linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v1] mm/huge_memory: fix shrinking of all-zero THPs with max_ptes

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Message-ID: <beda2005-f83f-42d4-8769-e719ece50866@lucifer.local>
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2025 12:32:34 +0100
From: Lorenzo Stoakes <lorenzo.stoakes@...cle.com>
To: David Hildenbrand <david@...hat.com>
Cc: linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-mm@...ck.org,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>, Zi Yan <ziy@...dia.com>,
        Baolin Wang <baolin.wang@...ux.alibaba.com>,
        "Liam R. Howlett" <Liam.Howlett@...cle.com>,
        Nico Pache <npache@...hat.com>, Ryan Roberts <ryan.roberts@....com>,
        Dev Jain <dev.jain@....com>, Barry Song <baohua@...nel.org>,
        Usama Arif <usamaarif642@...il.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v1] mm/huge_memory: fix shrinking of all-zero THPs with
 max_ptes_none default

On Fri, Sep 05, 2025 at 05:36:01PM +0200, David Hildenbrand wrote:
> On 05.09.25 17:30, Lorenzo Stoakes wrote:
> > On Fri, Sep 05, 2025 at 04:11:37PM +0200, David Hildenbrand wrote:
> > > We added an early exit in thp_underused(), probably to avoid scanning
> > > pages when there is no chance for success.
> > >
> > > However, assume we have max_ptes_none = 511 (default).
> > >
> > > Nothing should stop us from freeing all pages part of a THP that
> >
> > Freeing 'all pages which are part of a THP' rather?
>
> I'm German, I don't know what I'm doing. :D

Whereas I have no excuse :P

>
> >
> > > is completely zero (512) and khugepaged will for sure not try to
> >
> > that is -> that are?
>
> the THP is zero?

I mean "all pages part of a THP that is completely zero' -> "all pages part of a
THP that are completely zero', I'm referring to the 'all pages' bit, but I guess
you mean the THP is entirely zero.

So maybe rephrase to 'all pages which are part of a zero THP' or similar? :)

>
> >
> > > instantiate a THP in that case (512 shared zeropages).
> >
> > But if you write faulted they're not the zero page? And how are they shared? I
> > mean be being dumb here.
>
> The shrinker will replace zeroed pages by the shared zeropages.

Ah thanks, I was being dumb :) too stuck in vanilla mm land...

>
> >
> > >
> > > This can just trivially happen if someone writes a single 0 byte into a
> > > PMD area, or of course, when data ends up being zero later.
> > >
> > > So let's remove that early exit.
> > >
> > > Do we want to CC stable? Hm, not sure. Probably not urgent.
> >
> > Surely this is worth having?
>
> Alrighty, let me cc stable.

Thanks!

>
> >
> > >
> > > Note that, as default, the THP shrinker is active
> > > (/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shrink_underused = 1), and all
> > > THPs are added to the deferred split lists. However, with the
> > > max_ptes_none default we would never scan them. We would not do that. If
> >
> > Nit but 'we would not do that' is kinda duplicative here :)
>
> Yeah, fixed it already while rewriting: this was meant to be "would now".

Cheers!

>
>
> Thanks!
>
>
> --
> Cheers
>
> David / dhildenb
>

Cheers, Lorenzo