#8321: improve basic block layout on LLVM backend by predicting stack/heap checks ------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Reporter: rwbarton | Owner: Type: feature request | Status: new Priority: normal | Milestone: 7.10.1 Component: Compiler (LLVM) | Version: 7.7 Keywords: | Operating System: Unknown/Multiple Architecture: Unknown/Multiple | Type of failure: None/Unknown Difficulty: Unknown | Test Case: Blocked By: | Blocking: Related Tickets: | ------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Currently we don't give the LLVM optimizer any information about which branch of an `if` is likely to be taken. As a result, the optimizer is likely to produce a basic block layout which is not optimal. Improving the layout can improve performance through better instruction cache usage and better branch prediction by the hardware. We can control LLVM's idea of what is likely with the `llvm.expect` intrinsic function. Some obvious branches which we can predict accurately are the stack and heap checks that appear near the entry of many functions. Here's a small example of some Cmm code and the output of the LLVM optimizer/compiler. {{{ block_c2Lc_entry() // [R1, R2] { info_tbl: [(c2Lc, label: block_c2Lc_info rep:StackRep [])] stack_info: arg_space: 0 updfr_space: Nothing } {offset c2Lc: Hp = Hp + 24; if (Hp > HpLim) goto c2Lm; else goto c2Ll; c2Lm: HpAlloc = 24; R2 = R2; R1 = R1; call stg_gc_pp(R2, R1) args: 8, res: 8, upd: 24; c2Ll: I64[Hp - 16] = :_con_info; P64[Hp - 8] = R1; P64[Hp] = R2; R1 = Hp - 14; Sp = Sp + 8; call (P64[Sp])(R1) args: 24, res: 0, upd: 24; } }] }}} {{{ 00000000000002b8 <c2Lc_info>: 2b8: 4c 89 e0 mov %r12,%rax 2bb: 4c 8d 60 18 lea 0x18(%rax),%r12 2bf: 4d 3b a5 18 01 00 00 cmp 0x118(%r13),%r12 2c6: 76 10 jbe 2d8 <c2Lc_info+0x20> 2c8: 49 c7 85 48 01 00 00 movq $0x18,0x148(%r13) 2cf: 18 00 00 00 2d3: e9 00 00 00 00 jmpq 2d8 <c2Lc_info+0x20> 2d4: R_X86_64_PC32 stg_gc_pp+0xfffffffffffffffc 2d8: 48 c7 40 08 00 00 00 movq $0x0,0x8(%rax) 2df: 00 2dc: R_X86_64_32S ghczmprim_GHCziTypes_ZC_con_info 2e0: 48 89 58 10 mov %rbx,0x10(%rax) 2e4: 4c 89 70 18 mov %r14,0x18(%rax) 2e8: 48 8b 45 08 mov 0x8(%rbp),%rax 2ec: 48 83 c5 08 add $0x8,%rbp 2f0: 49 8d 5c 24 f2 lea -0xe(%r12),%rbx 2f5: ff e0 jmpq *%rax 2f7: 90 nop }}} It would likely be better to invert the branch at `2c6` to a `ja`, so that the common case is adjacent to the function entry, and when `llvm.expect` is used on the condition in the branch, the LLVM optimizer does produce this alternate layout. -- Ticket URL: <http://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/8321> GHC <http://www.haskell.org/ghc/> The Glasgow Haskell Compiler