Re: [PATCH for-next v3 3/9] mm/slab: handle the !allow_spin case in kfree_rcu_sheaf()

[Pedro Falcato <pfalcato@suse.de>]

On Mon, Jun 15, 2026 at 08:05:57PM +0900, Harry Yoo (Oracle) wrote:
> Teach kfree_rcu_sheaf() how to handle the !allow_spin case. Try to get
> an empty sheaf from pcs->spare or the barn even when spinning is not
> allowed. Unlike __pcs_replace_full_main(), try harder to allocate
> an empty sheaf because the fallback path will be more expensive than
> kfree_nolock().
> 
> When trylock fails or the kernel observes non-NULL pcs->rcu_free after
> lock acquisition, free the sheaf instead of putting it to the barn.
> This is rare and not worth complicating the code.
> 
> Since call_rcu() cannot be called in an unknown context,
> kfree_rcu_sheaf() fails when the rcu sheaf becomes full.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Harry Yoo (Oracle) <harry@kernel.org>
> ---
>  mm/slab.h        |  2 +-
>  mm/slab_common.c |  2 +-
>  mm/slub.c        | 39 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------
>  3 files changed, 32 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/mm/slab.h b/mm/slab.h
> index 509f330654b8..b1bd33a16544 100644
> --- a/mm/slab.h
> +++ b/mm/slab.h
> @@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ static inline bool is_kmalloc_normal(struct kmem_cache *s)
>  	return !(s->flags & (SLAB_CACHE_DMA|SLAB_ACCOUNT|SLAB_RECLAIM_ACCOUNT));
>  }
>  
> -bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj);
> +bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj, bool allow_spin);
>  void flush_all_rcu_sheaves(void);
>  void flush_rcu_sheaves_on_cache(struct kmem_cache *s);
>  
> diff --git a/mm/slab_common.c b/mm/slab_common.c
> index b6426d7ceec9..bc1a8ec938d9 100644
> --- a/mm/slab_common.c
> +++ b/mm/slab_common.c
> @@ -1605,7 +1605,7 @@ static bool kfree_rcu_sheaf(void *obj)
>  
>  	s = slab->slab_cache;
>  	if (likely(!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_NUMA) || slab_nid(slab) == numa_mem_id()))
> -		return __kfree_rcu_sheaf(s, obj);
> +		return __kfree_rcu_sheaf(s, obj, /* allow_spin = */ true);

Since this is stacked on top of the slab alloc flags work, could it pass slab
alloc flags instead of allow_spin?

>  
>  	return false;
>  }
> diff --git a/mm/slub.c b/mm/slub.c
> index 87ca154ccd80..b0d38d515386 100644
> --- a/mm/slub.c
> +++ b/mm/slub.c
> @@ -2815,7 +2815,8 @@ static inline struct slab_sheaf *alloc_empty_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s,
>  	return __alloc_empty_sheaf(s, gfp, alloc_flags, s->sheaf_capacity);
>  }
>  
> -static void free_empty_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, struct slab_sheaf *sheaf)
> +static void __free_empty_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, struct slab_sheaf *sheaf,
> +			       bool allow_spin)
>  {
>  	/*
>  	 * If the sheaf was created with SLAB_ALLOC_NO_RECURSE flag then its
> @@ -2827,11 +2828,20 @@ static void free_empty_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, struct slab_sheaf *sheaf)
>  		mark_obj_codetag_empty(sheaf);
>  
>  	VM_WARN_ON_ONCE(sheaf->size > 0);
> -	kfree(sheaf);
> +
> +	if (likely(allow_spin))
> +		kfree(sheaf);
> +	else
> +		kfree_nolock(sheaf);
>  
>  	stat(s, SHEAF_FREE);
>  }
>  
> +static void free_empty_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, struct slab_sheaf *sheaf)
> +{
> +	__free_empty_sheaf(s, sheaf, /* allow_spin = */ true);
> +}
> +
>  static unsigned int
>  refill_objects(struct kmem_cache *s, void **p, gfp_t gfp, unsigned int min,
>  	       unsigned int max);
> @@ -3132,7 +3142,6 @@ static struct slab_sheaf *barn_get_empty_sheaf(struct node_barn *barn,
>   * intended action due to a race or cpu migration. Thus they do not check the
>   * empty or full sheaf limits for simplicity.
>   */
> -
>  static void barn_put_empty_sheaf(struct node_barn *barn, struct slab_sheaf *sheaf)
>  {
>  	unsigned long flags;
> @@ -6065,7 +6074,7 @@ static void rcu_free_sheaf(struct rcu_head *head)
>   */
>  static DEFINE_WAIT_OVERRIDE_MAP(kfree_rcu_sheaf_map, LD_WAIT_CONFIG);
>  
> -bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj)
> +bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj, bool allow_spin)
>  {
>  	struct slub_percpu_sheaves *pcs;
>  	struct slab_sheaf *rcu_sheaf;
> @@ -6081,9 +6090,10 @@ bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj)
>  	pcs = this_cpu_ptr(s->cpu_sheaves);
>  
>  	if (unlikely(!pcs->rcu_free)) {
> -
>  		struct slab_sheaf *empty;
>  		struct node_barn *barn;
> +		unsigned int alloc_flags = SLAB_ALLOC_DEFAULT;

