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Max Kellermann e33752c851 ceph: skip __touch_cap() most of the time
__touch_cap() moves one capability to the end of the LRU list; this
list is sorted by access time for just one thing: ceph_trim_caps().
That function is supposed to discard the least-recently used
capabilities.

__touch_cap() is called extremely often - several times for every
system call, but ceph_trim_caps() is only called rarely.

__touch_cap() causes considerable lock contention on
`ceph_mds_session.s_cap_lock`; this is a /proc/lock_stat I captured on
one of our web servers for 5 minutes:

      class name    con-bounces    contentions   waittime-min   waittime-max waittime-total   waittime-avg    acq-bounces   acquisitions   holdtime-min   holdtime-max holdtime-total   holdtime-avg

  &s->s_cap_lock:     336304046      341686597           0.04        4905.76   418498578.76           1.22      892783632     1957814739           0.04         959.40   355752146.24           0.18
  --------------
  &s->s_cap_lock      339379730          [<00000000a2197200>] __ceph_caps_issued_mask+0x1bc/0x240
  &s->s_cap_lock        1268054          [<00000000c96a24b7>] ceph_add_cap+0x234/0x3e0
  &s->s_cap_lock        1021360          [<00000000aa76f996>] ceph_add_cap+0x108/0x3e0
  &s->s_cap_lock          16042          [<0000000099463548>] __ceph_remove_cap+0x1f4/0x270
  --------------
  &s->s_cap_lock      338509619          [<00000000a2197200>] __ceph_caps_issued_mask+0x1bc/0x240
  &s->s_cap_lock        1937864          [<00000000c96a24b7>] ceph_add_cap+0x234/0x3e0
  &s->s_cap_lock        1203451          [<00000000aa76f996>] ceph_add_cap+0x108/0x3e0
  &s->s_cap_lock            202          [<00000000888f212a>] __ceph_remove_cap+0x7c/0x270

In this /proc/lock_stat output, __touch_cap() is inlined in
__ceph_caps_issued_mask().  It is responsible for 99% of all
contentions.

Since __touch_cap() is called so often, it is acceptable to just skip
most calls.  The most busy capabilities will still gravitate towards
the end of the linked list, and if not, it doesn't hurt as much as the
lock contention.  This is still good enough for ceph_trim_caps().

This patch adds a static variable that gets incremented with each
call, and 255 out of 256 calls will just be skipped.  I didn't bother
to make the increment atomic or use READ_ONCE because I don't think
that makes a practical difference for this use case.

Another /proc/lock_stat for 5 minutes with this patch (__touch_cap()
is no longer inlined probably because it contains a static variable):

      class name    con-bounces    contentions   waittime-min   waittime-max waittime-total   waittime-avg    acq-bounces   acquisitions   holdtime-min   holdtime-max holdtime-total   holdtime-avg

  &s->s_cap_lock:       1043711        1065182           0.04         502.72      737472.88           0.69       10522578       25069948           0.04         796.44    11053669.64           0.44
  --------------
  &s->s_cap_lock        1043074          [<00000000f4367d73>] __touch_cap.isra.0+0x50/0xa8
  &s->s_cap_lock          12147          [<0000000096f45706>] ceph_add_cap+0x234/0x3e0
  &s->s_cap_lock           9472          [<0000000038a23e0f>] ceph_add_cap+0x108/0x3e0
  &s->s_cap_lock            471          [<00000000e2eba934>] __ceph_remove_cap+0x1f4/0x270
  --------------
  &s->s_cap_lock         978499          [<00000000f4367d73>] __touch_cap.isra.0+0x50/0xa8
  &s->s_cap_lock          57794          [<0000000038a23e0f>] ceph_add_cap+0x108/0x3e0
  &s->s_cap_lock          27226          [<0000000096f45706>] ceph_add_cap+0x234/0x3e0
  &s->s_cap_lock           1581          [<00000000e2eba934>] __ceph_remove_cap+0x1f4/0x270

__touch_cap() is still responsible for 91% of all contentions, but the
number of contentions has been reduced by a factor of 320 and the
total wait time by a factor of 567.

