linux-kernel - [PATCH v2] sched_ext: Clarify CPU context for running/stopping callbacks

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Message-ID: <20250423210205.281689-1-arighi@nvidia.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2025 23:02:05 +0200
From: Andrea Righi <arighi@...dia.com>
To: Tejun Heo <tj@...nel.org>,
	David Vernet <void@...ifault.com>,
	Changwoo Min <changwoo@...lia.com>
Cc: Jake Hillion <jake@...lion.co.uk>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH v2] sched_ext: Clarify CPU context for running/stopping callbacks

The ops.running() and ops.stopping() callbacks can be invoked from a CPU
other than the one the task is assigned to, particularly when a task
property is changed, as both scx_next_task_scx() and dequeue_task_scx() may
run on CPUs different from the task's target CPU.

This behavior can lead to confusion or incorrect assumptions if not
properly clarified, potentially resulting in bugs (see [1]).

Therefore, update the documentation to clarify this aspect and advise
users to use scx_bpf_task_cpu() to determine the actual CPU the task
will run on or was running on.

[1] https://github.com/sched-ext/scx/pull/1728

Cc: Jake Hillion <jake@...lion.co.uk>
Cc: Changwoo Min <changwoo@...lia.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrea Righi <arighi@...dia.com>
---
 kernel/sched/ext.c | 18 ++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 18 insertions(+)

Changes in v2:
 - clarify the scenario a bit more in the code comments
 - link to v1: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20250423190059.270236-1-arighi@nvidia.com/

diff --git a/kernel/sched/ext.c b/kernel/sched/ext.c
index ac79067dc87e6..a83232a032aa4 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/ext.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/ext.c
@@ -368,6 +368,15 @@ struct sched_ext_ops {
 	 * @running: A task is starting to run on its associated CPU
 	 * @p: task starting to run
 	 *
+	 * Note that this callback may be called from a CPU other than the
+	 * one the task is going to run on. This can happen when a task
+	 * property is changed (i.e., affinity), since scx_next_task_scx(),
+	 * which triggers this callback, may run on a CPU different from
+	 * the task's assigned CPU.
+	 *
+	 * Therefore, always use scx_bpf_task_cpu(@p) to determine the
+	 * target CPU the task is going to use.
+	 *
 	 * See ->runnable() for explanation on the task state notifiers.
 	 */
 	void (*running)(struct task_struct *p);
@@ -377,6 +386,15 @@ struct sched_ext_ops {
 	 * @p: task stopping to run
 	 * @runnable: is task @p still runnable?
 	 *
+	 * Note that this callback may be called from a CPU other than the
+	 * one the task was running on. This can happen when a task
+	 * property is changed (i.e., affinity), since dequeue_task_scx(),
+	 * which triggers this callback, may run on a CPU different from
+	 * the task's assigned CPU.
+	 *
+	 * Therefore, always use scx_bpf_task_cpu(@p) to retrieve the CPU
+	 * the task was running on.
+	 *
 	 * See ->runnable() for explanation on the task state notifiers. If
 	 * !@...nable, ->quiescent() will be invoked after this operation
 	 * returns.
-- 
2.49.0