K 10
svn:author
V 6
jilles
K 8
svn:date
V 27
2012-02-04T23:12:14.899503Z
K 7
svn:log
V 688
sh: Use vfork in a few common cases.

This uses vfork() for simple commands and command substitutions containing a
single simple command, invoking an external program under certain conditions
(no redirections or variable assignments, non-interactive shell, no job
control). These restrictions limit the amount of code executed in a vforked
child.

There is a large speedup (for example 35%) in microbenchmarks. The
difference in buildkernel is smaller (for example 0.5%) but still
statistically significant. See
http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-hackers/2012-January/037581.html
for some numbers.

The use of vfork() can be disabled by setting a variable named
SH_DISABLE_VFORK.

END