Modified by Paul Jackson <pj@sgi.com>
Modified by Christoph Lameter <clameter@sgi.com>
Modified by Paul Menage <menage@google.com>
+Modified by Hidetoshi Seto <seto.hidetoshi@jp.fujitsu.com>
CONTENTS:
=========
1.4 What are exclusive cpusets ?
1.5 What is memory_pressure ?
1.6 What is memory spread ?
- 1.7 How do I use cpusets ?
+ 1.7 What is sched_load_balance ?
+ 1.8 What is sched_relax_domain_level ?
+ 1.9 How do I use cpusets ?
2. Usage Examples and Syntax
2.1 Basic Usage
2.2 Adding/removing cpus
job placement on large systems.
Cpusets use the generic cgroup subsystem described in
-Documentation/cgroup.txt.
+Documentation/cgroups/cgroups.txt.
Requests by a task, using the sched_setaffinity(2) system call to
include CPUs in its CPU affinity mask, and using the mbind(2) and
new system calls are added for cpusets - all support for querying and
modifying cpusets is via this cpuset file system.
-The /proc/<pid>/status file for each task has two added lines,
+The /proc/<pid>/status file for each task has four added lines,
displaying the tasks cpus_allowed (on which CPUs it may be scheduled)
and mems_allowed (on which Memory Nodes it may obtain memory),
-in the format seen in the following example:
+in the two formats seen in the following example:
Cpus_allowed: ffffffff,ffffffff,ffffffff,ffffffff
+ Cpus_allowed_list: 0-127
Mems_allowed: ffffffff,ffffffff
+ Mems_allowed_list: 0-63
Each cpuset is represented by a directory in the cgroup file system
containing (on top of the standard cgroup files) the following
- memory_migrate flag: if set, move pages to cpusets nodes
- cpu_exclusive flag: is cpu placement exclusive?
- mem_exclusive flag: is memory placement exclusive?
+ - mem_hardwall flag: is memory allocation hardwalled
- memory_pressure: measure of how much paging pressure in cpuset
In addition, the root cpuset only has the following file:
The following rules apply to each cpuset:
- Its CPUs and Memory Nodes must be a subset of its parents.
- - It can only be marked exclusive if its parent is.
+ - It can't be marked exclusive unless its parent is.
- If its cpu or memory is exclusive, they may not overlap any sibling.
These rules, and the natural hierarchy of cpusets, enable efficient
The cpus and mems files in the root (top_cpuset) cpuset are
read-only. The cpus file automatically tracks the value of
cpu_online_map using a CPU hotplug notifier, and the mems file
-automatically tracks the value of node_states[N_MEMORY]--i.e.,
+automatically tracks the value of node_states[N_HIGH_MEMORY]--i.e.,
nodes with memory--using the cpuset_track_online_nodes() hook.
a direct ancestor or descendent, may share any of the same CPUs or
Memory Nodes.
-A cpuset that is mem_exclusive restricts kernel allocations for
-page, buffer and other data commonly shared by the kernel across
-multiple users. All cpusets, whether mem_exclusive or not, restrict
-allocations of memory for user space. This enables configuring a
-system so that several independent jobs can share common kernel data,
-such as file system pages, while isolating each jobs user allocation in
-its own cpuset. To do this, construct a large mem_exclusive cpuset to
-hold all the jobs, and construct child, non-mem_exclusive cpusets for
-each individual job. Only a small amount of typical kernel memory,
-such as requests from interrupt handlers, is allowed to be taken
-outside even a mem_exclusive cpuset.
+A cpuset that is mem_exclusive *or* mem_hardwall is "hardwalled",
+i.e. it restricts kernel allocations for page, buffer and other data
+commonly shared by the kernel across multiple users. All cpusets,
+whether hardwalled or not, restrict allocations of memory for user
+space. This enables configuring a system so that several independent
+jobs can share common kernel data, such as file system pages, while
+isolating each job's user allocation in its own cpuset. To do this,
+construct a large mem_exclusive cpuset to hold all the jobs, and
+construct child, non-mem_exclusive cpusets for each individual job.
+Only a small amount of typical kernel memory, such as requests from
+interrupt handlers, is allowed to be taken outside even a
+mem_exclusive cpuset.
1.5 What is memory_pressure ?
flag, and if set, a call to a new routine cpuset_mem_spread_node()
returns the node to prefer for the allocation.
