Re: [PATCH for-next v3 3/9] mm/slab: handle the !allow_spin case in kfree_rcu_sheaf()

On 6/24/26 11:28 PM, Pedro Falcato wrote:
> On Mon, Jun 15, 2026 at 08:05:57PM +0900, Harry Yoo (Oracle) wrote:
>> Teach kfree_rcu_sheaf() how to handle the !allow_spin case. Try to get
>> an empty sheaf from pcs->spare or the barn even when spinning is not
>> allowed. Unlike __pcs_replace_full_main(), try harder to allocate
>> an empty sheaf because the fallback path will be more expensive than
>> kfree_nolock().
>>
>> When trylock fails or the kernel observes non-NULL pcs->rcu_free after
>> lock acquisition, free the sheaf instead of putting it to the barn.
>> This is rare and not worth complicating the code.
>>
>> Since call_rcu() cannot be called in an unknown context,
>> kfree_rcu_sheaf() fails when the rcu sheaf becomes full.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Harry Yoo (Oracle) <[email protected]>
>> ---
>>  mm/slab.h        |  2 +-
>>  mm/slab_common.c |  2 +-
>>  mm/slub.c        | 39 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------
>>  3 files changed, 32 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/mm/slab.h b/mm/slab.h
>> index 509f330654b8..b1bd33a16544 100644
>> --- a/mm/slab.h
>> +++ b/mm/slab.h
>> @@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ static inline bool is_kmalloc_normal(struct kmem_cache *s)
>>  	return !(s->flags & (SLAB_CACHE_DMA|SLAB_ACCOUNT|SLAB_RECLAIM_ACCOUNT));
>>  }
>>  
>> -bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj);
>> +bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj, bool allow_spin);
>>  void flush_all_rcu_sheaves(void);
>>  void flush_rcu_sheaves_on_cache(struct kmem_cache *s);
>>  
>> diff --git a/mm/slab_common.c b/mm/slab_common.c
>> index b6426d7ceec9..bc1a8ec938d9 100644
>> --- a/mm/slab_common.c
>> +++ b/mm/slab_common.c
>> @@ -1605,7 +1605,7 @@ static bool kfree_rcu_sheaf(void *obj)
>>  
>>  	s = slab->slab_cache;
>>  	if (likely(!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_NUMA) || slab_nid(slab) == numa_mem_id()))
>> -		return __kfree_rcu_sheaf(s, obj);
>> +		return __kfree_rcu_sheaf(s, obj, /* allow_spin = */ true);
> 
> Since this is stacked on top of the slab alloc flags work, could it pass slab
> alloc flags instead of allow_spin?

Good point.

Hmm, I thought we'll eventually introduce SLAB_FREE_ flags rather than
reusing SLAB_ALLOC_ flags (and then translate SLAB_FREE_NOLOCK to
SLAB_ALLOC_NOLOCK when allocating sheaves) rather than reusing
SLAB_ALLOC_ flags...

>> @@ -6065,7 +6074,7 @@ static void rcu_free_sheaf(struct rcu_head *head)
>>   */
>>  static DEFINE_WAIT_OVERRIDE_MAP(kfree_rcu_sheaf_map, LD_WAIT_CONFIG);
>>  
>> -bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj)
>> +bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj, bool allow_spin)
>>  {
>>  	struct slub_percpu_sheaves *pcs;
>>  	struct slab_sheaf *rcu_sheaf;
>> @@ -6081,9 +6090,10 @@ bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj)
>>  	pcs = this_cpu_ptr(s->cpu_sheaves);
>>  
>>  	if (unlikely(!pcs->rcu_free)) {
>> -
>>  		struct slab_sheaf *empty;
>>  		struct node_barn *barn;
>> +		unsigned int alloc_flags = SLAB_ALLOC_DEFAULT;
> 
> which would make this logic more natural.

Right.

>> +		gfp_t gfp = GFP_NOWAIT;
>>  
>>  		/* Bootstrap or debug cache, fall back */
>>  		if (unlikely(!cache_has_sheaves(s))) {
>> @@ -6103,7 +6113,7 @@ bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj)
>>  			goto fail;
>>  		}
>>  
>> -		empty = barn_get_empty_sheaf(barn, true);
>> +		empty = barn_get_empty_sheaf(barn, allow_spin);
>>  
>>  		if (empty) {
>>  			pcs->rcu_free = empty;
>> @@ -6112,20 +6122,25 @@ bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj)
>>  
>>  		local_unlock(&s->cpu_sheaves->lock);
>>  
>> -		empty = alloc_empty_sheaf(s, GFP_NOWAIT, SLAB_ALLOC_DEFAULT);
>> +		if (unlikely(!allow_spin)) {
>> +			alloc_flags = SLAB_ALLOC_TRYLOCK;
>> +			gfp = 0;
>
> and this as well (alloc_empty_sheaf() could derive gfp from whatever you
> passed it, by simply knowing alloc_flags = TRYLOCK -> gfp = 0
> (or gfp &= ~__GFP_RECLAIM)).

Right.

-- 
Cheers,
Harry / Hyeonggon

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