which would make this logic more natural.

> +		gfp_t gfp = GFP_NOWAIT;
>  
>  		/* Bootstrap or debug cache, fall back */
>  		if (unlikely(!cache_has_sheaves(s))) {
> @@ -6103,7 +6113,7 @@ bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj)
>  			goto fail;
>  		}
>  
> -		empty = barn_get_empty_sheaf(barn, true);
> +		empty = barn_get_empty_sheaf(barn, allow_spin);
>  
>  		if (empty) {
>  			pcs->rcu_free = empty;
> @@ -6112,20 +6122,25 @@ bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj)
>  
>  		local_unlock(&s->cpu_sheaves->lock);
>  
> -		empty = alloc_empty_sheaf(s, GFP_NOWAIT, SLAB_ALLOC_DEFAULT);
> +		if (unlikely(!allow_spin)) {
> +			alloc_flags = SLAB_ALLOC_TRYLOCK;
> +			gfp = 0;

and this as well (alloc_empty_sheaf() could derive gfp from whatever you
passed it, by simply knowing alloc_flags = TRYLOCK -> gfp = 0
(or gfp &= ~__GFP_RECLAIM)).

> +		}
> +
> +		empty = alloc_empty_sheaf(s, gfp, alloc_flags);
>  
>  		if (!empty)
>  			goto fail;
>  
>  		if (!local_trylock(&s->cpu_sheaves->lock)) {
> -			barn_put_empty_sheaf(barn, empty);
> +			__free_empty_sheaf(s, empty, allow_spin);
>  			goto fail;
>  		}
>  
>  		pcs = this_cpu_ptr(s->cpu_sheaves);
>  
>  		if (unlikely(pcs->rcu_free))
> -			barn_put_empty_sheaf(barn, empty);
> +			__free_empty_sheaf(s, empty, allow_spin);
>  		else
>  			pcs->rcu_free = empty;
>  	}
> @@ -6143,6 +6158,12 @@ bool __kfree_rcu_sheaf(struct kmem_cache *s, void *obj)
>  	if (likely(rcu_sheaf->size < s->sheaf_capacity)) {
>  		rcu_sheaf = NULL;
>  	} else {
> +		if (unlikely(!allow_spin)) {
> +			/* call_rcu() cannot be called in an unknown context */
> +			rcu_sheaf->size--;
> +			local_unlock(&s->cpu_sheaves->lock);
> +			goto fail;
> +		}
>  		pcs->rcu_free = NULL;
>  		rcu_sheaf->node = numa_node_id();
>  	}
> 
> -- 
> 2.53.0
> 

-- 
Pedro