-Similarly, setting 'memory_spread_cache' turns on the flag
+Similarly, setting 'memory_spread_slab' turns on the flag
PF_SPREAD_SLAB, and appropriately marked slab caches will allocate
pages from the node returned by cpuset_mem_spread_node().
data set, the memory allocation across the nodes in the jobs cpuset
can become very uneven.
+1.7 What is sched_load_balance ?
+--------------------------------
-1.7 How do I use cpusets ?
+The kernel scheduler (kernel/sched.c) automatically load balances
+tasks. If one CPU is underutilized, kernel code running on that
+CPU will look for tasks on other more overloaded CPUs and move those
+tasks to itself, within the constraints of such placement mechanisms
+as cpusets and sched_setaffinity.
+
+The algorithmic cost of load balancing and its impact on key shared
+kernel data structures such as the task list increases more than
+linearly with the number of CPUs being balanced. So the scheduler
+has support to partition the systems CPUs into a number of sched
+domains such that it only load balances within each sched domain.
+Each sched domain covers some subset of the CPUs in the system;
+no two sched domains overlap; some CPUs might not be in any sched
+domain and hence won't be load balanced.
+
+Put simply, it costs less to balance between two smaller sched domains
+than one big one, but doing so means that overloads in one of the
+two domains won't be load balanced to the other one.
+
+By default, there is one sched domain covering all CPUs, except those
+marked isolated using the kernel boot time "isolcpus=" argument.
+
+This default load balancing across all CPUs is not well suited for
+the following two situations:
+ 1) On large systems, load balancing across many CPUs is expensive.
+ If the system is managed using cpusets to place independent jobs
+ on separate sets of CPUs, full load balancing is unnecessary.
+ 2) Systems supporting realtime on some CPUs need to minimize
+ system overhead on those CPUs, including avoiding task load
+ balancing if that is not needed.
+
+When the per-cpuset flag "sched_load_balance" is enabled (the default
+setting), it requests that all the CPUs in that cpusets allowed 'cpus'
+be contained in a single sched domain, ensuring that load balancing
+can move a task (not otherwised pinned, as by sched_setaffinity)
+from any CPU in that cpuset to any other.
+
+When the per-cpuset flag "sched_load_balance" is disabled, then the
+scheduler will avoid load balancing across the CPUs in that cpuset,
+--except-- in so far as is necessary because some overlapping cpuset
+has "sched_load_balance" enabled.
+
+So, for example, if the top cpuset has the flag "sched_load_balance"
+enabled, then the scheduler will have one sched domain covering all
+CPUs, and the setting of the "sched_load_balance" flag in any other
+cpusets won't matter, as we're already fully load balancing.
+
+Therefore in the above two situations, the top cpuset flag
+"sched_load_balance" should be disabled, and only some of the smaller,
+child cpusets have this flag enabled.
+
+When doing this, you don't usually want to leave any unpinned tasks in
+the top cpuset that might use non-trivial amounts of CPU, as such tasks
+may be artificially constrained to some subset of CPUs, depending on
+the particulars of this flag setting in descendent cpusets. Even if
+such a task could use spare CPU cycles in some other CPUs, the kernel
+scheduler might not consider the possibility of load balancing that
+task to that underused CPU.
+
+Of course, tasks pinned to a particular CPU can be left in a cpuset
+that disables "sched_load_balance" as those tasks aren't going anywhere
+else anyway.
+
+There is an impedance mismatch here, between cpusets and sched domains.
+Cpusets are hierarchical and nest. Sched domains are flat; they don't
+overlap and each CPU is in at most one sched domain.
+
+It is necessary for sched domains to be flat because load balancing
+across partially overlapping sets of CPUs would risk unstable dynamics
+that would be beyond our understanding. So if each of two partially
+overlapping cpusets enables the flag 'sched_load_balance', then we
+form a single sched domain that is a superset of both. We won't move
+a task to a CPU outside it cpuset, but the scheduler load balancing
+code might waste some compute cycles considering that possibility.
+
+This mismatch is why there is not a simple one-to-one relation
+between which cpusets have the flag "sched_load_balance" enabled,
+and the sched domain configuration. If a cpuset enables the flag, it
+will get balancing across all its CPUs, but if it disables the flag,
+it will only be assured of no load balancing if no other overlapping
+cpuset enables the flag.
+
+If two cpusets have partially overlapping 'cpus' allowed, and only
+one of them has this flag enabled, then the other may find its
+tasks only partially load balanced, just on the overlapping CPUs.
