Added inline_max, to optionally limit the size of inlined files

Inlined files live in metadata and decrease storage requirements, but
may be limited to improve metadata-related performance. This is
especially important given the current plague of metadata performance.

Though decreasing inline_max may make metadata more dense and increase
block usage, so it's important to benchmark if optimizing for speed.

The underlying limits of inlined files haven't changed:
1. Inlined files need to fit in RAM, so <= cache_size
2. Inlined files need to fit in a single attr, so <= attr_max
3. Inlined files need to fit in 1/8 of a block to avoid metadata
   overflow issues, this is after limiting by metadata_max,
   so <= min(metadata_max, block_size)/8

By default, the largest possible inline_max is used. This preserves
backwards compatibility and is probably a good default for most use
cases.

This does have the awkward effect of requiring inline_max=-1 to
indicate disabled inlined files, but I don't think there's a good
way around this.

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ jobs:
             table[$i,$j]=$c_camel
             ((j+=1))
 
-            for s in code stack struct
+            for s in code stack structs
             do
               f=sizes/thumb${c:+-$c}.$s.csv
               [ -e $f ] && table[$i,$j]=$( \

DESIGN.md

@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ This leaves us with three major requirements for an embedded filesystem.
    RAM to temporarily store filesystem metadata.
 
    For ROM, this means we need to keep our design simple and reuse code paths
-   were possible. For RAM we have a stronger requirement, all RAM usage is
+   where possible. For RAM we have a stronger requirement, all RAM usage is
    bounded. This means RAM usage does not grow as the filesystem changes in
    size or number of files. This creates a unique challenge as even presumably
    simple operations, such as traversing the filesystem, become surprisingly
@@ -626,7 +626,7 @@ log₂_n_ pointers that skip to different preceding elements of the
 skip-list.
 
 The name comes from heavy use of the [CTZ instruction][wikipedia-ctz], which
-lets us calculate the power-of-two factors efficiently. For a give block _n_,
+lets us calculate the power-of-two factors efficiently. For a given block _n_,
 that block contains ctz(_n_)+1 pointers.
 
 ```

Makefile

@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ CFLAGS += -fcallgraph-info=su
 CFLAGS += -g3
 CFLAGS += -I.
 CFLAGS += -std=c99 -Wall -Wextra -pedantic
+CFLAGS += -Wmissing-prototypes
 CFLAGS += -ftrack-macro-expansion=0
 ifdef DEBUG
 CFLAGS += -O0
@@ -354,6 +355,7 @@ summary-diff sizes-diff: $(OBJ) $(CI)
 
 ## Build the test-runner
 .PHONY: test-runner build-test
+test-runner build-test: CFLAGS+=-Wno-missing-prototypes
 ifndef NO_COV
 test-runner build-test: CFLAGS+=--coverage
 endif
@@ -405,6 +407,7 @@ testmarks-diff: $(TEST_CSV)
 
 ## Build the bench-runner
 .PHONY: bench-runner build-bench
+bench-runner build-bench: CFLAGS+=-Wno-missing-prototypes
 ifdef YES_COV
 bench-runner build-bench: CFLAGS+=--coverage
 endif

lfs.c

@@ -593,45 +593,52 @@ static int lfs_rawunmount(lfs_t *lfs);
 
 
 /// Block allocator ///
+
+// allocations should call this when all allocated blocks are committed to
+// the filesystem
+//
+// after a checkpoint, the block allocator may realloc any untracked blocks
+static void lfs_alloc_ckpoint(lfs_t *lfs) {
+    lfs->lookahead.ckpoint = lfs->block_count;
+}
+
+// drop the lookahead buffer, this is done during mounting and failed
+// traversals in order to avoid invalid lookahead state
+static void lfs_alloc_drop(lfs_t *lfs) {
+    lfs->lookahead.size = 0;
+    lfs->lookahead.next = 0;
+    lfs_alloc_ckpoint(lfs);
+}
+
 #ifndef LFS_READONLY
 static int lfs_alloc_lookahead(void *p, lfs_block_t block) {
     lfs_t *lfs = (lfs_t*)p;
-    lfs_block_t off = ((block - lfs->free.off)
+    lfs_block_t off = ((block - lfs->lookahead.start)
             + lfs->block_count) % lfs->block_count;
 
-    if (off < lfs->free.size) {
-        lfs->free.buffer[off / 32] |= 1U << (off % 32);
+    if (off < lfs->lookahead.size) {
+        lfs->lookahead.buffer[off / 8] |= 1U << (off % 8);
     }
 
     return 0;
 }
 #endif
 
-// indicate allocated blocks have been committed into the filesystem, this
-// is to prevent blocks from being garbage collected in the middle of a
-// commit operation
-static void lfs_alloc_ack(lfs_t *lfs) {
-    lfs->free.ack = lfs->block_count;
-}
-
-// drop the lookahead buffer, this is done during mounting and failed
-// traversals in order to avoid invalid lookahead state
-static void lfs_alloc_drop(lfs_t *lfs) {
-    lfs->free.size = 0;
-    lfs->free.i = 0;
-    lfs_alloc_ack(lfs);
-}
-
 #ifndef LFS_READONLY
-static int lfs_fs_rawgc(lfs_t *lfs) {
-    // Move free offset at the first unused block (lfs->free.i)
-    // lfs->free.i is equal lfs->free.size when all blocks are used
-    lfs->free.off = (lfs->free.off + lfs->free.i) % lfs->block_count;
-    lfs->free.size = lfs_min(8*lfs->cfg->lookahead_size, lfs->free.ack);
-    lfs->free.i = 0;
+static int lfs_alloc_scan(lfs_t *lfs) {
+    // move lookahead buffer to the first unused block
+    //
+    // note we limit the lookahead buffer to at most the amount of blocks
