VMX kernel crypto module exhibits poor performance in Ubuntu 16.04

[bugproxy]

---Problem Description---
Pre-sales customer with loaner P8 observes slow performance of VMX-accelerated kernel crypto, multiple times slower then Haswell.

---uname output---
Linux crimini9 4.4.0-21-generic #37-Ubuntu SMP Mon Apr 18 18:30:22 UTC 2016 ppc64le ppc64le ppc64le GNU/Linux

Machine Type = unknown

---Steps to Reproduce---
 Run cryptsetup benchmark with the VMX crypto module modprobed.

Original customer cryptsetup benchmark results on Ubuntu 16.04:

Intel i5 core 2500k overclocked at 4.5 GHz w/ 4 cores:
aes-xts 256b 1884,2 MiB/s 1952,0 MiB/s
aes-cbc 256b 509,1 MiB/s 1724,2 MiB/s

Results for xeon e5-2680 at 2.80 Ghz:
 aes-cbc 256b 392.6 MiB/s 2062.0 MiB/s
 aes-xts 256b 3853.0 MiB/s 4793.0 MiB/s

Results from intel i7 3770 at 3.40 GHz:
aes-xts?? 256b??7787.0 MiB/s??7962.0 MiB/s
aes-cbc?? 256b?? 662.0 MiB/s??3779.0 MiB/s

Power 8 at 4.15Ghz and vmx-crypto loaded (s822L, 16c, powervm)
aes-xts 256b 410.7 MiB/s 413.9 MiB/s
aes-cbc 256b 300.6 MiB/s 358.7 MiB/s

Mirroring to Canonical for their awareness as IBM purses a fix for inclusion in a 16.04 SRU.

[Tim Gardner (timg-tpi)]

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kernel-team/2016-June/078450.html

[Kamal Mostafa (kamalmostafa)]

This bug is awaiting verification that the kernel in -proposed solves the problem. Please test the kernel and update this bug with the results. If the problem is solved, change the tag 'verification-needed-xenial' to 'verification-done-xenial'.

If verification is not done by 5 working days from today, this fix will be dropped from the source code, and this bug will be closed.

See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you!

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package linux - 4.4.0-30.49

---------------
linux (4.4.0-30.49) xenial; urgency=low

  [ Kamal Mostafa ]

  * Release Tracking Bug
    - LP: #1597897

  * FCP devices are not detected correctly nor deterministically (LP: #1567602)
    - scsi_dh_alua: Disable ALUA handling for non-disk devices
    - scsi_dh_alua: Use vpd_pg83 information
    - scsi_dh_alua: improved logging
    - scsi_dh_alua: sanitze sense code handling
    - scsi_dh_alua: use standard logging functions
    - scsi_dh_alua: return standard SCSI return codes in submit_rtpg
    - scsi_dh_alua: fixup description of stpg_endio()
    - scsi_dh_alua: use flag for RTPG extended header
    - scsi_dh_alua: use unaligned access macros
    - scsi_dh_alua: rework alua_check_tpgs() to return the tpgs mode
    - scsi_dh_alua: simplify sense code handling
    - scsi: Add scsi_vpd_lun_id()
    - scsi: Add scsi_vpd_tpg_id()
    - scsi_dh_alua: use scsi_vpd_tpg_id()
    - scsi_dh_alua: Remove stale variables
    - scsi_dh_alua: Pass buffer as function argument
    - scsi_dh_alua: separate out alua_stpg()
    - scsi_dh_alua: Make stpg synchronous
    - scsi_dh_alua: call alua_rtpg() if stpg fails
    - scsi_dh_alua: switch to scsi_execute_req_flags()
    - scsi_dh_alua: allocate RTPG buffer separately
    - scsi_dh_alua: Use separate alua_port_group structure
    - scsi_dh_alua: use unique device id
    - scsi_dh_alua: simplify alua_initialize()
    - revert commit a8e5a2d593cb ("[SCSI] scsi_dh_alua: ALUA handler attach should
      succeed while TPG is transitioning")
    - scsi_dh_alua: move optimize_stpg evaluation
    - scsi_dh_alua: remove 'rel_port' from alua_dh_data structure
    - scsi_dh_alua: Use workqueue for RTPG
    - scsi_dh_alua: Allow workqueue to run synchronously
    - scsi_dh_alua: Add new blacklist flag 'BLIST_SYNC_ALUA'
    - scsi_dh_alua: Recheck state on unit attention
    - scsi_dh_alua: update all port states
    - scsi_dh_alua: Send TEST UNIT READY to poll for transitioning
    - scsi_dh_alua: do not fail for unknown VPD identification

linux (4.4.0-29.48) xenial; urgency=low

  [ Kamal Mostafa ]