+This is just the general case of the top_cpuset example given a few
+paragraphs above. In the general case, as in the top cpuset case,
+don't leave tasks that might use non-trivial amounts of CPU in
+such partially load balanced cpusets, as they may be artificially
+constrained to some subset of the CPUs allowed to them, for lack of
+load balancing to the other CPUs.
+
+1.7.1 sched_load_balance implementation details.
+------------------------------------------------
+
+The per-cpuset flag 'sched_load_balance' defaults to enabled (contrary
+to most cpuset flags.) When enabled for a cpuset, the kernel will
+ensure that it can load balance across all the CPUs in that cpuset
+(makes sure that all the CPUs in the cpus_allowed of that cpuset are
+in the same sched domain.)
+
+If two overlapping cpusets both have 'sched_load_balance' enabled,
+then they will be (must be) both in the same sched domain.
+
+If, as is the default, the top cpuset has 'sched_load_balance' enabled,
+then by the above that means there is a single sched domain covering
+the whole system, regardless of any other cpuset settings.
+
+The kernel commits to user space that it will avoid load balancing
+where it can. It will pick as fine a granularity partition of sched
+domains as it can while still providing load balancing for any set
+of CPUs allowed to a cpuset having 'sched_load_balance' enabled.
+
+The internal kernel cpuset to scheduler interface passes from the
+cpuset code to the scheduler code a partition of the load balanced
+CPUs in the system. This partition is a set of subsets (represented
+as an array of cpumask_t) of CPUs, pairwise disjoint, that cover all
+the CPUs that must be load balanced.
+
+Whenever the 'sched_load_balance' flag changes, or CPUs come or go
+from a cpuset with this flag enabled, or a cpuset with this flag
+enabled is removed, the cpuset code builds a new such partition and
+passes it to the scheduler sched domain setup code, to have the sched
+domains rebuilt as necessary.
+
+This partition exactly defines what sched domains the scheduler should
+setup - one sched domain for each element (cpumask_t) in the partition.
+
+The scheduler remembers the currently active sched domain partitions.
+When the scheduler routine partition_sched_domains() is invoked from
+the cpuset code to update these sched domains, it compares the new
+partition requested with the current, and updates its sched domains,
+removing the old and adding the new, for each change.
+
+
+1.8 What is sched_relax_domain_level ?
+--------------------------------------
+
+In sched domain, the scheduler migrates tasks in 2 ways; periodic load
+balance on tick, and at time of some schedule events.
+
+When a task is woken up, scheduler try to move the task on idle CPU.
+For example, if a task A running on CPU X activates another task B
+on the same CPU X, and if CPU Y is X's sibling and performing idle,
+then scheduler migrate task B to CPU Y so that task B can start on
+CPU Y without waiting task A on CPU X.
+
+And if a CPU run out of tasks in its runqueue, the CPU try to pull
+extra tasks from other busy CPUs to help them before it is going to
+be idle.
+
+Of course it takes some searching cost to find movable tasks and/or
+idle CPUs, the scheduler might not search all CPUs in the domain
+everytime. In fact, in some architectures, the searching ranges on
+events are limited in the same socket or node where the CPU locates,
+while the load balance on tick searchs all.
+
+For example, assume CPU Z is relatively far from CPU X. Even if CPU Z
+is idle while CPU X and the siblings are busy, scheduler can't migrate
+woken task B from X to Z since it is out of its searching range.
+As the result, task B on CPU X need to wait task A or wait load balance
+on the next tick. For some applications in special situation, waiting
+1 tick may be too long.
+
+The 'sched_relax_domain_level' file allows you to request changing
+this searching range as you like. This file takes int value which
+indicates size of searching range in levels ideally as follows,
+otherwise initial value -1 that indicates the cpuset has no request.
+
+ -1 : no request. use system default or follow request of others.
+ 0 : no search.
+ 1 : search siblings (hyperthreads in a core).
+ 2 : search cores in a package.
+ 3 : search cpus in a node [= system wide on non-NUMA system]
+ ( 4 : search nodes in a chunk of node [on NUMA system] )
+ ( 5 : search system wide [on NUMA system] )
+
+The system default is architecture dependent. The system default
+can be changed using the relax_domain_level= boot parameter.