+    // checkpointed, this prevents the math in lfs_alloc from underflowing
+    lfs->lookahead.start = (lfs->lookahead.start + lfs->lookahead.next) 
+            % lfs->block_count;
+    lfs->lookahead.next = 0;
+    lfs->lookahead.size = lfs_min(
+            8*lfs->cfg->lookahead_size,
+            lfs->lookahead.ckpoint);
 
     // find mask of free blocks from tree
-    memset(lfs->free.buffer, 0, lfs->cfg->lookahead_size);
+    memset(lfs->lookahead.buffer, 0, lfs->cfg->lookahead_size);
     int err = lfs_fs_rawtraverse(lfs, lfs_alloc_lookahead, lfs, true);
     if (err) {
         lfs_alloc_drop(lfs);
@@ -645,36 +652,49 @@ static int lfs_fs_rawgc(lfs_t *lfs) {
 #ifndef LFS_READONLY
 static int lfs_alloc(lfs_t *lfs, lfs_block_t *block) {
     while (true) {
-        while (lfs->free.i != lfs->free.size) {
-            lfs_block_t off = lfs->free.i;
-            lfs->free.i += 1;
-            lfs->free.ack -= 1;
-
-            if (!(lfs->free.buffer[off / 32] & (1U << (off % 32)))) {
+        // scan our lookahead buffer for free blocks
+        while (lfs->lookahead.next < lfs->lookahead.size) {
+            if (!(lfs->lookahead.buffer[lfs->lookahead.next / 8]
+                    & (1U << (lfs->lookahead.next % 8)))) {
                 // found a free block
-                *block = (lfs->free.off + off) % lfs->block_count;
+                *block = (lfs->lookahead.start + lfs->lookahead.next)
+                        % lfs->block_count;
 
-                // eagerly find next off so an alloc ack can
-                // discredit old lookahead blocks
-                while (lfs->free.i != lfs->free.size &&
-                        (lfs->free.buffer[lfs->free.i / 32]
-                            & (1U << (lfs->free.i % 32)))) {
-                    lfs->free.i += 1;
-                    lfs->free.ack -= 1;
+                // eagerly find next free block to maximize how many blocks
+                // lfs_alloc_ckpoint makes available for scanning
+                while (true) {
+                    lfs->lookahead.next += 1;
+                    lfs->lookahead.ckpoint -= 1;
+
+                    if (lfs->lookahead.next >= lfs->lookahead.size
+                            || !(lfs->lookahead.buffer[lfs->lookahead.next / 8]
+                                & (1U << (lfs->lookahead.next % 8)))) {
+                        return 0;
+                    }
                 }
-
-                return 0;
             }
+
+            lfs->lookahead.next += 1;
+            lfs->lookahead.ckpoint -= 1;
         }
 
-        // check if we have looked at all blocks since last ack
-        if (lfs->free.ack == 0) {
-            LFS_ERROR("No more free space %"PRIu32,
-                    lfs->free.i + lfs->free.off);
+        // In order to keep our block allocator from spinning forever when our
+        // filesystem is full, we mark points where there are no in-flight
+        // allocations with a checkpoint before starting a set of allocations.
+        //
+        // If we've looked at all blocks since the last checkpoint, we report
+        // the filesystem as out of storage.
+        //
+        if (lfs->lookahead.ckpoint <= 0) {
+            LFS_ERROR("No more free space 0x%"PRIx32,
+                    (lfs->lookahead.start + lfs->lookahead.next)
+                        % lfs->cfg->block_count);
             return LFS_ERR_NOSPC;
         }
 
-        int err = lfs_fs_rawgc(lfs);
+        // No blocks in our lookahead buffer, we need to scan the filesystem for
+        // unused blocks in the next lookahead window.
+        int err = lfs_alloc_scan(lfs);
         if(err) {
             return err;
         }
@@ -2151,9 +2171,11 @@ static int lfs_dir_splittingcompact(lfs_t *lfs, lfs_mdir_t *dir,
             return size;
         }
 
-        // do we have extra space? littlefs can't reclaim this space
-        // by itself, so expand cautiously
-        if ((lfs_size_t)size < lfs->block_count/2) {
+        // littlefs cannot reclaim expanded superblocks, so expand cautiously
+        //
+        // if our filesystem is more than ~88% full, don't expand, this is
+        // somewhat arbitrary
+        if (lfs->block_count - size > lfs->block_count/8) {
             LFS_DEBUG("Expanding superblock at rev %"PRIu32, dir->rev);
             int err = lfs_dir_split(lfs, dir, attrs, attrcount,
                     source, begin, end);
@@ -2586,7 +2608,7 @@ static int lfs_rawmkdir(lfs_t *lfs, const char *path) {
     }
 
     // build up new directory
-    lfs_alloc_ack(lfs);
+    lfs_alloc_ckpoint(lfs);
     lfs_mdir_t dir;
     err = lfs_dir_alloc(lfs, &dir);
     if (err) {
@@ -3272,7 +3294,7 @@ relocate:
 #ifndef LFS_READONLY
 static int lfs_file_outline(lfs_t *lfs, lfs_file_t *file) {
     file->off = file->pos;
-    lfs_alloc_ack(lfs);
+    lfs_alloc_ckpoint(lfs);
     int err = lfs_file_relocate(lfs, file);
     if (err) {
         return err;
@@ -3502,11 +3524,7 @@ static lfs_ssize_t lfs_file_flushedwrite(lfs_t *lfs, lfs_file_t *file,
     lfs_size_t nsize = size;
 
     if ((file->flags & LFS_F_INLINE) &&
-            lfs_max(file->pos+nsize, file->ctz.size) >
-            lfs_min(0x3fe, lfs_min(
-                lfs->cfg->cache_size,
-                (lfs->cfg->metadata_max ?
