RFR: 2178143: VM crashes if the number of bound CPUs changed during runtime

[Yumin Qi]

Hi, Dan

On 3/20/2013 3:46 PM, Daniel D. Daugherty wrote:
> On 3/20/13 3:27 PM, Yumin Qi wrote:
>> Hi, can I have your code review of a small change?
>>
>> 2178143:  VM crashes if the number of bound CPUs changed during runtime.
>>
>> Situation: Customer first configure only one CPU online and turn 
>> others offline to run java application, after java program started, 
>> bring more CPUs back online. Since VM started on a single CPU, 
>> os::is_MP() will return false, but after more CPUs available, OS will 
>> schedule the app run on multiple CPUs, this caused SEGV in various 
>> places where data consistency was broken. The solution is supply a 
>> flag to assume it is running on MP, so lock is forced to be called.
>>
>> http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~minqi/2178143/
>
> The comments in the bug report indicate the possibility of using
> the new NumberOfProcessors value as a hint for number of GC threads
> with some sort of upper cap (32). I don't see that change here so
> I'm guessing that may come via some other changeset...
>
The first version included change for ParallelGCThreads but removed 
after talked to Jon, he suggest not to set ParallelGCThreads = 
NumberOfProcessors since it will affect a lot of places where default 
ParallelGCThreads checked.  In fact now the only usage of this flag is 
make is_MP() return true.  We could use a boolean flag, but I keep the 
current name in case in future changes rely on the number for GC threads 
(this also the answer to Harold's question).
> src/share/vm/runtime/arguments.cpp
>
> 3253   // NumberOfProcessors is a flag used to assume underlying 
> architecture is MP
>
>     Instead of "assume" how about "hint that the" or "indicate that the".
>     Might have to break the comment on two lines.
Good, will change.
>
> 3257       "NumberOfProcessors should be greater that 1", NULL);
>
>     typo: 'that 1' -> 'than 1'
>
Thanks.
> src/share/vm/runtime/globals.hpp
>
> 461           "Assume number of 
> processors")                                    \
>
>     How about:
>
>               "Hint about number of processors (must be greater than 1)"
>
>     The above text is used by one of the special options for printing
>     info about the command line options.
>
Will change.


Thanks
Yumin