[RFC PATCH v2 0/3] mm/damon: Introduce node_target_mem_bp Quota Goal Metric

Ravi Jonnalagadda
2026-01-29T21:58:19Z

This series introduces a new DAMON quota goal metric, `node_target_mem_bp`,
designed for controlling memory migration in heterogeneous memory systems
(e.g., DRAM and CXL memory tiering).

v1: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/20260123045733.6954-1-ravis.opensrc@gmail.com/T/#u

Changes since v1:
=================

- Renamed metric from `node_sys_bp` to `node_target_mem_bp` for consistency
with existing node-related quota goal metrics (node_mem_used_bp,
node_mem_free_bp) as suggested by SJ.

- Fixed the metric calculation:
* Numerator: Now correctly counts only scheme-eligible bytes (regions
matching the scheme's access pattern criteria).
* Denominator: Now uses node capacity instead of total system memory.

- Removed the get_goal_metric() ops callback. The implementation now
resides in core.c, following the existing pattern for other metrics
that have ops-layer dependencies.

- Removed the early-exit optimization patch. As SJ noted, this would
introduce a behavioral change for existing users and should be an
opt-in feature with a properly designed interface. This can be
addressed in a separate follow-up series.

- Removed capacity clamping logic (was tied to early-exit behavior).

Background and Motivation
=========================

A previous patch series [1] added weighted interleave support for DAMON
migrate_{hot,cold} actions for vaddr schemes. That approach requires VMA
offset information to determine target nodes, which for paddr schemes
would require costly rmap walks.

This series takes a different approach for PA-based migration control
using basis points (bp) target-state goals instead of weight-based
action rates, avoiding the need for rmap walks entirely.

What This Metric Does
=====================

The `node_target_mem_bp` metric measures:

scheme_eligible_bytes_on_node / node_capacity

expressed in basis points (bp, 1/10000).

"Scheme-eligible bytes" are regions that match the scheme's access pattern
criteria (size, nr_accesses, age). This allows users to specify goals like:

"Migrate hot pages until node N contains X% hot memory"

Unlike weight-based approaches that specify ACTION RATES, this metric
specifies a TARGET STATE, which naturally prevents oscillation issues
that would occur with weight-based PA migration without rmap.

Two-Context Setup for Hot Page Distribution
===========================================

For distributing hot pages between two NUMA nodes (e.g., DRAM node 0 and
CXL node 1), two DAMON contexts work together:

Context 0: monitors node 0, migrate_hot -> node 1
goal: node_target_mem_bp, nid=0, target=6000
"Migrate hot pages out when node 0 exceeds 60% hot"

Context 1: monitors node 1, migrate_hot -> node 0
goal: node_target_mem_bp, nid=1, target=4000
"Migrate hot pages out when node 1 exceeds 40% hot"

Each context migrates excess hot pages to the other node. The system
converges when both nodes reach their target hot memory ratios.

Complementary to Existing vaddr Migration
=========================================

This series complements rather than replaces the vaddr weighted interleave
migration:

vaddr migration (weight-based):
- Per-process control
- Fine-grained interleave patterns via VMA offset
- Deterministic placement based on weights

paddr migration (bp-based, this series):
- System-wide control
- Target-state goals for node capacity management
- No rmap overhead

Patch Organization
==================

1. mm/damon/core: add DAMOS_QUOTA_NODE_TARGET_MEM_BP metric
- Adds new enum value and documentation

2. mm/damon/core: implement NODE_TARGET_MEM_BP metric calculation
- Adds damos_get_node_target_mem_bp() function
- Updates function signatures to pass ctx and scheme through call chain

3. mm/damon/sysfs-schemes: expose NODE_TARGET_MEM_BP metric
- Exposes metric as 'node_target_mem_bp' in sysfs

Status
======

These patches have been compile-tested but have NOT been tested on actual
hardware. Feedback on the design and approach is appreciated.

References
==========

[1] mm/damon/vaddr: Allow interleaving in migrate_{hot,cold} actions
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/20250709005952.17776-1-bijan311@gmail.com/

Ravi Jonnalagadda (3):
mm/damon/core: add DAMOS_QUOTA_NODE_TARGET_MEM_BP metric
mm/damon/core: implement NODE_TARGET_MEM_BP metric calculation
mm/damon/sysfs-schemes: expose NODE_TARGET_MEM_BP metric

include/linux/damon.h | 5 +++
mm/damon/core.c | 66 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----
mm/damon/sysfs-schemes.c | 5 +++
3 files changed, 69 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

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2.43.0