-                    lfs->cfg->metadata_max : lfs->cfg->block_size) / 8))) {
+            lfs_max(file->pos+nsize, file->ctz.size) > lfs->inline_max) {
         // inline file doesn't fit anymore
         int err = lfs_file_outline(lfs, file);
         if (err) {
@@ -3535,7 +3553,7 @@ static lfs_ssize_t lfs_file_flushedwrite(lfs_t *lfs, lfs_file_t *file,
                 }
 
                 // extend file with new blocks
-                lfs_alloc_ack(lfs);
+                lfs_alloc_ckpoint(lfs);
                 int err = lfs_ctz_extend(lfs, &file->cache, &lfs->rcache,
                         file->block, file->pos,
                         &file->block, &file->off);
@@ -3578,7 +3596,7 @@ relocate:
         data += diff;
         nsize -= diff;
 
-        lfs_alloc_ack(lfs);
+        lfs_alloc_ckpoint(lfs);
     }
 
     return size;
@@ -3703,10 +3721,7 @@ static int lfs_file_rawtruncate(lfs_t *lfs, lfs_file_t *file, lfs_off_t size) {
     lfs_off_t oldsize = lfs_file_rawsize(lfs, file);
     if (size < oldsize) {
         // revert to inline file?
-        if (size <= lfs_min(0x3fe, lfs_min(
-                lfs->cfg->cache_size,
-                (lfs->cfg->metadata_max ?
-                    lfs->cfg->metadata_max : lfs->cfg->block_size) / 8))) {
+        if (size <= lfs->inline_max) {
             // flush+seek to head
             lfs_soff_t res = lfs_file_rawseek(lfs, file, 0, LFS_SEEK_SET);
             if (res < 0) {
@@ -4106,6 +4121,21 @@ static int lfs_rawremoveattr(lfs_t *lfs, const char *path, uint8_t type) {
 
 
 /// Filesystem operations ///
+
+// compile time checks, see lfs.h for why these limits exist
+#if LFS_NAME_MAX > 1022
+#error "Invalid LFS_NAME_MAX, must be <= 1022"
+#endif
+
+#if LFS_FILE_MAX > 2147483647
+#error "Invalid LFS_FILE_MAX, must be <= 2147483647"
+#endif
+
+#if LFS_ATTR_MAX > 1022
+#error "Invalid LFS_ATTR_MAX, must be <= 1022"
+#endif
+
+// common filesystem initialization
 static int lfs_init(lfs_t *lfs, const struct lfs_config *cfg) {
     lfs->cfg = cfg;
     lfs->block_count = cfg->block_count;  // May be 0
@@ -4153,6 +4183,14 @@ static int lfs_init(lfs_t *lfs, const struct lfs_config *cfg) {
     // wear-leveling.
     LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->block_cycles != 0);
 
+    // check that compact_thresh makes sense
+    //
+    // metadata can't be compacted below block_size/2, and metadata can't
+    // exceed a block_size
+    LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->compact_thresh == 0
+            || lfs->cfg->compact_thresh >= lfs->cfg->block_size/2);
+    LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->compact_thresh == (lfs_size_t)-1
+            || lfs->cfg->compact_thresh <= lfs->cfg->block_size);
 
     // setup read cache
     if (lfs->cfg->read_buffer) {
@@ -4180,15 +4218,14 @@ static int lfs_init(lfs_t *lfs, const struct lfs_config *cfg) {
     lfs_cache_zero(lfs, &lfs->rcache);
     lfs_cache_zero(lfs, &lfs->pcache);
 
-    // setup lookahead, must be multiple of 64-bits, 32-bit aligned
+    // setup lookahead buffer, note mount finishes initializing this after
+    // we establish a decent pseudo-random seed
     LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->lookahead_size > 0);
-    LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->lookahead_size % 8 == 0 &&
-            (uintptr_t)lfs->cfg->lookahead_buffer % 4 == 0);
     if (lfs->cfg->lookahead_buffer) {
-        lfs->free.buffer = lfs->cfg->lookahead_buffer;
+        lfs->lookahead.buffer = lfs->cfg->lookahead_buffer;
     } else {
-        lfs->free.buffer = lfs_malloc(lfs->cfg->lookahead_size);
-        if (!lfs->free.buffer) {
+        lfs->lookahead.buffer = lfs_malloc(lfs->cfg->lookahead_size);
+        if (!lfs->lookahead.buffer) {
             err = LFS_ERR_NOMEM;
             goto cleanup;
         }
@@ -4215,6 +4252,27 @@ static int lfs_init(lfs_t *lfs, const struct lfs_config *cfg) {
 
     LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->metadata_max <= lfs->cfg->block_size);
 
+    LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->inline_max == (lfs_size_t)-1
