[PATCH v10 05/12] sched/core: Try to use a preferred CPU in is_cpu_allowed

Shrikanth Hegde <[email protected]> Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:10:26 +0530
Newsgroups dev.linux.lists.virtualization,org.kernel.vger.linux-doc,org.kernel.vger.linux-kernel
Message-ID <[email protected]>
When possible, try to choose a preferred CPU.

This is essential to maintain user affinities when preferred
CPUs change. A task pinned on a non-preferred CPU should continue
to run there, since this is a non-user triggered event.

If a CPU is non-preferred and the task can run on other CPUs which are
currently preferred, then choose a preferred CPU instead.
This is decided by checking if cpus_ptr and cpu_preferred_mask
intersect or not. If yes, then the task has other preferred CPUs.

The push task mechanism uses a stopper thread which calls
select_fallback_rq() and uses this mechanism to pick a preferred CPU.

This takes care of the wakeup path for FAIR tasks too.
is_cpu_allowed() is called to ensure wakeups happen on preferred CPUs.
With that, additional checks in available_idle_cpu() are not necessary.

For the majority of cases, this would still keep select_fallback_rq()
as O(N). cpumask_intersects(), which is O(N), is called only if
!cpu_preferred. The task running there is expected to move out.
Subsequently, it should run on a preferred CPU. This becomes O(N**2)
only for tasks pinned solely to non-preferred CPUs. That is a rare case.

Overhead is minimal when the CPU is preferred.

Signed-off-by: Shrikanth Hegde <[email protected]>
---
 kernel/sched/core.c | 24 ++++++++++++++++++++++--
 1 file changed, 22 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/kernel/sched/core.c b/kernel/sched/core.c
index a45f7c308329..1c90bcad0a75 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/core.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/core.c
@@ -2494,6 +2494,18 @@ static inline bool rq_has_pinned_tasks(struct rq *rq)
 	return rq->nr_pinned;
 }
 
+static inline bool task_can_sched_on_preferred(int cpu, struct task_struct *p)
+{
+	if (cpu_preferred(cpu))
+		return false;
+
+	/* Only FAIR tasks honor preferred CPU state */
+	if (unlikely(p->sched_class != &fair_sched_class))
+		return false;
+
+	return cpumask_intersects(p->cpus_ptr, cpu_preferred_mask);
+}
+
 /*
  * Per-CPU kthreads are allowed to run on !active && online CPUs, see
  * __set_cpus_allowed_ptr() and select_fallback_rq().
@@ -2509,8 +2521,12 @@ static inline bool is_cpu_allowed(struct task_struct *p, int cpu)
 		return cpu_online(cpu);
 
 	/* Non kernel threads are not allowed during either online or offline. */
-	if (!(p->flags & PF_KTHREAD))
+	if (!(p->flags & PF_KTHREAD)) {
+		/* Try to use preferred CPU if task's affinity allows */
+		if (task_can_sched_on_preferred(cpu, p))
+			return false;
 		return cpu_active(cpu);
+	}
 
 	/* KTHREAD_IS_PER_CPU is always allowed. */
 	if (kthread_is_per_cpu(p))
@@ -2520,7 +2536,11 @@ static inline bool is_cpu_allowed(struct task_struct *p, int cpu)
 	if (cpu_dying(cpu))
 		return false;
 
-	/* But are allowed during online. */
+	/* Try to keep unbound kthreads on a preferred CPU if possible. */
+	if (task_can_sched_on_preferred(cpu, p))
+		return false;
+
+	/* Otherwise, they are allowed to run on online CPU. */
 	return cpu_online(cpu);
 }
 
-- 
2.47.3