Re: [PATCH v20 3/4] qcow2: add zstd cluster compression

[Max Reitz]

On 27.04.20 21:26, Denis Plotnikov wrote:
> 
> 
> On 27.04.2020 15:35, Max Reitz wrote:
>> On 21.04.20 10:11, Denis Plotnikov wrote:
>>> zstd significantly reduces cluster compression time.
>>> It provides better compression performance maintaining
>>> the same level of the compression ratio in comparison with
>>> zlib, which, at the moment, is the only compression
>>> method available.
>>>
>>> The performance test results:
>>> Test compresses and decompresses qemu qcow2 image with just
>>> installed rhel-7.6 guest.
>>> Image cluster size: 64K. Image on disk size: 2.2G
>>>
>>> The test was conducted with brd disk to reduce the influence
>>> of disk subsystem to the test results.
>>> The results is given in seconds.
>>>
>>> compress cmd:
>>>    time ./qemu-img convert -O qcow2 -c -o compression_type=[zlib|zstd]
>>>                    src.img [zlib|zstd]_compressed.img
>>> decompress cmd
>>>    time ./qemu-img convert -O qcow2
>>>                    [zlib|zstd]_compressed.img uncompressed.img
>>>
>>>             compression               decompression
>>>           zlib       zstd           zlib         zstd
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> real     65.5       16.3 (-75 %)    1.9          1.6 (-16 %)
>>> user     65.0       15.8            5.3          2.5
>>> sys       3.3        0.2            2.0          2.0
>>>
>>> Both ZLIB and ZSTD gave the same compression ratio: 1.57
>>> compressed image size in both cases: 1.4G
>>>
>>> Signed-off-by: Denis Plotnikov <address@hidden>
>>> Reviewed-by: Vladimir Sementsov-Ogievskiy <address@hidden>
>>> Reviewed-by: Alberto Garcia <address@hidden>
>>> QAPI part:
>>> Acked-by: Markus Armbruster <address@hidden>
>>> ---
>>>   docs/interop/qcow2.txt |   1 +
>>>   configure              |   2 +-
>>>   qapi/block-core.json   |   3 +-
>>>   block/qcow2-threads.c  | 157 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>>>   block/qcow2.c          |   7 ++
>>>   5 files changed, 168 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
>> [...]
>>
>>> diff --git a/block/qcow2-threads.c b/block/qcow2-threads.c
>>> index 7dbaf53489..0525718704 100644
>>> --- a/block/qcow2-threads.c
>>> +++ b/block/qcow2-threads.c
>>> @@ -28,6 +28,11 @@
>>>   #define ZLIB_CONST
>>>   #include <zlib.h>
>>>   +#ifdef CONFIG_ZSTD
>>> +#include <zstd.h>
>>> +#include <zstd_errors.h>
>>> +#endif
>>> +
>>>   #include "qcow2.h"
>>>   #include "block/thread-pool.h"
>>>   #include "crypto.h"
>>> @@ -166,6 +171,148 @@ static ssize_t qcow2_zlib_decompress(void
>>> *dest, size_t dest_size,
>>>       return ret;
>>>   }
>>>   +#ifdef CONFIG_ZSTD
>>> +
>>> +/*
>>> + * qcow2_zstd_compress()
>>> + *
>>> + * Compress @src_size bytes of data using zstd compression method
>>> + *
>>> + * @dest - destination buffer, @dest_size bytes
>>> + * @src - source buffer, @src_size bytes
>>> + *
>>> + * Returns: compressed size on success
>>> + *          -ENOMEM destination buffer is not enough to store
>>> compressed data
>>> + *          -EIO    on any other error
>>> + */
>>> +static ssize_t qcow2_zstd_compress(void *dest, size_t dest_size,
>>> +                                   const void *src, size_t src_size)
>>> +{
>>> +    ssize_t ret;
>>> +    ZSTD_outBuffer output = { dest, dest_size, 0 };
>>> +    ZSTD_inBuffer input = { src, src_size, 0 };
>> Minor style note: I think it’d be nicer to use designated initializers
>> here.
>>
>>> +    ZSTD_CCtx *cctx = ZSTD_createCCtx();
>>> +
>>> +    if (!cctx) {
>>> +        return -EIO;
>>> +    }
>>> +    /*
>>> +     * Use the zstd streamed interface for symmetry with decompression,
>>> +     * where streaming is essential since we don't record the exact
>>> +     * compressed size.
>>> +     *
>>> +     * In the loop, we try to compress all the data into one zstd
>>> frame.
>>> +     * ZSTD_compressStream2 potentially can finish a frame earlier
>>> +     * than the full input data is consumed. That's why we are looping
>>> +     * until all the input data is consumed.
>>> +     */
>>> +    while (input.pos < input.size) {
>>> +        size_t zstd_ret;
>>> +        /*
>>> +         * ZSTD spec: "You must continue calling ZSTD_compressStream2()
>>> +         * with ZSTD_e_end until it returns 0, at which point you are
>>> +         * free to start a new frame". We assume that "start a new