+            || lfs->cfg->inline_max <= lfs->cfg->cache_size);
+    LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->inline_max == (lfs_size_t)-1
+            || lfs->cfg->inline_max <= lfs->attr_max);
+    LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->inline_max == (lfs_size_t)-1
+            || lfs->cfg->inline_max <= ((lfs->cfg->metadata_max)
+                ? lfs->cfg->metadata_max
+                : lfs->cfg->block_size)/8);
+    lfs->inline_max = lfs->cfg->inline_max;
+    if (lfs->inline_max == (lfs_size_t)-1) {
+        lfs->inline_max = 0;
+    } else if (lfs->inline_max == 0) {
+        lfs->inline_max = lfs_min(
+                lfs->cfg->cache_size,
+                lfs_min(
+                    lfs->attr_max,
+                    ((lfs->cfg->metadata_max)
+                        ? lfs->cfg->metadata_max
+                        : lfs->cfg->block_size)/8));
+    }
+
     // setup default state
     lfs->root[0] = LFS_BLOCK_NULL;
     lfs->root[1] = LFS_BLOCK_NULL;
@@ -4245,7 +4303,7 @@ static int lfs_deinit(lfs_t *lfs) {
     }
 
     if (!lfs->cfg->lookahead_buffer) {
-        lfs_free(lfs->free.buffer);
+        lfs_free(lfs->lookahead.buffer);
     }
 
     return 0;
@@ -4265,12 +4323,12 @@ static int lfs_rawformat(lfs_t *lfs, const struct lfs_config *cfg) {
         LFS_ASSERT(cfg->block_count != 0);
 
         // create free lookahead
-        memset(lfs->free.buffer, 0, lfs->cfg->lookahead_size);
-        lfs->free.off = 0;
-        lfs->free.size = lfs_min(8*lfs->cfg->lookahead_size,
+        memset(lfs->lookahead.buffer, 0, lfs->cfg->lookahead_size);
+        lfs->lookahead.start = 0;
+        lfs->lookahead.size = lfs_min(8*lfs->cfg->lookahead_size,
                 lfs->block_count);
-        lfs->free.i = 0;
-        lfs_alloc_ack(lfs);
+        lfs->lookahead.next = 0;
+        lfs_alloc_ckpoint(lfs);
 
         // create root dir
         lfs_mdir_t root;
@@ -4438,6 +4496,9 @@ static int lfs_rawmount(lfs_t *lfs, const struct lfs_config *cfg) {
                 }
 
                 lfs->attr_max = superblock.attr_max;
+
+                // we also need to update inline_max in case attr_max changed
+                lfs->inline_max = lfs_min(lfs->inline_max, lfs->attr_max);
             }
 
             // this is where we get the block_count from disk if block_count=0
@@ -4478,7 +4539,7 @@ static int lfs_rawmount(lfs_t *lfs, const struct lfs_config *cfg) {
 
     // setup free lookahead, to distribute allocations uniformly across
     // boots, we start the allocator at a random location
-    lfs->free.off = lfs->seed % lfs->block_count;
+    lfs->lookahead.start = lfs->seed % lfs->block_count;
     lfs_alloc_drop(lfs);
 
     return 0;
@@ -4999,7 +5060,7 @@ static int lfs_fs_forceconsistency(lfs_t *lfs) {
 #endif
 
 #ifndef LFS_READONLY
-int lfs_fs_rawmkconsistent(lfs_t *lfs) {
+static int lfs_fs_rawmkconsistent(lfs_t *lfs) {
     // lfs_fs_forceconsistency does most of the work here
     int err = lfs_fs_forceconsistency(lfs);
     if (err) {
@@ -5045,8 +5106,59 @@ static lfs_ssize_t lfs_fs_rawsize(lfs_t *lfs) {
     return size;
 }
 
+// explicit garbage collection
 #ifndef LFS_READONLY
-int lfs_fs_rawgrow(lfs_t *lfs, lfs_size_t block_count) {
+static int lfs_fs_rawgc(lfs_t *lfs) {
+    // force consistency, even if we're not necessarily going to write,
+    // because this function is supposed to take care of janitorial work
+    // isn't it?
+    int err = lfs_fs_forceconsistency(lfs);
+    if (err) {
+        return err;
+    }
+
+    // try to compact metadata pairs, note we can't really accomplish
+    // anything if compact_thresh doesn't at least leave a prog_size
+    // available
+    if (lfs->cfg->compact_thresh
+            < lfs->cfg->block_size - lfs->cfg->prog_size) {
+        // iterate over all mdirs
+        lfs_mdir_t mdir = {.tail = {0, 1}};
+        while (!lfs_pair_isnull(mdir.tail)) {
+            err = lfs_dir_fetch(lfs, &mdir, mdir.tail);
+            if (err) {
+                return err;
+            }
+
+            // not erased? exceeds our compaction threshold?