+
+This file is per-cpuset and affect the sched domain where the cpuset
+belongs to. Therefore if the flag 'sched_load_balance' of a cpuset
+is disabled, then 'sched_relax_domain_level' have no effect since
+there is no sched domain belonging the cpuset.
+
+If multiple cpusets are overlapping and hence they form a single sched
+domain, the largest value among those is used. Be careful, if one
+requests 0 and others are -1 then 0 is used.
+
+Note that modifying this file will have both good and bad effects,
+and whether it is acceptable or not will be depend on your situation.
+Don't modify this file if you are not sure.
+
+If your situation is:
+ - The migration costs between each cpu can be assumed considerably
+ small(for you) due to your special application's behavior or
+ special hardware support for CPU cache etc.
+ - The searching cost doesn't have impact(for you) or you can make
+ the searching cost enough small by managing cpuset to compact etc.
+ - The latency is required even it sacrifices cache hit rate etc.
+then increasing 'sched_relax_domain_level' would benefit you.
+
+
+1.9 How do I use cpusets ?
--------------------------
In order to minimize the impact of cpusets on critical kernel
memory placement, as above, the next time that the kernel attempts
to allocate a page of memory for that task.
-If a cpuset has its CPUs modified, then each task using that
-cpuset does _not_ change its behavior automatically. In order to
-minimize the impact on the critical scheduling code in the kernel,
-tasks will continue to use their prior CPU placement until they
-are rebound to their cpuset, by rewriting their pid to the 'tasks'
-file of their cpuset. If a task had been bound to some subset of its
-cpuset using the sched_setaffinity() call, and if any of that subset
-is still allowed in its new cpuset settings, then the task will be
-restricted to the intersection of the CPUs it was allowed on before,
-and its new cpuset CPU placement. If, on the other hand, there is
-no overlap between a tasks prior placement and its new cpuset CPU
-placement, then the task will be allowed to run on any CPU allowed
-in its new cpuset. If a task is moved from one cpuset to another,
-its CPU placement is updated in the same way as if the tasks pid is
-rewritten to the 'tasks' file of its current cpuset.
+If a cpuset has its 'cpus' modified, then each task in that cpuset
+will have its allowed CPU placement changed immediately. Similarly,
+if a tasks pid is written to a cpusets 'tasks' file, in either its
+current cpuset or another cpuset, then its allowed CPU placement is
+changed immediately. If such a task had been bound to some subset
+of its cpuset using the sched_setaffinity() call, the task will be
+allowed to run on any CPU allowed in its new cpuset, negating the
+affect of the prior sched_setaffinity() call.
In summary, the memory placement of a task whose cpuset is changed is
updated by the kernel, on the next allocation of a page for that task,
There is an exception to the above. If hotplug functionality is used
to remove all the CPUs that are currently assigned to a cpuset,
-then the kernel will automatically update the cpus_allowed of all
-tasks attached to CPUs in that cpuset to allow all CPUs. When memory
-hotplug functionality for removing Memory Nodes is available, a
-similar exception is expected to apply there as well. In general,
-the kernel prefers to violate cpuset placement, over starving a task
-that has had all its allowed CPUs or Memory Nodes taken offline. User
-code should reconfigure cpusets to only refer to online CPUs and Memory
-Nodes when using hotplug to add or remove such resources.
+then all the tasks in that cpuset will be moved to the nearest ancestor
+with non-empty cpus. But the moving of some (or all) tasks might fail if
+cpuset is bound with another cgroup subsystem which has some restrictions
+on task attaching. In this failing case, those tasks will stay
+in the original cpuset, and the kernel will automatically update
+their cpus_allowed to allow all online CPUs. When memory hotplug
+functionality for removing Memory Nodes is available, a similar exception
+is expected to apply there as well. In general, the kernel prefers to
+violate cpuset placement, over starving a task that has had all
+its allowed CPUs or Memory Nodes taken offline.
There is a second exception to the above. GFP_ATOMIC requests are
kernel internal allocations that must be satisfied, immediately.
In this directory you can find several files:
# ls
-cpus cpu_exclusive mems mem_exclusive tasks
+cpu_exclusive memory_migrate mems tasks
+cpus memory_pressure notify_on_release
+mem_exclusive memory_spread_page sched_load_balance
+mem_hardwall memory_spread_slab sched_relax_domain_level
Reading them will give you information about the state of this cpuset:
the CPUs and Memory Nodes it can use, the processes that are using
git://ftp.safe.ca / safe / jmp / linux-2.6 / blobdiff