>>> frame"
>>> +         * means call ZSTD_compressStream2 in the very beginning or
>>> when
>>> +         * ZSTD_compressStream2 has returned with 0.
>>> +         */
>>> +        do {
>>> +            zstd_ret = ZSTD_compressStream2(cctx, &output, &input,
>>> ZSTD_e_end);
>> The spec makes it sound to me like ZSTD_e_end will always complete in a
>> single call if there’s enough space in the output buffer.  So the only
>> team we have to loop would be when there isn’t enough space anyway:
>>
>> It says this about ZSTD_e_end:
>>> flush operation is the same, and follows same rules as calling
>>> ZSTD_compressStream2() with ZSTD_e_flush.
>> Those rules being:
>>> Note that, if `output->size` is too small, a single invocation with
>>> ZSTD_e_flush might not be enough (return code > 0).
>> So it seems like it will only return a value > 0 if the output buffer is
>> definitely too small.
>>
>> The spec also notes that the return value is greater than 0 if:
>>>> 0 if some data still present within internal buffer (the value is
>>> minimal estimation of remaining size),
>> So it’s a minimum estimate.  That’s another point that heavily implies
>> to me that if the return value were less than what’s left in the buffer,
>> the function wouldn’t return but still try to write it out, until it
>> realizes that there isn’t enough space in the output buffer, and then
>> return a value that exceeds the remaining output buffer size.
>>
>> (Because if the function just played it safe, I would expect it to
>> return a maximum estimate.)
>>
>>
>> OTOH, if it were actually possible for ZSTD_e_end to finish a frame
>> earlier than the end of the input, I think it would make more sense to
>> use ZSTD_e_continue until the input is done and then finish with
>> ZSTD_e_end, like the spec seems to propose.  That way, we’d always end
>> up with a single frame to make decompression simpler (and I think it
>> would also make more sense overall).
>>
>>
>> But anyway.  From how I understand the spec, this code simply always
>> ends up creating a single frame or erroring out, without looping ever.
>> So it isn’t exactly wrong, it just seems overly complicated.  (Again,
>> assuming I understand the spec correctly.  Which seems like a tough
>> thing to assume, because the spec is not exactly obvious to read...)
>>
>> (Running some quick tests by converting some images with zstd
>> compression seems to confirm that whenever ZSTD_compressStream2()
>> returns, either zstd_ret > output.size - output.pos, or zstd_ret == 0
>> and input.pos == input.size.  So none of the loops ever loop.)
>>
>> Max
> 
> So, what should we do?
> 
> 1. Rely on the test that there's no need for the loop:
>    * make one ZSTD_compressStream2() call
>    * make sure it returned with zstd_ret == 0 and
>      input.pos == input.size.
>      if so, return with the size
>    * if not, check that zstd_ret > output.size - output.pos
>      if so, return with -ENOMEM
>    * if none above return with -EIO
> 
>    This should cover the majority of the compressing cases

According to how I interpret the spec, “none of the above” should never
happen except for ZSTD_isError(zstd_ret), so this should cover all
compressing cases, actually.

> 2. Leave the loop as is, because of the documentation:
>    "You *must* continue calling ZSTD_compressStream2() with ZSTD_e_end
> until it returns 0,
>     at which point you are free to start a new frame."

As far as I can see, the return value is always 0 or greater than the
remaining buffer space, so this will always be satisfied even without a
loop.  (We will always have one of three cases: (1) Success and all
input has been consumed, (2) ZSTD_isError(zstd_ret), so we return -EIO,
(3) zstd_ret > output.size - output.pos, so we return -ENOMEM.

I interpret the “You *must* continue until it returns 0” as “If there is
no sufficient space in the output buffer, this function will return a
value greater than 0 indicating how much space is at least still
required.  The caller is free to supply a greater output buffer for the
next call (by supplying a different ZSTD_outBuffer structure), and then
we’ll try again.”
(I.e., retrying with the same ZSTD_outBuffer will make the function
return immediately because it knows that it’s insufficient.)

Max

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