+            if (!mdir.erased || ((lfs->cfg->compact_thresh == 0)
+                    ? mdir.off > lfs->cfg->block_size - lfs->cfg->block_size/8
+                    : mdir.off > lfs->cfg->compact_thresh)) {
+                // the easiest way to trigger a compaction is to mark
+                // the mdir as unerased and add an empty commit
+                mdir.erased = false;
+                err = lfs_dir_commit(lfs, &mdir, NULL, 0);
+                if (err) {
+                    return err;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // try to populate the lookahead buffer, unless it's already full
+    if (lfs->lookahead.size < 8*lfs->cfg->lookahead_size) {
+        err = lfs_alloc_scan(lfs);
+        if (err) {
+            return err;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef LFS_READONLY
+static int lfs_fs_rawgrow(lfs_t *lfs, lfs_size_t block_count) {
     // shrinking is not supported
     LFS_ASSERT(block_count >= lfs->block_count);
 
@@ -5451,10 +5563,10 @@ static int lfs1_mount(lfs_t *lfs, struct lfs1 *lfs1,
         lfs->lfs1->root[1] = LFS_BLOCK_NULL;
 
         // setup free lookahead
-        lfs->free.off = 0;
-        lfs->free.size = 0;
-        lfs->free.i = 0;
-        lfs_alloc_ack(lfs);
+        lfs->lookahead.start = 0;
+        lfs->lookahead.size = 0;
+        lfs->lookahead.next = 0;
+        lfs_alloc_ckpoint(lfs);
 
         // load superblock
         lfs1_dir_t dir;
@@ -6250,22 +6362,6 @@ int lfs_fs_traverse(lfs_t *lfs, int (*cb)(void *, lfs_block_t), void *data) {
     return err;
 }
 
-#ifndef LFS_READONLY
-int lfs_fs_gc(lfs_t *lfs) {
-    int err = LFS_LOCK(lfs->cfg);
-    if (err) {
-        return err;
-    }
-    LFS_TRACE("lfs_fs_gc(%p)", (void*)lfs);
-
-    err = lfs_fs_rawgc(lfs);
-
-    LFS_TRACE("lfs_fs_gc -> %d", err);
-    LFS_UNLOCK(lfs->cfg);
-    return err;
-}
-#endif
-
 #ifndef LFS_READONLY
 int lfs_fs_mkconsistent(lfs_t *lfs) {
     int err = LFS_LOCK(lfs->cfg);
@@ -6282,6 +6378,22 @@ int lfs_fs_mkconsistent(lfs_t *lfs) {
 }
 #endif
 
+#ifndef LFS_READONLY
+int lfs_fs_gc(lfs_t *lfs) {
+    int err = LFS_LOCK(lfs->cfg);
+    if (err) {
+        return err;
+    }
+    LFS_TRACE("lfs_fs_gc(%p)", (void*)lfs);
+
+    err = lfs_fs_rawgc(lfs);
+
+    LFS_TRACE("lfs_fs_gc -> %d", err);
+    LFS_UNLOCK(lfs->cfg);
+    return err;
+}
+#endif
+
 #ifndef LFS_READONLY
 int lfs_fs_grow(lfs_t *lfs, lfs_size_t block_count) {
     int err = LFS_LOCK(lfs->cfg);

lfs.h

@@ -52,10 +52,8 @@ typedef uint32_t lfs_block_t;
 #endif
 
 // Maximum size of a file in bytes, may be redefined to limit to support other
-// drivers. Limited on disk to <= 4294967296. However, above 2147483647 the
-// functions lfs_file_seek, lfs_file_size, and lfs_file_tell will return
-// incorrect values due to using signed integers. Stored in superblock and
-// must be respected by other littlefs drivers.
+// drivers. Limited on disk to <= 2147483647. Stored in superblock and must be
+// respected by other littlefs drivers.
 #ifndef LFS_FILE_MAX
 #define LFS_FILE_MAX 2147483647
 #endif
@@ -226,9 +224,20 @@ struct lfs_config {
     // Size of the lookahead buffer in bytes. A larger lookahead buffer
     // increases the number of blocks found during an allocation pass. The
     // lookahead buffer is stored as a compact bitmap, so each byte of RAM
-    // can track 8 blocks. Must be a multiple of 8.
+    // can track 8 blocks.
     lfs_size_t lookahead_size;
 
+    // Threshold for metadata compaction during lfs_fs_gc in bytes. Metadata
+    // pairs that exceed this threshold will be compacted during lfs_fs_gc.
+    // Defaults to ~88% block_size when zero, though the default may change
+    // in the future.
+    //
+    // Note this only affects lfs_fs_gc. Normal compactions still only occur
+    // when full.
+    //
+    // Set to -1 to disable metadata compaction during lfs_fs_gc.
+    lfs_size_t compact_thresh;
+
     // Optional statically allocated read buffer. Must be cache_size.
     // By default lfs_malloc is used to allocate this buffer.
     void *read_buffer;
@@ -237,9 +246,8 @@ struct lfs_config {
     // By default lfs_malloc is used to allocate this buffer.
     void *prog_buffer;
 
-    // Optional statically allocated lookahead buffer. Must be lookahead_size
-    // and aligned to a 32-bit boundary. By default lfs_malloc is used to
-    // allocate this buffer.
+    // Optional statically allocated lookahead buffer. Must be lookahead_size.
+    // By default lfs_malloc is used to allocate this buffer.
     void *lookahead_buffer;
 
     // Optional upper limit on length of file names in bytes. No downside for
@@ -264,6 +272,15 @@ struct lfs_config {
     // Defaults to block_size when zero.
     lfs_size_t metadata_max;
 
+    // Optional upper limit on inlined files in bytes. Inlined files live in
+    // metadata and decrease storage requirements, but may be limited to
+    // improve metadata-related performance. Must be <= cache_size, <=
+    // attr_max, and <= block_size/8. Defaults to the largest possible
+    // inline_max when zero.
+    //
+    // Set to -1 to disable inlined files.
+    lfs_size_t inline_max;
+
 #ifdef LFS_MULTIVERSION
     // On-disk version to use when writing in the form of 16-bit major version
     // + 16-bit minor version. This limiting metadata to what is supported by
@@ -430,19 +447,20 @@ typedef struct lfs {
     lfs_gstate_t gdisk;
     lfs_gstate_t gdelta;
 
-    struct lfs_free {
-        lfs_block_t off;
+    struct lfs_lookahead {
+        lfs_block_t start;
         lfs_block_t size;
-        lfs_block_t i;
-        lfs_block_t ack;
-        uint32_t *buffer;
-    } free;
+        lfs_block_t next;
+        lfs_block_t ckpoint;
+        uint8_t *buffer;
+    } lookahead;
 
     const struct lfs_config *cfg;
     lfs_size_t block_count;
     lfs_size_t name_max;
     lfs_size_t file_max;
     lfs_size_t attr_max;
+    lfs_size_t inline_max;
 
 #ifdef LFS_MIGRATE
     struct lfs1 *lfs1;
@@ -712,18 +730,6 @@ lfs_ssize_t lfs_fs_size(lfs_t *lfs);
 // Returns a negative error code on failure.
 int lfs_fs_traverse(lfs_t *lfs, int (*cb)(void*, lfs_block_t), void *data);
 
-// Attempt to proactively find free blocks
-//
-// Calling this function is not required, but may allowing the offloading of
-// the expensive block allocation scan to a less time-critical code path.
