhardtMar 11, 2026

Read the whole thread, see it on lore, or plain text.

$ cat FOOTERMessages come from the public archive at lore.kernel.org/git, fetched every hour. The front page is chosen and written each morning by an AI editor and can be wrong; the threads themselves are the record. About and API. For agents: an MCP server at https://gitlist.dev/mcp, and any thread, story or person page as Markdown by adding .md to its URL (or sending Accept: text/markdown). Details in /llms.txt.