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Breno Leitao 2b19bf0571 mm/vmstat: fix vmstat_shepherd double-scheduling vmstat_update
vmstat_shepherd uses delayed_work_pending() to check whether vmstat_update
is already scheduled for a given CPU before queuing it.  However,
delayed_work_pending() only tests WORK_STRUCT_PENDING_BIT, which is
cleared the moment a worker thread picks up the work to execute it.

This means that while vmstat_update is actively running on a CPU,
delayed_work_pending() returns false.  If need_update() also returns true
at that point (per-cpu counters not yet zeroed mid-flush), the shepherd
queues a second invocation with delay=0, causing vmstat_update to run
again immediately after finishing.

On a 72-CPU system this race is readily observable: before the fix, many
CPUs show invocation gaps well below 500 jiffies (the minimum
round_jiffies_relative() can produce), with the most extreme cases
reaching 0 jiffies—vmstat_update called twice within the same jiffy.

Fix this by replacing delayed_work_pending() with work_busy(), which
returns non-zero for both WORK_BUSY_PENDING (timer armed or work queued)
and WORK_BUSY_RUNNING (work currently executing).  The shepherd now
correctly skips a CPU in all busy states.

After the fix, all sub-jiffy and most sub-100-jiffie gaps disappear.  The
remaining early invocations have gaps in the 700–999 jiffie range,
attributable to round_jiffies_relative() aligning to a nearer
jiffie-second boundary rather than to this race.

Each spurious vmstat_update invocation has a measurable side effect:
refresh_cpu_vm_stats() calls decay_pcp_high() for every zone, which drains
idle per-CPU pages back to the buddy allocator via free_pcppages_bulk(),
taking the zone spinlock each time.  Eliminating the double-scheduling
therefore reduces zone lock contention directly.  On a 72-CPU stress-ng
workload measured with perf lock contention:

  free_pcppages_bulk contention count:  ~55% reduction
  free_pcppages_bulk total wait time:   ~57% reduction
  free_pcppages_bulk max wait time:     ~47% reduction

Note: work_busy() is inherently racy—between the check and the
subsequent queue_delayed_work_on() call, vmstat_update can finish
execution, leaving the work neither pending nor running.  In that narrow
window the shepherd can still queue a second invocation.  After the fix,
this residual race is rare and produces only occasional small gaps, a
significant improvement over the systematic double-scheduling seen with
delayed_work_pending().

Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20260409-vmstat-v2-1-e9d9a6db08ad@debian.org
Fixes: 7b8da4c7f0 ("vmstat: get rid of the ugly cpu_stat_off variable")
Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
Reviewed-by: Vlastimil Babka (SUSE) <vbabka@kernel.org>
Acked-by: Michal Hocko <mhocko@suse.com>
Reviewed-by: Dmitry Ilvokhin <d@ilvokhin.com>
Cc: Christoph Lameter <cl@linux.com>
Cc: David Hildenbrand <david@kernel.org>
Cc: Liam Howlett <liam.howlett@oracle.com>
Cc: Lorenzo Stoakes <ljs@kernel.org>
Cc: Mike Rapoport <rppt@kernel.org>
Cc: Shakeel Butt <shakeel.butt@linux.dev>
Cc: Suren Baghdasaryan <surenb@google.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
History 2026-04-18 00:10:55 -07:00
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Linux kernel
============

The Linux kernel is the core of any Linux operating system. It manages hardware,
system resources, and provides the fundamental services for all other software.

Quick Start
-----------

* Report a bug: See Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst
* Get the latest kernel: https://kernel.org
* Build the kernel: See Documentation/admin-guide/quickly-build-trimmed-linux.rst
* Join the community: https://lore.kernel.org/

Essential Documentation
-----------------------

All users should be familiar with:

* Building requirements: Documentation/process/changes.rst
* Code of Conduct: Documentation/process/code-of-conduct.rst
* License: See COPYING

Documentation can be built with make htmldocs or viewed online at:
https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/


Who Are You?
============

Find your role below:

