Re: [PATCH v2] cgroup/cpuset: Remove obsolete PFA_SPREAD_SLAB task flag

On 8/11/26 4:30 AM, Guopeng Zhang wrote:
> From: Guopeng Zhang <[email protected]>
>
> Commit 16a1d968358a ("mm/slab: remove mm/slab.c and slab_def.h")
> removed the SLAB allocator, the only allocator that implemented cpuset
> slab spreading. Commit 61a182ab61a6 ("cgroup/cpuset: Remove
> cpuset_do_slab_mem_spread()") then removed the last task_spread_slab()
> caller. Commit 3ab67a9ce82f ("cgroup/cpuset: Mark memory_spread_slab as
> obsolete") marked the legacy control obsolete.
>
> cpuset still updates PFA_SPREAD_SLAB when tasks attach to a legacy
> cpuset and walks all tasks in a cpuset when memory_spread_slab changes.
> Remove the unused task flag and its helpers, and make spread task
> updates depend only on memory_spread_page.
>
> Keep the memory_spread_slab control and CS_SPREAD_SLAB state so legacy
> users retain the existing write, readback and inheritance behavior.
> Update the comments and documentation to describe only page-cache
> spreading as functional.
>
> Assisted-by: LLM
> Signed-off-by: Guopeng Zhang <[email protected]>
> ---
> Changes in v2:
> - Restore the default-value description and clarify the write semantics.
> - Retain the generic slab allocator fallback note in the
>    cpuset_spread_node() comment.
>
>   .../admin-guide/cgroup-v1/cpusets.rst         | 42 +++++++------------
>   include/linux/sched.h                         |  5 ---
>   kernel/cgroup/cpuset-v1.c                     | 13 ++----
>   kernel/cgroup/cpuset.c                        | 19 ++++-----
>   4 files changed, 27 insertions(+), 52 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/cgroup-v1/cpusets.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/cgroup-v1/cpusets.rst
> index 52a213aff04e..fb3fb6fa88cb 100644
> --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/cgroup-v1/cpusets.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/cgroup-v1/cpusets.rst
> @@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ files describing that cpuset:
>    - cpuset.mem_hardwall flag:  is memory allocation hardwalled
>    - cpuset.memory_pressure: measure of how much paging pressure in cpuset
>    - cpuset.memory_spread_page flag: if set, spread page cache evenly on allowed nodes
> - - cpuset.memory_spread_slab flag: OBSOLETE. Doesn't have any function.
> + - cpuset.memory_spread_slab flag: OBSOLETE. Has no effect on allocation behavior.
>    - cpuset.sched_load_balance flag: if set, load balance within CPUs on that cpuset
>    - cpuset.sched_relax_domain_level: the searching range when migrating tasks
>   
> @@ -318,26 +318,20 @@ times 1000.
>   
>   1.6 What is memory spread ?
>   ---------------------------
> -There are two boolean flag files per cpuset that control where the
> -kernel allocates pages for the file system buffers and related in
> -kernel data structures.  They are called 'cpuset.memory_spread_page' and
> -'cpuset.memory_spread_slab'.
> +The 'cpuset.memory_spread_page' boolean flag file controls where the kernel
> +allocates page-cache pages.
> +The 'cpuset.memory_spread_slab' file is obsolete and has no effect on
> +allocation behavior, but is retained for compatibility.
>   
>   If the per-cpuset boolean flag file 'cpuset.memory_spread_page' is set, then
>   the kernel will spread the file system buffers (page cache) evenly
>   over all the nodes that the faulting task is allowed to use, instead
>   of preferring to put those pages on the node where the task is running.
>   
> -If the per-cpuset boolean flag file 'cpuset.memory_spread_slab' is set,
> -then the kernel will spread some file system related slab caches,
> -such as for inodes and dentries evenly over all the nodes that the
> -faulting task is allowed to use, instead of preferring to put those
> -pages on the node where the task is running.
> -
> -The setting of these flags does not affect anonymous data segment or
> +The setting of this flag does not affect anonymous data segment or
>   stack segment pages of a task.
>   
> -By default, both kinds of memory spreading are off, and memory
> +By default, page cache memory spreading is off, and memory
>   pages are allocated on the node local to where the task is running,
>   except perhaps as modified by the task's NUMA mempolicy or cpuset
>   configuration, so long as sufficient free memory pages are available.
