Changes since v7 [1]: * Rebase on next-20181119
[1]: https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/10/12/878
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At Maintainer Summit, Greg brought up a topic I proposed around EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL usage. The motivation was considerations for when EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL is warranted and the criteria for taking the exceptional step of reclassifying an existing export. Specifically, I wanted to make the case that although the line is fuzzy and hard to specify in abstract terms, it is nonetheless clear that devm_memremap_pages() and HMM (Heterogeneous Memory Management) have crossed it. The devm_memremap_pages() facility should have been EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL from the beginning, and HMM as a derivative of that functionality should have naturally picked up that designation as well.
Contrary to typical rules, the HMM infrastructure was merged upstream with zero in-tree consumers. There was a promise at the time that those users would be merged "soon", but it has been over a year with no drivers arriving. While the Nouveau driver is about to belatedly make good on that promise it is clear that HMM was targeted first and foremost at an out-of-tree consumer.
HMM is derived from devm_memremap_pages(), a facility Christoph and I spearheaded to support persistent memory. It combines a device lifetime model with a dynamically created 'struct page' / memmap array for any physical address range. It enables coordination and control of the many code paths in the kernel built to interact with memory via 'struct page' objects. With HMM the integration goes even deeper by allowing device drivers to hook and manipulate page fault and page free events.
One interpretation of when EXPORT_SYMBOL is suitable is when it is exporting stable and generic leaf functionality. The devm_memremap_pages() facility continues to see expanding use cases, peer-to-peer DMA being the most recent, with no clear end date when it will stop attracting reworks and semantic changes. It is not suitable to export devm_memremap_pages() as a stable 3rd party driver API due to the fact that it is still changing and manipulates core behavior. Moreover, it is not in the best interest of the long term development of the core memory management subsystem to permit any external driver to effectively define its own system-wide memory management policies with no encouragement to engage with upstream.
I am also concerned that HMM was designed in a way to minimize further engagement with the core-MM. That, with these hooks in place, device-drivers are free to implement their own policies without much consideration for whether and how the core-MM could grow to meet that need. Going forward not only should HMM be EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL, but the core-MM should be allowed the opportunity and stimulus to change and address these new use cases as first class functionality.
There is some more detailed justification in the individual changelogs. The 0day infrastructure has reported build success on 102 configs and this survives the libnvdimm unit test suite. Setting aside the controversial aspect, the diffstat is compelling at:
7 files changed, 126 insertions(+), 323 deletions(-)
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Dan Williams (7): mm, devm_memremap_pages: Mark devm_memremap_pages() EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL mm, devm_memremap_pages: Kill mapping "System RAM" support mm, devm_memremap_pages: Fix shutdown handling mm, devm_memremap_pages: Add MEMORY_DEVICE_PRIVATE support mm, hmm: Use devm semantics for hmm_devmem_{add,remove} mm, hmm: Replace hmm_devmem_pages_create() with devm_memremap_pages() mm, hmm: Mark hmm_devmem_{add,add_resource} EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL
drivers/dax/pmem.c | 14 -- drivers/nvdimm/pmem.c | 13 +- include/linux/hmm.h | 4 include/linux/memremap.h | 2 kernel/memremap.c | 94 +++++++---- mm/hmm.c | 305 +++++-------------------------------- tools/testing/nvdimm/test/iomap.c | 17 ++ 7 files changed, 126 insertions(+), 323 deletions(-)