Feature #5999: Optimize for faster loading time and win32/file.c refactoring

• Status: Closed
• Assignee: h.shirosaki (Hiroshi Shirosaki)
• Target version: 2.0.0

[h.shirosaki (Hiroshi Shirosaki)]

This was originally discussed at [ruby-core:41799] Best way to separate implementation specific code?.

Ruby startup time (loading time) is slow when loading a lot of libraries such as Rails. Some works were done to improve performance such as #3924, but startup is still not fast. Especially ruby on Windows seems much slower than on Unix like OS.
This work is an effort to improve startup time on Windows.

I have updated the patch with help from Luis Lavena. This patch improves loading time a little.

https://gist.github.com/1605263#file_0001_move_rb_file_load_ok_to_win32_file.c.patch

If load_path and loaded_features are large numbers such as rails app, file_load_ok() is called many times against non-existing path.

On Windows, GetFileAttributes() is faster than open(). And open() performance is affected by AntiVirus software's realtime scan.
I confirmed this with NOD32. Microsoft Security Essentials doesn't affect so badly as NOD32. It seems to depend on kinds of antivirus softwares.

Benchmark:
https://gist.github.com/1605263#gistcomment-75650
https://gist.github.com/1448652

Avoiding to call open() against non-existing path by using GetFileAttributes() seems to improve performance.
I used CreateFile() instead of open() because CreateFile() seems a little faster.

Here are rails startup benchmarks.

On Windows 7:

200ms improvement
https://gist.github.com/1605263#gistcomment-82137

On Windows XP:

800ms improvement with NOD32 OFF
1800ms improvement with NOD32 ON
https://gist.github.com/1605263#gistcomment-75644

This fix would be helpful for windows users. I guess most windows users use antivirus softwares.

I confirmed make, make test are OK. make test-all result was same as before patch at the following revision.
ruby 2.0.0dev (2012-02-09 trunk 34511) [i386-mingw32]

At [ruby-core:41831], Matz agreed with replacing file_load_ok.

This is the first work in win32/file.c. The following works (optimize expand_path etc.) into win32/file.c will be done by Luis.
This patch changed configure and Makefile. I also confirmed make with nmake(mswin32).

Is this acceptable way?

[luislavena (Luis Lavena)]

• Category set to core
• Assignee set to usa (Usaku NAKAMURA)
• Target version set to 2.0.0

[luislavena (Luis Lavena)]

Usa,

Do you approve this be merged?

Thank you.

[jonforums (Jon Forums)]

As there's been no negative feedback in the past 17 days, is this patch acceptable as-is and can it now be committed to trunk?

[usa (Usaku NAKAMURA)]

• Status changed from Open to Assigned
• Assignee changed from usa (Usaku NAKAMURA) to h.shirosaki (Hiroshi Shirosaki)

I don't object.
Shirosaki-san, please commit it.

• Status changed from Assigned to Closed
• % Done changed from 0 to 100

This issue was solved with changeset r34849.
Hiroshi, thank you for reporting this issue.
Your contribution to Ruby is greatly appreciated.
May Ruby be with you.

---

• Makefile.in (PLATFORM_DIR): add a variable for win32 directory.

• Makefile.in (clean-platform): add new target.
  It cleans win32 directory.

• common.mk (clean): add a dependency for win32 directory.

• common.mk (distclean): ditto.

• common.mk (distclean-platform): add new target.
  It cleans win32 directory.

• common.mk ($(PLATFORM_D)): add new target to make win32 directory.

• common.mk (win32/win32.$(OBJEXT)): move win32.o into win32
  directory.

• common.mk (win32/file.$(OBJEXT)): add new target for win32/file.c.

• configure.in: move win32.o into win32 directory and add
  win32/file.o to MISSING.

• file.c (file_load_ok, rb_file_load_ok): replace static
  file_load_ok() with public rb_file_load_ok().
  It's to link Windows implementation in win32/file.c.

• file.c (rb_find_file_ext_safe): ditto.

• file.c (rb_find_file_safe): ditto.

• win32/file.c (rb_file_load_ok): new file. Add Windows specific
  optimized implementation of rb_file_load_ok(). We created a
  separated file to avoid too many #ifdef macro which is unreadable.

• win32/Makefile.sub (PLATFORM_DIR): add a variable for win32
  directory.

• win32/Makefile.sub (MISSING): move win32.obj into win32
  directory and add win32/file.obj to MISSING.

• win32/Makefile.sub (MAKEDIRS): replace MINIRUBY with BASERUBY.
  It's because miniruby doesn't exist when making win32 directory.

• win32/Makefile.sub (clean-platform): add new target to clean win32
  directory.

• win32/Makefile.sub ({$(srcdir)}.c{}.obj): make it not match
  win32/file.c to build properly.

• win32/Makefile.sub (win32/win32.$(OBJEXT)): move win32.obj into
  win32 directory.

  Patch created with Luis Lavena.
  [ruby-core:42480] [Feature #5999]

[h.shirosaki (Hiroshi Shirosaki)]

I don't object.
Shirosaki-san, please commit it.

Thank you. I committed it at r34849.

--
Hiroshi Shirosaki