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diff --git a/REORG.TODO/README.tunables b/REORG.TODO/README.tunables new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..3967679f43 --- /dev/null +++ b/REORG.TODO/README.tunables @@ -0,0 +1,135 @@ + TUNABLE FRAMEWORK + ================= + +Tunables is a feature in the GNU C Library that allows application authors and +distribution maintainers to alter the runtime library behaviour to match their +workload. + +The tunable framework allows modules within glibc to register variables that +may be tweaked through an environment variable. It aims to enforce a strict +namespace rule to bring consistency to naming of these tunable environment +variables across the project. This document is a guide for glibc developers to +add tunables to the framework. + +ADDING A NEW TUNABLE +-------------------- + +The TOP_NAMESPACE macro is defined by default as 'glibc'. If distributions +intend to add their own tunables, they should do so in a different top +namespace by overriding the TOP_NAMESPACE macro for that tunable. Downstream +implementations are discouraged from using the 'glibc' top namespace for +tunables they don't already have consensus to push upstream. + +There are three steps to adding a tunable: + +1. Add a tunable to the list and fully specify its properties: + +For each tunable you want to add, make an entry in elf/dl-tunables.list. The +format of the file is as follows: + +TOP_NAMESPACE { + NAMESPACE1 { + TUNABLE1 { + # tunable attributes, one per line + } + # A tunable with default attributes, i.e. string variable. + TUNABLE2 + TUNABLE3 { + # its attributes + } + } + NAMESPACE2 { + ... + } +} + +The list of allowed attributes are: + +- type: Data type. Defaults to STRING. Allowed types are: + INT_32, UINT_64, SIZE_T and STRING. Numeric types may + be in octal or hexadecimal format too. + +- minval: Optional minimum acceptable value. For a string type + this is the minimum length of the value. + +- maxval: Optional maximum acceptable value. For a string type + this is the maximum length of the value. + +- default: Specify an optional default value for the tunable. + +- env_alias: An alias environment variable + +- security_level: Specify security level of the tunable. Valid values: + + SXID_ERASE: (default) Don't read for AT_SECURE binaries and + removed so that child processes can't read it. + SXID_IGNORE: Don't read for AT_SECURE binaries, but retained for + non-AT_SECURE subprocesses. + NONE: Read all the time. + +2. Use TUNABLE_GET/TUNABLE_SET to get and set tunables. + +3. OPTIONAL: If tunables in a namespace are being used multiple times within a + specific module, set the TUNABLE_NAMESPACE macro to reduce the amount of + typing. + +GETTING AND SETTING TUNABLES +---------------------------- + +When the TUNABLE_NAMESPACE macro is defined, one may get tunables in that +module using the TUNABLE_GET macro as follows: + + val = TUNABLE_GET (check, int32_t, TUNABLE_CALLBACK (check_callback)) + +where 'check' is the tunable name, 'int32_t' is the C type of the tunable and +'check_callback' is the function to call if the tunable got initialized to a +non-default value. The macro returns the value as type 'int32_t'. + +The callback function should be defined as follows: + + void + TUNABLE_CALLBACK (check_callback) (int32_t *valp) + { + ... + } + +where it can expect the tunable value to be passed in VALP. + +Tunables in the module can be updated using: + + TUNABLE_SET (check, int32_t, val) + +where 'check' is the tunable name, 'int32_t' is the C type of the tunable and +'val' is a value of same type. + +To get and set tunables in a different namespace from that module, use the full +form of the macros as follows: + + val = TUNABLE_GET_FULL (glibc, tune, hwcap_mask, uint64_t, NULL) + + TUNABLE_SET_FULL (glibc, tune, hwcap_mask, uint64_t, val) + +where 'glibc' is the top namespace, 'tune' is the tunable namespace and the +remaining arguments are the same as the short form macros. + +When TUNABLE_NAMESPACE is not defined in a module, TUNABLE_GET is equivalent to +TUNABLE_GET_FULL, so you will need to provide full namespace information for +both macros. Likewise for TUNABLE_SET and TUNABLE_SET_FULL. + +** IMPORTANT NOTE ** + +The tunable list is set as read-only after the dynamic linker relocates itself, +so setting tunable values must be limited only to tunables within the dynamic +linker, that too before relocation. + +FUTURE WORK +----------- + +The framework currently only allows a one-time initialization of variables +through environment variables and in some cases, modification of variables via +an API call. A future goals for this project include: + +- Setting system-wide and user-wide defaults for tunables through some + mechanism like a configuration file. + +- Allow tweaking of some tunables at runtime |