What's the difference between lvmcache and dm-cache?

Question

Recently I found article mentioning that recently dm-cache significantly improved in linux. I also found that in userspace you see it as lvmcache. And it's quite confusing for me. I thought that LVM caching mechanism is something different than dm-cache. On my server I'm using dm-cache set up directly on device mapper level using dmsetup commands. No LVM commands involved.

So what is it in the end? Is lvmcache just CLI for easier dm-cache setup? Is it better idea to use it insdead of raw dmsetup commands?

My current script looks like this:

#!/bin/bash

CACHEPARAMS="512 1 writethrough default 0"
CACHEDEVICES="o=/dev/mapper/storage c=/dev/mapper/suse-cache"
MAPPER="storagecached"

if [ "$1" == "-u" ] ; then
{
  for i in $CACHEDEVICES ; do
    if [ "`echo $i | grep \"^c=\"`" != "" ] ; then
      __CACHEDEV=${i:2}
    elif [ "`echo $i | grep \"^o=\"`" != "" ] ; then
      __ORIGINALDEV=${i:2}
  fi
  done

  dmsetup suspend $MAPPER
  dmsetup remove $MAPPER
  dmsetup remove `basename $__CACHEDEV`-blocks
  dmsetup remove `basename $__CACHEDEV`-metadata

}
else
{
  for i in $CACHEDEVICES ; do
    if [ "`echo $i | grep \"^c=\"`" != "" ] ; then
      __CACHEDEV=${i:2}
    elif [ "`echo $i | grep \"^o=\"`" != "" ] ; then
      __ORIGINALDEV=${i:2}
    fi
  done


  __CACHEDEVSIZE="`blockdev --getsize64 \"$__CACHEDEV\"`"
  __CACHEMETASIZE="$(((4194304 + (16 * $__CACHEDEVSIZE / 262144))/512))"
  if [ "$__CACHEMETASIZE" == ""$(((4194303 + (16 * $__CACHEDEVSIZE / 262144))/512))"" ] ; then
    __CACHEMETASIZE="$(($__CACHEMETASIZE + 1))" ; fi
  __CACHEBLOCKSSIZE="$((($__CACHEDEVSIZE/512) - $__CACHEMETASIZE))"
  __ORIGINALDEVSIZE="`blockdev --getsz $__ORIGINALDEV`"


  dmsetup create `basename $__CACHEDEV`-metadata --table "0 $__CACHEMETASIZE linear /dev/mapper/suse-cache 0"
  dmsetup create `basename $__CACHEDEV`-blocks --table "0 $__CACHEBLOCKSSIZE linear /dev/mapper/suse-cache $__CACHEMETASIZE"
  dmsetup create $MAPPER --table "0 $__ORIGINALDEVSIZE cache /dev/mapper/`basename $__CACHEDEV`-metadata /dev/mapper/`basename $__CACHEDEV`-blocks $__ORIGINALDEV $CACHEPARAMS"
  dmsetup resume $MAPPER
}
fi

Would lvmcache do it better? I feel kinda okay with doing it this way because I see what's going on I don't value ease of use more than clarity of setup. However if cache set up using lvmcache would be better optimized then i think it's no brainer to use it instead.

Answer 1

lvmcache is built on top of dm-cache; it sets dm-cache up using logical volumes, and avoids having to calculate block offsets and sizes. Everything is documented in the manpage; the basic idea is to use

• the original LV (slow, to be cached)
• a new cache data LV
• a new cache meta-data LV

The two cache LVs are grouped into a "cache pool" LV, then the original LV and cache pool LV are grouped into a cached LV which you use instead of the original LV.

lvmcache also makes it easy to set up redundant caches, change the cache mode or policy, etc.

Answer 2

@stephen-kitt summarizes the difference well. On every more or less current system, use lvmcache(7) for everything you can, it will save you tones of time and effort. It is also integrated and supported in RHEL 7.2+ (backported from kernel 4.2) and SLESs recent releases. Of course Debian and Ubuntu should be fine.

I gave a talk on the matter at LinuxDays 2017 in Prague recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W_xK5Ks-Lw

the slides: https://www.linuxdays.cz/2017/video/Adam_Kalisz-SSD_cache_testing.pdf