linux-kernel - Re: [RFC PATCH] accouting: account if a task was killed by OOM killer

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Date:	Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:54:03 -0800
From:	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>
To:	Xiaotian Feng <dfeng@...hat.com>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, Michal Schmidt <mschmidt@...hat.com>,
	David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
	Serge Hallyn <serue@...ibm.com>,
	Heiko Carstens <heiko.carstens@...ibm.com>,
	Frans Pop <elendil@...net.nl>
Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH] accouting: account if a task was killed by OOM
 killer

On Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:40:34 +0800
Xiaotian Feng <dfeng@...hat.com> wrote:

> This patch introduces a new accounting flag which is set when a task
> was killed by OOM killer. taskstats can tell users when a job has been
> killed by the oomkiller.
> 

Why is this useful?  I'd be looking for a description of some
operational scenario where this feature is valuable to an operator?

The description is incomplete.  The patch also alters the contents of
the BSD accounting records.  That's a change to an ancient interface
and needs a bit of exposure and thought.  Is it good to put such a
highly linux-specific and somewhat linux-version-specific field into
such a venerable userspace interface?

If we _do_ decide to change the BSD accounting records in this manner
then presumably a manpage will need to be updated.  A cc to
linux-api@...r.kernel.org would be appropriate.

But I'm not very convinced about this whole idea at present, personally.

>  include/linux/acct.h                          |    1 +
>  include/linux/taskstats.h                     |    2 +-
>  kernel/acct.c                                 |    2 ++
>  kernel/tsacct.c                               |    2 ++

I'm a bit surprised that getdelays.c doesn't print ac_flag.

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