The computations of vm_map_splay_split and vm_map_splay_merge touch both
children of every entry on the search path as part of updating values of
the max_free field. By comparing the max_free values of an entry and its
child on the search path, the code can avoid accessing the child off the
path in cases where the max_free value decreases along the path.
Specifically, this patch changes splay_split so that the max_free field
of every entry on the search path is replaced, temporarily, by the
max_free field from its child not on the search path or, if the child
in that direction is NULL, then a difference between start and end
values of two pointers already available in the split code, without
following any next or prev pointers. However, to find that max_free
value does not require looking toward that other child if either the
child on the search path has a lower max_free value, or the current max_free
value is zero, because in either case we know that the value of max_free for
the other child is the value we already have. So, the changes to
vm_entry_splay_split make sure that we know all the off-search-path entries
we will need to complete the splay, without looking at all of them. There is
an exception at the bottom of the search path where we cannot rely on the
max_free value in the direction of the NULL pointer that ends the search,
because of the behavior of entry-clipping code.
The corresponding change to vm_splay_entry_merge makes it simpler, since it's
just reversing pointers and updating running maxima.
In a test intended to exercise vigorously the vm_map implementation, the
effect of this change was to reduce the data cache miss rate by 10-14% and
the running time by 5-7%.
Tested by: pho
Reviewed by: alc
Approved by: kib (mentor)
MFC after: 1 month
Differential Revision: https://reviews.freebsd.org/D19826