-//
-// Note: littlefs currently does not persist any found free blocks to disk.
-// This may change in the future.
-//
-// Returns a negative error code on failure. Finding no free blocks is
-// not an error.
-int lfs_fs_gc(lfs_t *lfs);
-
 #ifndef LFS_READONLY
 // Attempt to make the filesystem consistent and ready for writing
 //
@@ -736,6 +742,24 @@ int lfs_fs_gc(lfs_t *lfs);
 int lfs_fs_mkconsistent(lfs_t *lfs);
 #endif
 
+#ifndef LFS_READONLY
+// Attempt any janitorial work
+//
+// This currently:
+// 1. Calls mkconsistent if not already consistent
+// 2. Compacts metadata > compact_thresh
+// 3. Populates the block allocator
+//
+// Though additional janitorial work may be added in the future.
+//
+// Calling this function is not required, but may allow the offloading of
+// expensive janitorial work to a less time-critical code path.
+//
+// Returns a negative error code on failure. Accomplishing nothing is not
+// an error.
+int lfs_fs_gc(lfs_t *lfs);
+#endif
+
 #ifndef LFS_READONLY
 // Grows the filesystem to a new size, updating the superblock with the new
 // block count.

lfs_util.c

@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 #ifndef LFS_CONFIG
 
 
+// If user provides their own CRC impl we don't need this
+#ifndef LFS_CRC
 // Software CRC implementation with small lookup table
 uint32_t lfs_crc(uint32_t crc, const void *buffer, size_t size) {
     static const uint32_t rtable[16] = {
@@ -29,6 +31,7 @@ uint32_t lfs_crc(uint32_t crc, const void *buffer, size_t size) {
 
     return crc;
 }
+#endif
 
 
 #endif

lfs_util.h

@@ -212,12 +212,22 @@ static inline uint32_t lfs_tobe32(uint32_t a) {
 }
 
 // Calculate CRC-32 with polynomial = 0x04c11db7
+#ifdef LFS_CRC
+uint32_t lfs_crc(uint32_t crc, const void *buffer, size_t size) {
+    return LFS_CRC(crc, buffer, size)
+}
+#else
 uint32_t lfs_crc(uint32_t crc, const void *buffer, size_t size);
+#endif
 
 // Allocate memory, only used if buffers are not provided to littlefs
-// Note, memory must be 64-bit aligned
+//
+// littlefs current has no alignment requirements, as it only allocates
+// byte-level buffers.
 static inline void *lfs_malloc(size_t size) {
-#ifndef LFS_NO_MALLOC
+#if defined(LFS_MALLOC)
+    return LFS_MALLOC(size);
+#elif !defined(LFS_NO_MALLOC)
     return malloc(size);
 #else
     (void)size;
@@ -227,7 +237,9 @@ static inline void *lfs_malloc(size_t size) {
 
 // Deallocate memory, only used if buffers are not provided to littlefs
 static inline void lfs_free(void *p) {
-#ifndef LFS_NO_MALLOC
+#if defined(LFS_FREE)
+    LFS_FREE(p);
+#elif !defined(LFS_NO_MALLOC)
     free(p);
 #else
     (void)p;

runners/bench_runner.c

@@ -1321,6 +1321,8 @@ void perm_run(
         .block_cycles       = BLOCK_CYCLES,
         .cache_size         = CACHE_SIZE,
         .lookahead_size     = LOOKAHEAD_SIZE,
+        .compact_thresh     = COMPACT_THRESH,
+        .inline_max         = INLINE_MAX,
     };
 
     struct lfs_emubd_config bdcfg = {

runners/bench_runner.h

@@ -95,11 +95,13 @@ intmax_t bench_define(size_t define);
 #define BLOCK_COUNT_i        5
 #define CACHE_SIZE_i         6
 #define LOOKAHEAD_SIZE_i     7
-#define BLOCK_CYCLES_i       8
-#define ERASE_VALUE_i        9
-#define ERASE_CYCLES_i       10
-#define BADBLOCK_BEHAVIOR_i  11
-#define POWERLOSS_BEHAVIOR_i 12
+#define COMPACT_THRESH_i     8
+#define INLINE_MAX_i         9
+#define BLOCK_CYCLES_i       10
+#define ERASE_VALUE_i        11
+#define ERASE_CYCLES_i       12
+#define BADBLOCK_BEHAVIOR_i  13
+#define POWERLOSS_BEHAVIOR_i 14
 
 #define READ_SIZE           bench_define(READ_SIZE_i)
 #define PROG_SIZE           bench_define(PROG_SIZE_i)
@@ -109,6 +111,8 @@ intmax_t bench_define(size_t define);
 #define BLOCK_COUNT         bench_define(BLOCK_COUNT_i)
 #define CACHE_SIZE          bench_define(CACHE_SIZE_i)
 #define LOOKAHEAD_SIZE      bench_define(LOOKAHEAD_SIZE_i)
+#define COMPACT_THRESH      bench_define(COMPACT_THRESH_i)
+#define INLINE_MAX          bench_define(INLINE_MAX_i)
 #define BLOCK_CYCLES        bench_define(BLOCK_CYCLES_i)
 #define ERASE_VALUE         bench_define(ERASE_VALUE_i)