* New Kernel Developer - Getting started with kernel development
* Academic Researcher - Studying kernel internals and architecture
* Security Expert - Hardening and vulnerability analysis
* Backport/Maintenance Engineer - Maintaining stable kernels
* System Administrator - Configuring and troubleshooting
* Maintainer - Leading subsystems and reviewing patches
* Hardware Vendor - Writing drivers for new hardware
* Distribution Maintainer - Packaging kernels for distros
* AI Coding Assistant - LLMs and AI-powered development tools


For Specific Users
==================

New Kernel Developer
--------------------

Welcome! Start your kernel development journey here:

* Getting Started: Documentation/process/development-process.rst
* Your First Patch: Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
* Coding Style: Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
* Build System: Documentation/kbuild/index.rst
* Development Tools: Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst
* Kernel Hacking Guide: Documentation/kernel-hacking/hacking.rst
* Core APIs: Documentation/core-api/index.rst

Academic Researcher
-------------------

Explore the kernel's architecture and internals:

* Researcher Guidelines: Documentation/process/researcher-guidelines.rst
* Memory Management: Documentation/mm/index.rst
* Scheduler: Documentation/scheduler/index.rst
* Networking Stack: Documentation/networking/index.rst
* Filesystems: Documentation/filesystems/index.rst
* RCU (Read-Copy Update): Documentation/RCU/index.rst
* Locking Primitives: Documentation/locking/index.rst
* Power Management: Documentation/power/index.rst

Security Expert
---------------

Security documentation and hardening guides:

* Security Documentation: Documentation/security/index.rst
* LSM Development: Documentation/security/lsm-development.rst
* Self Protection: Documentation/security/self-protection.rst
* Reporting Vulnerabilities: Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst
* CVE Procedures: Documentation/process/cve.rst
* Embargoed Hardware Issues: Documentation/process/embargoed-hardware-issues.rst
* Security Features: Documentation/userspace-api/seccomp_filter.rst

Backport/Maintenance Engineer
-----------------------------

Maintain and stabilize kernel versions:

* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst
* Backporting Guide: Documentation/process/backporting.rst
* Applying Patches: Documentation/process/applying-patches.rst
* Subsystem Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst
* Git for Maintainers: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst

System Administrator
--------------------

Configure, tune, and troubleshoot Linux systems:

* Admin Guide: Documentation/admin-guide/index.rst
* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst
* Sysctl Tuning: Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/index.rst
* Tracing/Debugging: Documentation/trace/index.rst
* Performance Security: Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst
* Hardware Monitoring: Documentation/hwmon/index.rst

Maintainer
----------

Lead kernel subsystems and manage contributions:

* Maintainer Handbook: Documentation/maintainer/index.rst
* Pull Requests: Documentation/maintainer/pull-requests.rst
* Managing Patches: Documentation/maintainer/modifying-patches.rst
* Rebasing and Merging: Documentation/maintainer/rebasing-and-merging.rst
* Development Process: Documentation/process/maintainer-handbooks.rst
* Maintainer Entry Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst
* Git Configuration: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst

Hardware Vendor
---------------

Write drivers and support new hardware:

* Driver API Guide: Documentation/driver-api/index.rst
* Driver Model: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/driver.rst
* Device Drivers: Documentation/driver-api/infrastructure.rst
* Bus Types: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/bus.rst
* Device Tree Bindings: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/
* Power Management: Documentation/driver-api/pm/index.rst
* DMA API: Documentation/core-api/dma-api.rst

Distribution Maintainer
-----------------------

Package and distribute the kernel:

* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst
* ABI Documentation: Documentation/ABI/README
* Kernel Configuration: Documentation/kbuild/kconfig.rst
* Module Signing: Documentation/admin-guide/module-signing.rst
* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst
* Tainted Kernels: Documentation/admin-guide/tainted-kernels.rst

AI Coding Assistant
-------------------

CRITICAL: If you are an LLM or AI-powered coding assistant, you MUST read and
follow the AI coding assistants documentation before contributing to the Linux
kernel:

* Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst

This documentation contains essential requirements about licensing, attribution,
and the Developer Certificate of Origin that all AI tools must comply with.


Communication and Support
=========================

* Mailing Lists: https://lore.kernel.org/
* IRC: #kernelnewbies on irc.oftc.net
* Bugzilla: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/
* MAINTAINERS file: Lists subsystem maintainers and mailing lists
* Email Clients: Documentation/process/email-clients.rst