[PATCH] cpusets: formalize intermediate GFP_KERNEL containment

This patch makes use of the previously underutilized cpuset flag
'mem_exclusive' to provide what amounts to another layer of memory placement
resolution.  With this patch, there are now the following four layers of
memory placement available:

 1) The whole system (interrupt and GFP_ATOMIC allocations can use this),
 2) The nearest enclosing mem_exclusive cpuset (GFP_KERNEL allocations can use),
 3) The current tasks cpuset (GFP_USER allocations constrained to here), and
 4) Specific node placement, using mbind and set_mempolicy.

These nest - each layer is a subset (same or within) of the previous.

Layer (2) above is new, with this patch.  The call used to check whether a
zone (its node, actually) is in a cpuset (in its mems_allowed, actually) is
extended to take a gfp_mask argument, and its logic is extended, in the case
that __GFP_HARDWALL is not set in the flag bits, to look up the cpuset
hierarchy for the nearest enclosing mem_exclusive cpuset, to determine if
placement is allowed.  The definition of GFP_USER, which used to be identical
to GFP_KERNEL, is changed to also set the __GFP_HARDWALL bit, in the previous
cpuset_gfp_hardwall_flag patch.

GFP_ATOMIC and GFP_KERNEL allocations will stay within the current tasks
cpuset, so long as any node therein is not too tight on memory, but will
escape to the larger layer, if need be.

The intended use is to allow something like a batch manager to handle several
jobs, each job in its own cpuset, but using common kernel memory for caches
and such.  Swapper and oom_kill activity is also constrained to Layer (2).  A
task in or below one mem_exclusive cpuset should not cause swapping on nodes
in another non-overlapping mem_exclusive cpuset, nor provoke oom_killing of a
task in another such cpuset.  Heavy use of kernel memory for i/o caching and
such by one job should not impact the memory available to jobs in other
non-overlapping mem_exclusive cpusets.

This patch enables providing hardwall, inescapable cpusets for memory
allocations of each job, while sharing kernel memory allocations between
several jobs, in an enclosing mem_exclusive cpuset.

Like Dinakar's patch earlier to enable administering sched domains using the
cpu_exclusive flag, this patch also provides a useful meaning to a cpuset flag
that had previously done nothing much useful other than restrict what cpuset
configurations were allowed.

Signed-off-by: Paul Jackson <pj@sgi.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@osdl.org>
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>

1 files changed, 12 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/Documentation/cpusets.txt b/Documentation/cpusets.txt
index ad944c060312..47f4114fbf54 100644
--- a/Documentation/cpusets.txt
+++ b/Documentation/cpusets.txt
@@ -60,6 +60,18 @@ all of the cpus in the system. This removes any overhead due to
 load balancing code trying to pull tasks outside of the cpu exclusive
 cpuset only to be prevented by the tasks' cpus_allowed mask.
 
+A cpuset that is mem_exclusive restricts kernel allocations for
+page, buffer and other data commonly shared by the kernel across
+multiple users.  All cpusets, whether mem_exclusive or not, restrict
+allocations of memory for user space.  This enables configuring a
+system so that several independent jobs can share common kernel
+data, such as file system pages, while isolating each jobs user
+allocation in its own cpuset.  To do this, construct a large
+mem_exclusive cpuset to hold all the jobs, and construct child,
+non-mem_exclusive cpusets for each individual job.  Only a small
+amount of typical kernel memory, such as requests from interrupt
+handlers, is allowed to be taken outside even a mem_exclusive cpuset.
+
 User level code may create and destroy cpusets by name in the cpuset
 virtual file system, manage the attributes and permissions of these
 cpusets and which CPUs and Memory Nodes are assigned to each cpuset,