> @@ -345,18 +339,18 @@ configuration, so long as sufficient free memory pages are available.
>   When new cpusets are created, they inherit the memory spread settings
>   of their parent.
>   
> -Setting memory spreading causes allocations for the affected page
> -or slab caches to ignore the task's NUMA mempolicy and be spread
> -instead.    Tasks using mbind() or set_mempolicy() calls to set NUMA
> -mempolicies will not notice any change in these calls as a result of
> -their containing task's memory spread settings.  If memory spreading
> +Setting page cache memory spreading causes affected allocations to ignore the
> +task's NUMA mempolicy and be spread instead. Tasks using mbind() or
> +set_mempolicy() to set NUMA mempolicies will not notice any change as a
> +result of their containing task's memory spread settings.  If memory spreading
>   is turned off, then the currently specified NUMA mempolicy once again
>   applies to memory page allocations.
>   
> -Both 'cpuset.memory_spread_page' and 'cpuset.memory_spread_slab' are boolean flag
> -files.  By default they contain "0", meaning that the feature is off
> -for that cpuset.  If a "1" is written to that file, then that turns
> -the named feature on.
> +Both 'cpuset.memory_spread_page' and 'cpuset.memory_spread_slab' are boolean
> +flag files. In the root cpuset, both files initially contain "0". Writing "1"
> +or "0" to 'cpuset.memory_spread_page' enables or disables page-cache spreading,
> +respectively. The value of 'cpuset.memory_spread_slab' is retained, can be read
> +back and inherited, but it does not affect allocation behavior.
>   
>   The implementation is simple.
>   
> @@ -367,10 +361,6 @@ is modified to perform an inline check for this PFA_SPREAD_PAGE task
>   flag, and if set, a call to a new routine cpuset_mem_spread_node()
>   returns the node to prefer for the allocation.
>   
> -Similarly, setting 'cpuset.memory_spread_slab' turns on the flag
> -PFA_SPREAD_SLAB, and appropriately marked slab caches will allocate
> -pages from the node returned by cpuset_mem_spread_node().
> -
>   The cpuset_mem_spread_node() routine is also simple.  It uses the
>   value of a per-task rotor cpuset_mem_spread_rotor to select the next
>   node in the current task's mems_allowed to prefer for the allocation.
> diff --git a/include/linux/sched.h b/include/linux/sched.h
> index 499943987c1a..8b3d47a325cc 100644
> --- a/include/linux/sched.h
> +++ b/include/linux/sched.h
> @@ -1869,7 +1869,6 @@ static __always_inline bool is_user_task(struct task_struct *task)
>   /* Per-process atomic flags. */
>   #define PFA_NO_NEW_PRIVS		0	/* May not gain new privileges. */
>   #define PFA_SPREAD_PAGE			1	/* Spread page cache over cpuset */
> -#define PFA_SPREAD_SLAB			2	/* Spread some slab caches over cpuset */
>   #define PFA_SPEC_SSB_DISABLE		3	/* Speculative Store Bypass disabled */
>   #define PFA_SPEC_SSB_FORCE_DISABLE	4	/* Speculative Store Bypass force disabled*/
>   #define PFA_SPEC_IB_DISABLE		5	/* Indirect branch speculation restricted */
> @@ -1895,10 +1894,6 @@ TASK_PFA_TEST(SPREAD_PAGE, spread_page)
>   TASK_PFA_SET(SPREAD_PAGE, spread_page)
>   TASK_PFA_CLEAR(SPREAD_PAGE, spread_page)
>   
> -TASK_PFA_TEST(SPREAD_SLAB, spread_slab)
> -TASK_PFA_SET(SPREAD_SLAB, spread_slab)
> -TASK_PFA_CLEAR(SPREAD_SLAB, spread_slab)
> -
>   TASK_PFA_TEST(SPEC_SSB_DISABLE, spec_ssb_disable)
>   TASK_PFA_SET(SPEC_SSB_DISABLE, spec_ssb_disable)
>   TASK_PFA_CLEAR(SPEC_SSB_DISABLE, spec_ssb_disable)
> diff --git a/kernel/cgroup/cpuset-v1.c b/kernel/cgroup/cpuset-v1.c
> index 3e9968dd91e9..562ad35f00d0 100644
> --- a/kernel/cgroup/cpuset-v1.c
> +++ b/kernel/cgroup/cpuset-v1.c
> @@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ static s64 cpuset_read_s64(struct cgroup_subsys_state *css, struct cftype *cft)
>   }
>   
>   /*
> - * update task's spread flag if cpuset's page/slab spread flag is set
> + * Update a task's spread flag if the cpuset's page spread flag is set.
