Reducing the Kernel's Slab Allocators - Progress Report

Explore the ongoing effort to streamline the Linux kernel's slab allocators in this 51-minute conference talk by Vlastimil Babka from SUSE. Delve into the history and differences between the three slab allocators - SLAB, SLUB, and SLOB - and understand the rationale behind reducing them to a single allocator, SLUB. Learn about the recent deprecation of the SLOB allocator in kernel version 6.2 and gain insights into the latest progress on this initiative. Examine potential challenges, such as workloads that still perform better with SLAB, and the necessary improvements to SLUB to avoid regressions. Compare this in-depth discussion to the related talks at the Linux Plumbers Conference and LSF/MM, focusing on both technical background and recent developments in the field of kernel memory management.