From: ramble1035@dslextreme.com (ramble1035 @dslextreme.com)
Subject: [TUHS] "Slow system call" and EINTR
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2012 15:59:53 -0800 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <CAFn3HkPJ7ccGZXrupAeFo5nK6Xab_Denuu2qW4qAwenixHdCrQ@mail.gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <CAGGBd_p12gWvRTz5soB_swFkT4QxL0upTKxLP2L_P=UKym2Z6w@mail.gmail.com>
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On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 3:29 PM, Dan Stromberg <drsalists at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I gather system calls can return EINTR only when they are "slow". True?
For a unique definition of "slow"... :)
> What makes a system call "slow"? Is it the ability to block for a while?
> But I wouldn't think dup(2) would block, for example.
From my experience, a slow vs fast call is only partially based on
time. It's more based on obtaining and releasing resources.
A slow system call is one that might take a long time, and any
resource allocations requested during the system call processing can
be easily undone (returned). TTY input, as an example.
Things like a disk request are *supposed* to be quick, but even if
they're not, they involve allocating buffers, queueing disk requests,
setting up possible interrupts or DMA, and other messy internal
details. Aborting a pending disk request would be a substantial
amount of effort. Thus, a disk request cannot be interrupted and it's
classified as "fast". (or "not slow")
This presents a few difficulties when you consider something like NFS,
which acts like a disk request until it gets down to the network
layer, where things might well take a long time. But interrupting and
aborting this is not easy, which is why some NFS requests, when hung,
stay hung even when you bang on Control-C for a while.
Really simple things like dup, which involves a simple copy, would
probably not block unless there were extreme issues with memory
allocation or something.
-- Chris
prev parent reply other threads:[~2012-03-01 23:59 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 2+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2012-03-01 23:29 Dan Stromberg
2012-03-01 23:59 ` ramble1035 @dslextreme.com [this message]
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