Signed-off-by: Max Kellermann <max.kellermann@ionos.com>
Reviewed-by: Alex Markuze <amarkuze@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Ilya Dryomov <idryomov@gmail.com>
History 2026-08-26 19:57:26 +02:00
arch - Add a proper kernel cmdline option to control the TLB invalidation method on 2026-08-16 10:28:31 -07:00
block block: stop the timeout timer when releasing a never added disk 2026-07-29 05:23:20 -06:00
certs treewide: fix indentation and whitespace in Kconfig files 2026-05-28 21:24:42 -07:00
crypto This push contains the following changes: 2026-08-10 08:36:22 -07:00
Documentation - Add a proper kernel cmdline option to control the TLB invalidation method on 2026-08-16 10:28:31 -07:00
drivers - Detect a broken EL2 virtual timer in the bcm2712 SoC boards (RPi5) and 2026-08-16 11:12:13 -07:00
fs ceph: skip __touch_cap() most of the time 2026-08-26 19:57:26 +02:00
include - Detect a broken EL2 virtual timer in the bcm2712 SoC boards (RPi5) and 2026-08-16 11:12:13 -07:00
init rust: allow suspicious_runtime_symbol_definitions lint for Rust >= 1.98 2026-06-29 13:02:15 +02:00
io_uring io_uring/rsrc: reject overflowing regvec bvec byte counts 2026-08-12 19:53:35 -06:00
ipc kernel-7.2-rc1.misc 2026-06-15 03:05:50 +05:30
kernel - Make sure a delayed sched entity's runtime stats are updated at the right 2026-08-16 11:15:23 -07:00
lib This push contains the following changes: 2026-08-10 08:36:22 -07:00
LICENSES LICENSES: Add modern form of the LGPL-2.1 tags to the usage guide section 2025-10-22 07:58:19 +02:00
mm 17 hotfixes. 15 are cc:stable. 16 are for MM. 2026-08-06 20:29:38 -07:00
net A handful of tiny fixes, with the main ones being a follow-up for 2026-08-14 10:18:06 -07:00
rust Driver core fixes for 7.2-rc7 2026-08-08 07:13:29 -07:00
samples samples/damon/mtier: error out for zero quota goal target values 2026-08-04 20:02:02 -07:00
scripts kbuild: rpm-pkg: Preserve BTF sections in kernel modules during debuginfo stripping 2026-07-29 16:21:42 -07:00
security selinux/stable-7.2 PR 20260805 2026-08-05 13:40:11 -07:00
sound ASoC: Fixes for v7.2 2026-08-13 15:32:36 +02:00
tools vfs-7.2-rc8.fixes 2026-08-14 07:58:01 -07:00
usr kbuild: uapi: also test UAPI headers against C++ compilers 2026-03-25 13:24:42 +01:00
virt KVM/arm64 fixes for 7.2, take #2 2026-07-15 12:13:30 +02:00
.clang-format clang-format: fix formatting of guard() and scoped_guard() statements 2026-05-28 21:24:41 -07:00
.clippy.toml rust: bump Clippy's MSRV and clean incompatible_msrv allows 2026-04-07 09:51:39 +02:00
.cocciconfig scripts: add Linux .cocciconfig for coccinelle 2016-07-22 12:13:39 +02:00
.editorconfig editorconfig: add rst extension 2026-01-26 19:07:09 -08:00
.get_maintainer.ignore .get_maintainer.ignore: add myself 2026-04-02 16:48:25 +02:00
.gitattributes .gitattributes: set diff driver for Rust source code files 2023-05-31 17:48:25 +02:00
.gitignore SPDX patches for 7.2-rc1 2026-06-22 12:06:22 -07:00
.mailmap There is a known WiFi/mt76 regression, waiting for a complete fix that 2026-08-13 08:37:26 -07:00
.pylintrc docs: Move the python libraries to tools/lib/python 2025-11-18 09:22:40 -07:00
.rustfmt.toml rust: add .rustfmt.toml 2022-09-28 09:02:20 +02:00
COPYING COPYING: state that all contributions really are covered by this file 2020-02-10 13:32:20 -08:00
CREDITS CREDITS: Add Wolfram Sang 2026-07-14 16:34:04 +02:00
Kbuild checksyscalls: move instance functionality into generic code 2026-04-05 09:21:32 +02:00
Kconfig io_uring: Rename KConfig to Kconfig 2025-02-19 14:53:27 -07:00
MAINTAINERS Char / Misc and documentation fixes for 7.2-rc7 2026-08-08 16:25:59 -07:00
Makefile Linux 7.2 2026-08-16 14:32:26 -07:00
README docs: add AI Coding Assistants documentation 2026-01-06 14:55:06 -07:00

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