Messages in this thread | | | Date | Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:47:37 -0700 | From | Jeremy Fitzhardinge <> | Subject | Re: [Xen-devel] Re: [PATCH 3/5] x86/pvclock: add vsyscall implementation |
| |
On 10/28/09 02:34, Avi Kivity wrote: > On 10/28/2009 11:29 AM, Glauber Costa wrote: >>> How can you reliably measure performance in a virtualized environment? >>> >> If we loop gettimeofday(), I would expect the vsyscall-based version >> not to show >> up in strace, right? >> > > Much better to have an API for this. Life is hacky enough already.
My point is that if an app cares about property X then it should just measure property X. The fact that gettimeofday is a vsyscall is just an implementation detail that apps don't really care about. What they care about is whether gettimeofday is fast or not.
If the environment has such unstable timing that the effect can't be measured, then it is moot whether its a vsyscall or not (but in that case its almost certainly better to use the standard API rather than trying to roll your own timesource with rdtsc).
J
| |