 #define ERASE_CYCLES        bench_define(ERASE_CYCLES_i)
@@ -124,6 +128,8 @@ intmax_t bench_define(size_t define);
     BENCH_DEF(BLOCK_COUNT,        ERASE_COUNT/lfs_max(BLOCK_SIZE/ERASE_SIZE,1))\
     BENCH_DEF(CACHE_SIZE,         lfs_max(64,lfs_max(READ_SIZE,PROG_SIZE))) \
     BENCH_DEF(LOOKAHEAD_SIZE,     16) \
+    BENCH_DEF(COMPACT_THRESH,     0) \
+    BENCH_DEF(INLINE_MAX,         0) \
     BENCH_DEF(BLOCK_CYCLES,       -1) \
     BENCH_DEF(ERASE_VALUE,        0xff) \
     BENCH_DEF(ERASE_CYCLES,       0) \
@@ -131,7 +137,7 @@ intmax_t bench_define(size_t define);
     BENCH_DEF(POWERLOSS_BEHAVIOR, LFS_EMUBD_POWERLOSS_NOOP)
 
 #define BENCH_GEOMETRY_DEFINE_COUNT 4
-#define BENCH_IMPLICIT_DEFINE_COUNT 13
+#define BENCH_IMPLICIT_DEFINE_COUNT 15
 
 
 #endif

runners/test_runner.c

@@ -1346,6 +1346,8 @@ static void run_powerloss_none(
         .block_cycles       = BLOCK_CYCLES,
         .cache_size         = CACHE_SIZE,
         .lookahead_size     = LOOKAHEAD_SIZE,
+        .compact_thresh     = COMPACT_THRESH,
+        .inline_max         = INLINE_MAX,
     #ifdef LFS_MULTIVERSION
         .disk_version       = DISK_VERSION,
     #endif
@@ -1422,6 +1424,8 @@ static void run_powerloss_linear(
         .block_cycles       = BLOCK_CYCLES,
         .cache_size         = CACHE_SIZE,
         .lookahead_size     = LOOKAHEAD_SIZE,
+        .compact_thresh     = COMPACT_THRESH,
+        .inline_max         = INLINE_MAX,
     #ifdef LFS_MULTIVERSION
         .disk_version       = DISK_VERSION,
     #endif
@@ -1515,6 +1519,8 @@ static void run_powerloss_log(
         .block_cycles       = BLOCK_CYCLES,
         .cache_size         = CACHE_SIZE,
         .lookahead_size     = LOOKAHEAD_SIZE,
+        .compact_thresh     = COMPACT_THRESH,
+        .inline_max         = INLINE_MAX,
     #ifdef LFS_MULTIVERSION
         .disk_version       = DISK_VERSION,
     #endif
@@ -1606,6 +1612,8 @@ static void run_powerloss_cycles(
         .block_cycles       = BLOCK_CYCLES,
         .cache_size         = CACHE_SIZE,
         .lookahead_size     = LOOKAHEAD_SIZE,
+        .compact_thresh     = COMPACT_THRESH,
+        .inline_max         = INLINE_MAX,
     #ifdef LFS_MULTIVERSION
         .disk_version       = DISK_VERSION,
     #endif
@@ -1795,6 +1803,8 @@ static void run_powerloss_exhaustive(
         .block_cycles       = BLOCK_CYCLES,
         .cache_size         = CACHE_SIZE,
         .lookahead_size     = LOOKAHEAD_SIZE,
+        .compact_thresh     = COMPACT_THRESH,
+        .inline_max         = INLINE_MAX,
     #ifdef LFS_MULTIVERSION
         .disk_version       = DISK_VERSION,
     #endif

runners/test_runner.h

@@ -88,12 +88,14 @@ intmax_t test_define(size_t define);
 #define BLOCK_COUNT_i        5
 #define CACHE_SIZE_i         6
 #define LOOKAHEAD_SIZE_i     7
-#define BLOCK_CYCLES_i       8
-#define ERASE_VALUE_i        9
-#define ERASE_CYCLES_i       10
-#define BADBLOCK_BEHAVIOR_i  11
-#define POWERLOSS_BEHAVIOR_i 12
-#define DISK_VERSION_i       13
+#define COMPACT_THRESH_i     8
+#define INLINE_MAX_i         9
+#define BLOCK_CYCLES_i       10
+#define ERASE_VALUE_i        11
+#define ERASE_CYCLES_i       12
+#define BADBLOCK_BEHAVIOR_i  13
+#define POWERLOSS_BEHAVIOR_i 14
+#define DISK_VERSION_i       15
 
 #define READ_SIZE           TEST_DEFINE(READ_SIZE_i)
 #define PROG_SIZE           TEST_DEFINE(PROG_SIZE_i)
@@ -103,6 +105,8 @@ intmax_t test_define(size_t define);
 #define BLOCK_COUNT         TEST_DEFINE(BLOCK_COUNT_i)
 #define CACHE_SIZE          TEST_DEFINE(CACHE_SIZE_i)
 #define LOOKAHEAD_SIZE      TEST_DEFINE(LOOKAHEAD_SIZE_i)
+#define COMPACT_THRESH      TEST_DEFINE(COMPACT_THRESH_i)
+#define INLINE_MAX          TEST_DEFINE(INLINE_MAX_i)
 #define BLOCK_CYCLES        TEST_DEFINE(BLOCK_CYCLES_i)
 #define ERASE_VALUE         TEST_DEFINE(ERASE_VALUE_i)
 #define ERASE_CYCLES        TEST_DEFINE(ERASE_CYCLES_i)
@@ -119,6 +123,8 @@ intmax_t test_define(size_t define);
     TEST_DEF(BLOCK_COUNT,        ERASE_COUNT/lfs_max(BLOCK_SIZE/ERASE_SIZE,1)) \
     TEST_DEF(CACHE_SIZE,         lfs_max(64,lfs_max(READ_SIZE,PROG_SIZE))) \
