Linux 6.8 To Drop The SLAB Allocator, SLUB Optimizations Coming Too

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linux 6.8 To Drop The SLAB Allocator, SLUB Optimizations Coming Too

Following the SLOB allocator removal earlier this year, the Linux 6.8 kernel in the new year is now positioned to remove the SLAB allocator. Additionally, the lone good-for-everything SLUB allocator is set to receive further optimizations...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.8-Dropping-SLAB

[cj.wijtmans]

Are the slub optimizations security tested? Free/alloc optimizations are scary, without reading the code.

[spicfoo]

Are the slub optimizations security tested? Free/alloc optimizations are scary, without reading the code.

Maybe they should be using https://microsoft.github.io/mimalloc/

[fitzie]

finally found a solid reference to the origins of this term. from https://endler.dev/2020/folklore/#slab-allocator

Slab allocation was invented by John Bonwick (Note: PDF file) in 1994 and has since been used by services like Memcached and the Linux Kernel.

With slab allocation, a cache for a certain type or size of data object has a number of pre-allocated "slabs" of memory; within each slab there are memory chunks of fixed size suitable for the objects. (Wikpedia)

The name slab comes from a teenage friend of Bonwick. He tells the story on the Oracle blog:

While watching TV together, a commercial by Kellogg's came on with the tag line, "Can you pinch an inch?"

The implication was that you were overweight if you could pinch more than an inch of fat on your waist — and that hoovering a bowl of corn flakes would help.

Without missing a beat, Tommy, who weighed about 250 pounds, reached for his midsection and offered his response: "Hell, I can grab a slab!"

A decade later, Bonwick remembered that term when he was looking for a word to describe the allocation of a larger chunk of memory.

[CommunityMember]

Are the slub optimizations security tested? Free/alloc optimizations are scary, without reading the code.

Maybe they should (re)write the next memory allocator in rust to address some of your security concerns.

[varikonniemi]

Maybe they should be using https://microsoft.github.io/mimalloc/

IF they want to turn the performance to shit

[cj.wijtmans]

Maybe they should (re)write the next memory allocator in rust to address some of your security concerns.

Nope i hate rust. Just need security testing of "optimizations" before enrolling them.

[spicfoo]

IF they want to turn the performance to shit

How is that? https://github.com/microsoft/mimalloc#performance

[spicfoo]

Nope i hate rust. Just need security testing of "optimizations" before enrolling them.

Well it's not about you. Linux kernel developers are already using Rust and it's usage is growing.

[cj.wijtmans]

Well it's not about you. Linux kernel developers are already using Rust and it's usage is growing.

Correct. Linux is turning into corporate snakes oil.