linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v2 2/4] hung_task: Add hung_task_sys_info sysctl to dump sys info on task-hung

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Message-ID: <aRyOxD5kytnneUQY@pathway.suse.cz>
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:20:36 +0100
From: Petr Mladek <pmladek@...e.com>
To: Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc: Feng Tang <feng.tang@...ux.alibaba.com>,
	Lance Yang <lance.yang@...ux.dev>,
	Steven Rostedt <rostedt@...dmis.org>,
	Lance Yang <ioworker0@...il.com>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>, paulmck@...nel.org,
	lirongqing@...du.com, leonylgao@...cent.com
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 2/4] hung_task: Add hung_task_sys_info sysctl to dump
 sys info on task-hung

On Mon 2025-11-17 09:53:52, Andrew Morton wrote:
> On Sun, 16 Nov 2025 22:13:58 +0800 Feng Tang <feng.tang@...ux.alibaba.com> wrote:
> 
> > > >   	if (need_warning || hung_task_call_panic) {
> > > >   		si_mask |= SYS_INFO_LOCKS;
> > > 
> > > Looks good to me now! I assume v3 would be expected, can you
> > > post a new version?
> > 
> > Andrew has taken the patchset to -mm tree. 
> > 
> > Andrew, which way do you prefer? I send a v3 patch for hung-task or you
> > pickup the fixup patch and squash it into the orginal 0002 patch?
> > 
> > Anyway, I make a squshed version v3 patch below.
> 
> I prefer little fixup patches, generally.  So people can see what
> changed and don't feel they should re-review everything.
> 
> I queued the below, thanks.
> 
> From: Feng Tang <feng.tang@...ux.alibaba.com>
> Subject: hung_task-add-hung_task_sys_info-sysctl-to-dump-sys-info-on-task-hung-fix
> Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2025 19:30:36 +0800
> 
> maintain consistecy established behavior, per Lance and Petr
> 
> Link: https://lkml.kernel.org/r/aRncJo1mA5Zk77Hr@U-2FWC9VHC-2323.local
> Suggested-by: Petr Mladek <pmladek@...e.com>
> Signed-off-by: Feng Tang <feng.tang@...ux.alibaba.com>
> Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>
> Cc: Lance Yang <ioworker0@...il.com>
> Cc: "Paul E . McKenney" <paulmck@...nel.org>
> Cc: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@...dmis.org>
> Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>

Thanks a lot for catching and fixing the regression caused
by this patchset. The patch looks good.

See a comment below.

> --- a/kernel/hung_task.c~hung_task-add-hung_task_sys_info-sysctl-to-dump-sys-info-on-task-hung-fix
> +++ a/kernel/hung_task.c
> @@ -223,8 +223,11 @@ static inline void debug_show_blocker(st
>  }
>  #endif
>  
> -static void check_hung_task(struct task_struct *t, unsigned long timeout)
> +static void check_hung_task(struct task_struct *t, unsigned long timeout,
> +		unsigned long prev_detect_count)
>  {
> +	unsigned long total_hung_task;
> +
>  	if (!task_is_hung(t, timeout))
>  		return;
>  
> @@ -234,13 +237,19 @@ static void check_hung_task(struct task_
>  	 */
>  	sysctl_hung_task_detect_count++;
>  
> +	total_hung_task = sysctl_hung_task_detect_count - prev_detect_count;
>  	trace_sched_process_hang(t);
>  
> +	if (sysctl_hung_task_panic && total_hung_task >= sysctl_hung_task_panic) {
> +		console_verbose();
> +		hung_task_call_panic = true;
> +	}
> +
>  	/*
>  	 * Ok, the task did not get scheduled for more than 2 minutes,
>  	 * complain:
>  	 */
> -	if (sysctl_hung_task_warnings) {
> +	if (sysctl_hung_task_warnings || hung_task_call_panic) {
>  		if (sysctl_hung_task_warnings > 0)
>  			sysctl_hung_task_warnings--;
>  		pr_err("INFO: task %s:%d blocked for more than %ld seconds.\n",

This restores the behavior after the commit 9544f9e6947f6508
("hung_task: panic when there are more than N hung tasks at
the same time"). It is better than nothing.

Well, the behavior is still not ideal. It would be better when
we printed backtraces from _all_ "hung" tasks before panicking.
But it prints the backtraces only when sysctl_hung_task_panic
limit is reached.

I mean, for example, let's have:

  + sysctl_hung_task_warnings = 2;
  + sysctl_hung_task_panic = 5;
  + and detect 6 hung tasks.

The code will report 1st and 2nd hung tasks. It will skip 3rd and 4th
because sysctl_hung_task_warnings reached 0. It will report 5th and
6th tasks because (total_hung_task >= 5).

It is better than nothing. But it might be confusing.

I am not sure how to fix it. A minimalist solution would be to print
a warning. Something like:

	if (sysctl_hung_task_panic > 1 &&
	    (total_hung_task == sysctl_hung_task_panic) &&
	    !sysctl_hung_task_warnings) {
		pr_err("INFO: %d blocked tasks might have been skipped because reached hung_task_warnings limit\n",
			sysctl_hung_task_panic - 1);

Or we could print the "total_hung_task" counter somewhere, for
example,

		pr_err("INFO[%lu]: task %s:%d blocked for more than %ld seconds.\n",
			total_hung_task, ...

Or we could restart the for_each_process_thread() cycle and make sure
that all hung tasks will get reported.

Or we could ignore it until anyone complains.

Best Regards,
Petr