     TEST_DEF(LOOKAHEAD_SIZE,     16) \
+    TEST_DEF(COMPACT_THRESH,     0) \
+    TEST_DEF(INLINE_MAX,         0) \
     TEST_DEF(BLOCK_CYCLES,       -1) \
     TEST_DEF(ERASE_VALUE,        0xff) \
     TEST_DEF(ERASE_CYCLES,       0) \
@@ -127,7 +133,7 @@ intmax_t test_define(size_t define);
     TEST_DEF(DISK_VERSION,       0)
 
 #define TEST_GEOMETRY_DEFINE_COUNT 4
-#define TEST_IMPLICIT_DEFINE_COUNT 14
+#define TEST_IMPLICIT_DEFINE_COUNT 16
 
 
 #endif

tests/test_alloc.toml

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ if = 'BLOCK_CYCLES == -1'
 defines.FILES = 3
 defines.SIZE = '(((BLOCK_SIZE-8)*(BLOCK_COUNT-6)) / FILES)'
 defines.GC = [false, true]
+defines.COMPACT_THRESH = ['-1', '0', 'BLOCK_SIZE/2']
 code = '''
     const char *names[] = {"bacon", "eggs", "pancakes"};
     lfs_file_t files[FILES];
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@ code = '''
 defines.FILES = 3
 defines.SIZE = '(((BLOCK_SIZE-8)*(BLOCK_COUNT-6)) / FILES)'
 defines.GC = [false, true]
+defines.COMPACT_THRESH = ['-1', '0', 'BLOCK_SIZE/2']
 code = '''
     const char *names[] = {"bacon", "eggs", "pancakes"};
 

tests/test_files.toml

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 
 [cases.test_files_simple]
+defines.INLINE_MAX = [0, -1, 8]
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
     lfs_format(&lfs, cfg) => 0;
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ code = '''
 [cases.test_files_large]
 defines.SIZE = [32, 8192, 262144, 0, 7, 8193]
 defines.CHUNKSIZE = [31, 16, 33, 1, 1023]
+defines.INLINE_MAX = [0, -1, 8]
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
     lfs_format(&lfs, cfg) => 0;
@@ -67,6 +69,7 @@ code = '''
 defines.SIZE1 = [32, 8192, 131072, 0, 7, 8193]
 defines.SIZE2 = [32, 8192, 131072, 0, 7, 8193]
 defines.CHUNKSIZE = [31, 16, 1]
+defines.INLINE_MAX = [0, -1, 8]
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
     lfs_format(&lfs, cfg) => 0;
@@ -152,6 +155,7 @@ code = '''
 defines.SIZE1 = [32, 8192, 131072, 0, 7, 8193]
 defines.SIZE2 = [32, 8192, 131072, 0, 7, 8193]
 defines.CHUNKSIZE = [31, 16, 1]
+defines.INLINE_MAX = [0, -1, 8]
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
     lfs_format(&lfs, cfg) => 0;
@@ -232,6 +236,7 @@ code = '''
 defines.SIZE1 = [32, 8192, 131072, 0, 7, 8193]
 defines.SIZE2 = [32, 8192, 131072, 0, 7, 8193]
 defines.CHUNKSIZE = [31, 16, 1]
+defines.INLINE_MAX = [0, -1, 8]
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
     lfs_format(&lfs, cfg) => 0;
@@ -303,6 +308,7 @@ code = '''
 [cases.test_files_reentrant_write]
 defines.SIZE = [32, 0, 7, 2049]
 defines.CHUNKSIZE = [31, 16, 65]
+defines.INLINE_MAX = [0, -1, 8]
 reentrant = true
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -354,11 +360,20 @@ code = '''
 [cases.test_files_reentrant_write_sync]
 defines = [
     # append (O(n))
-    {MODE='LFS_O_APPEND',   SIZE=[32, 0, 7, 2049],  CHUNKSIZE=[31, 16, 65]},
+    {MODE='LFS_O_APPEND',
+        SIZE=[32, 0, 7, 2049],
+        CHUNKSIZE=[31, 16, 65],
+        INLINE_MAX=[0, -1, 8]},
     # truncate (O(n^2))
-    {MODE='LFS_O_TRUNC',    SIZE=[32, 0, 7, 200],   CHUNKSIZE=[31, 16, 65]},
+    {MODE='LFS_O_TRUNC',
+        SIZE=[32, 0, 7, 200],
+        CHUNKSIZE=[31, 16, 65],
+        INLINE_MAX=[0, -1, 8]},
     # rewrite (O(n^2))
-    {MODE=0,                SIZE=[32, 0, 7, 200],   CHUNKSIZE=[31, 16, 65]},
+    {MODE=0,
+        SIZE=[32, 0, 7, 200],
+        CHUNKSIZE=[31, 16, 65],
+        INLINE_MAX=[0, -1, 8]},
 ]
 reentrant = true
 code = '''

tests/test_orphans.toml

@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ code = '''
     lfs_mount(&lfs, cfg) => 0;
     // create an orphan
     lfs_mdir_t orphan;
-    lfs_alloc_ack(&lfs);
+    lfs_alloc_ckpoint(&lfs);
     lfs_dir_alloc(&lfs, &orphan) => 0;
     lfs_dir_commit(&lfs, &orphan, NULL, 0) => 0;
 
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ code = '''
     lfs_mount(&lfs, cfg) => 0;
     // create an orphan
     lfs_mdir_t orphan;
-    lfs_alloc_ack(&lfs);
+    lfs_alloc_ckpoint(&lfs);
     lfs_dir_alloc(&lfs, &orphan) => 0;
     lfs_dir_commit(&lfs, &orphan, NULL, 0) => 0;