  * Release Tracking Bug
    - LP: #1597015

  * Wireless hotkey fails on Dell XPS 15 9550 (LP: #1589886)
    - intel-hid: new hid event driver for hotkeys
    - intel-hid: fix incorrect entries in intel_hid_keymap
    - intel-hid: allocate correct amount of memory for private struct
    - intel-hid: add a workaround to ignore an event after waking up from S4.
    - [Config] CONFIG_INTEL_HID_EVENT=m

  * cgroupfs mounts can hang (LP: #1588056)
    - Revert "UBUNTU: SAUCE: (namespace) mqueue: Super blocks must be owned by the
      user ns which owns the ipc ns"
    - Revert "UBUNTU: SAUCE: kernfs: Do not match superblock in another user
      namespace when mounting"
    - Revert "UBUNTU: SAUCE: cgroup: Use a new super block when mounting in a
      cgroup namespace"
    - (namespace) bpf: Use mount_nodev not mount_ns to mount the bpf filesystem
    - (namespace) bpf, inode: disallow userns mounts
    - (namespace) ipc: Initialize ipc_namespace->user_ns early.
    - (namespace) vfs: Pass data, ns, and ns->userns to mount_ns
    - SAUCE: (namespace) S...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package linux - 4.4.0-31.50

---------------
linux (4.4.0-31.50) xenial; urgency=low

  [ Kamal Mostafa ]

  * Release Tracking Bug
    - LP: #1602449

  * nouveau: boot hangs at blank screen with unsupported graphics cards
    (LP: #1602340)
    - SAUCE: drm: check for supported chipset before booting fbdev off the hw

linux (4.4.0-30.49) xenial; urgency=low

  [ Kamal Mostafa ]

  * Release Tracking Bug
    - LP: #1597897

  * FCP devices are not detected correctly nor deterministically (LP: #1567602)
    - scsi_dh_alua: Disable ALUA handling for non-disk devices
    - scsi_dh_alua: Use vpd_pg83 information
    - scsi_dh_alua: improved logging
    - scsi_dh_alua: sanitze sense code handling
    - scsi_dh_alua: use standard logging functions
    - scsi_dh_alua: return standard SCSI return codes in submit_rtpg
    - scsi_dh_alua: fixup description of stpg_endio()
    - scsi_dh_alua: use flag for RTPG extended header
    - scsi_dh_alua: use unaligned access macros
    - scsi_dh_alua: rework alua_check_tpgs() to return the tpgs mode
    - scsi_dh_alua: simplify sense code handling
    - scsi: Add scsi_vpd_lun_id()
    - scsi: Add scsi_vpd_tpg_id()
    - scsi_dh_alua: use scsi_vpd_tpg_id()
    - scsi_dh_alua: Remove stale variables
    - scsi_dh_alua: Pass buffer as function argument
    - scsi_dh_alua: separate out alua_stpg()
    - scsi_dh_alua: Make stpg synchronous
    - scsi_dh_alua: call alua_rtpg() if stpg fails
    - scsi_dh_alua: switch to scsi_execute_req_flags()
    - scsi_dh_alua: allocate RTPG buffer separately
    - scsi_dh_alua: Use separate alua_port_group structure
    - scsi_dh_alua: use unique device id
    - scsi_dh_alua: simplify alua_initialize()
    - revert commit a8e5a2d593cb ("[SCSI] scsi_dh_alua: ALUA handler attach should
      succeed while TPG is transitioning")
    - scsi_dh_alua: move optimize_stpg evaluation
    - scsi_dh_alua: remove 'rel_port' from alua_dh_data structure
    - scsi_dh_alua: Use workqueue for RTPG
    - scsi_dh_alua: Allow workqueue to run synchronously
    - scsi_dh_alua: Add new blacklist flag 'BLIST_SYNC_ALUA'
    - scsi_dh_alua: Recheck state on unit attention
    - scsi_dh_alua: update all port states
    - scsi_dh_alua: Send TEST UNIT READY to poll for transitioning
    - scsi_dh_alua: do not fail for unknown VPD identification

linux (4.4.0-29.48) xenial; urgency=low

  [ Kamal Mostafa ]

  * Release Tracking Bug
    - LP: #1597015

  * Wireless hotkey fails on Dell XPS 15 9550 (LP: #1589886)
    - intel-hid: new hid event driver for hotkeys
    - intel-hid: fix incorrect entries in intel_hid_keymap
    - intel-hid: allocate correct amount of memory for private struct
    - intel-hid: add a workaround to ignore an event after waking up from S4.
    - [Config] CONFIG_INTEL_HID_EVENT=m

  * cgroupfs mounts can hang (LP: #1588056)
    - Revert "UBUNTU: SAUCE: (namespace) mqueue: Super blocks must be owned by the
      user ns which owns the ipc ns"
    - Revert "UBUNTU: SAUCE: kernfs: Do not match superblock in another user
      namespace when mounting"
    - Revert "UBUNTU: SAUCE: cgroup: Use a new super block when mounting in a
      cgroup namespace"
    - (name...

[Paulo Flabiano Smorigo (pfsmorigo)]

Verified. Working fine. Thanks!