>    *
>    * Call with callback_lock or cpuset_mutex held. The check can be skipped
>    * if on default hierarchy.
> @@ -219,18 +219,13 @@ void cpuset1_update_task_spread_flags(struct cpuset *cs,
>   		task_set_spread_page(tsk);
>   	else
>   		task_clear_spread_page(tsk);
> -
> -	if (is_spread_slab(cs))
> -		task_set_spread_slab(tsk);
> -	else
> -		task_clear_spread_slab(tsk);
>   }
>   
>   /**
> - * cpuset1_update_tasks_flags - update the spread flags of tasks in the cpuset.
> - * @cs: the cpuset in which each task's spread flags needs to be changed
> + * cpuset1_update_tasks_flags - update the page spread flag of cpuset tasks
> + * @cs: the cpuset whose tasks need their page spread flag updated
>    *
> - * Iterate through each task of @cs updating its spread flags.  As this
> + * Iterate through each task of @cs updating its page spread flag.  As this
>    * function is called with cpuset_mutex held, cpuset membership stays
>    * stable.
>    */
> diff --git a/kernel/cgroup/cpuset.c b/kernel/cgroup/cpuset.c
> index 0a0fffb5673c..f1dd0fa56b3b 100644
> --- a/kernel/cgroup/cpuset.c
> +++ b/kernel/cgroup/cpuset.c
> @@ -2862,7 +2862,7 @@ int cpuset_update_flag(cpuset_flagbits_t bit, struct cpuset *cs,
>   {
>   	struct cpuset *trialcs;
>   	int balance_flag_changed;
> -	int spread_flag_changed;
> +	int spread_page_changed;
>   	int err;
>   
>   	trialcs = dup_or_alloc_cpuset(cs);
> @@ -2881,8 +2881,7 @@ int cpuset_update_flag(cpuset_flagbits_t bit, struct cpuset *cs,
>   	balance_flag_changed = (is_sched_load_balance(cs) !=
>   				is_sched_load_balance(trialcs));
>   
> -	spread_flag_changed = ((is_spread_slab(cs) != is_spread_slab(trialcs))
> -			|| (is_spread_page(cs) != is_spread_page(trialcs)));
> +	spread_page_changed = is_spread_page(cs) != is_spread_page(trialcs);
>   
>   	spin_lock_irq(&callback_lock);
>   	cs->flags = trialcs->flags;
> @@ -2895,7 +2894,7 @@ int cpuset_update_flag(cpuset_flagbits_t bit, struct cpuset *cs,
>   			rebuild_sched_domains_locked();
>   	}
>   
> -	if (spread_flag_changed)
> +	if (spread_page_changed)
>   		cpuset1_update_tasks_flags(cs);
>   out:
>   	free_cpuset(trialcs);
> @@ -4484,14 +4483,10 @@ void cpuset_nodes_allowed(struct cgroup *cgroup, nodemask_t *mask)
>    * cpuset_spread_node() - On which node to begin search for a page
>    * @rotor: round robin rotor
>    *
> - * If a task is marked PF_SPREAD_PAGE or PF_SPREAD_SLAB (as for
> - * tasks in a cpuset with is_spread_page or is_spread_slab set),
> - * and if the memory allocation used cpuset_mem_spread_node()
> - * to determine on which node to start looking, as it will for
> - * certain page cache or slab cache pages such as used for file
> - * system buffers and inode caches, then instead of starting on the
> - * local node to look for a free page, rather spread the starting
> - * node around the tasks mems_allowed nodes.
> + * If a task is marked PFA_SPREAD_PAGE and a page cache allocation uses
> + * cpuset_mem_spread_node() to determine where to start looking, spread the
> + * starting node around the task's mems_allowed nodes instead of starting on
> + * the local node.
>    *
>    * We don't have to worry about the returned node being offline
>    * because "it can't happen", and even if it did, it would be ok.
Reviewed-by: Waiman Long <[email protected]