Re: [PATCH v5 2/3] arm64: mmu: avoid allocating pages while splitting the linear mapping

Yeoreum Yun
2026-01-20T16:17:33Z

Hi Will,

> > On 20/01/2026 09:29, Yeoreum Yun wrote:
> > > Hi Ryan
> > >> On 19/01/2026 21:24, Yeoreum Yun wrote:
> > >>> Hi Will,
> > >>>
> > >>>> On Mon, Jan 05, 2026 at 08:23:27PM +0000, Yeoreum Yun wrote:
> > >>>>> +static int __init linear_map_prealloc_split_pgtables(void)
> > >>>>> +{
> > >>>>> + int ret, i;
> > >>>>> + unsigned long lstart = _PAGE_OFFSET(vabits_actual);
> > >>>>> + unsigned long lend = PAGE_END;
> > >>>>> + unsigned long kstart = (unsigned long)lm_alias(_stext);
> > >>>>> + unsigned long kend = (unsigned long)lm_alias(__init_begin);
> > >>>>> +
> > >>>>> + const struct mm_walk_ops collect_to_split_ops = {
> > >>>>> + .pud_entry = collect_to_split_pud_entry,
> > >>>>> + .pmd_entry = collect_to_split_pmd_entry
> > >>>>> + };
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Why do we need to rewalk the page-table here instead of collating the
> > >>>> number of block mappings we put down when creating the linear map in
> > >>>> the first place?
> > >>
> > >> That's a good point; perhaps we can reuse the counters that this series introduces?
> > >>
> > >> https://lore.kernel.org/all/20260107002944.2940963-1-yang@os.amperecomputing.com/
> > >>
> > >>>
> > >>> First, linear alias of the [_text, __init_begin) is not a target for
> > >>> the split and it also seems strange to me to add code inside alloc_init_XXX()
> > >>> that both checks an address range and counts to get the number of block mappings.
> > >>>
> > >>> Second, for a future feature,
> > >>> I hope to add some code to split "specfic" area to be spilt e.x)
> > >>> to set a specific pkey for specific area.
> > >>
> > >> Could you give more detail on this? My working assumption is that either the
> > >> system supports BBML2 or it doesn't. If it doesn't, we need to split the whole
> > >> linear map. If it does, we already have logic to split parts of the linear map
> > >> when needed.
> > >
> > > This is not for a linear mapping case. but for a "kernel text area".
> > > As a draft, I want to mark some of kernel code can executable
> > > both kernel and eBPF program.
> > > (I'm trying to make eBPF program non-executable kernel code directly
> > > with POE feature).
> > > For this "executable area" both of kernel and eBPF program
> > > -- typical example is exception entry, It need to split that specific
> > > range and mark them with special POE index.
> >
> > Ahh yes, I recall you mentioning this a while back (although I confess all the
> > deatils have fallen out of my head). You'd need to make sure you're definitely
> > not splitting an area of text that the secondary CPUs are executing while they
> > are being held in the pen, since at least one of those CPUs doesn't support BBML2.
> >
> > >
> > >>
> > >>>
> > >>> In this case, it's useful to rewalk the page-table with the specific
> > >>> range to get the number of block mapping.
> > >>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>> + split_pgtables_idx = 0;
> > >>>>> + split_pgtables_count = 0;
> > >>>>> +
> > >>>>> + ret = walk_kernel_page_table_range_lockless(lstart, kstart,
> > >>>>> + &collect_to_split_ops,
> > >>>>> + NULL, NULL);
> > >>>>> + if (!ret)
> > >>>>> + ret = walk_kernel_page_table_range_lockless(kend, lend,
> > >>>>> + &collect_to_split_ops,
> > >>>>> + NULL, NULL);
> > >>>>> + if (ret || !split_pgtables_count)
> > >>>>> + goto error;
>
> Just noticed this, but why do we check '!split_pgtables_count' here?
> if the page-table is already somehow mapped at page granularity, that
> doesn't necessarily sound like a fatal error to me.

!split_pgtables_count is not a "error" case, but just to skip
the remaining logic.
Might the label name "error" makes you confused?

>
> > >>>>> +
> > >>>>> + ret = -ENOMEM;
> > >>>>> +
> > >>>>> + split_pgtables = kvmalloc(split_pgtables_count * sizeof(struct ptdesc *),
> > >>>>> + GFP_KERNEL | __GFP_ZERO);
> > >>>>> + if (!split_pgtables)
> > >>>>> + goto error;
> > >>>>> +
> > >>>>> + for (i = 0; i < split_pgtables_count; i++) {
> > >>>>> + /* The page table will be filled during splitting, so zeroing it is unnecessary. */
> > >>>>> + split_pgtables[i] = pagetable_alloc(GFP_PGTABLE_KERNEL & ~__GFP_ZERO, 0);
> > >>>>> + if (!split_pgtables[i])
> > >>>>> + goto error;
> > >>>>
> > >>>> This looks potentially expensive on the boot path and only gets worse as
> > >>>> the amount of memory grows. Maybe we should predicate this preallocation
> > >>>> on preempt-rt?
> > >>>
> > >>> Agree. then I'll apply pre-allocation with PREEMPT_RT only.
> > >>
> > >> I guess I'm missing something obvious but I don't understand the problem here...
> > >> We are only deferring the allocation of all these pgtables, so the cost is
> > >> neutral surely? Had we correctly guessed that the system doesn't support BBML2
> > >> earlier, we would have had to allocate all these pgtables earlier.
> > >>
> > >> Another way to look at it is that we are still allocating the same number of
> > >> pgtables in the existing fallback path, it's just that we are doing it inside
> > >> the stop_machine().
> > >>
> > >> My vote would be _not_ to have a separate path for PREEMPT_RT, which will end up
> > >> with significantly less testing...
> > >
> > > IIUC, Will's mention is additional memory allocation for
> > > "split_pgtables" where saved "pre-allocate" page tables.
> > > As the memory increase, definitely this size would increase the cost.
> >
> > Err, so you're referring to the extra kvmalloc()? I don't think that's a big
> > deal is it? you get 512 pointers per page. So the amortized cost is 1/512= 0.2%?
>
> Right, it was the page-table pages I was worried about not the array of
> pointers.
>
> > I suspect we have both misunderstood Will's point...
>
> I probably just got confused by linear_map_free_split_pgtables() as it
> has logic to free unused page-table pages between 'split_pgtables_idx'
> and 'split_pgtables_count', implying that we can over-allocate.
>
> If that is only needed for the error path in
> linear_map_prealloc_split_pgtables(), then perhaps that part should be
> inlined to deal with the case where we fail to allocate part way through.
>
> Will

This is not for the case of "over-allocate" at the first time.
But for a some case that another CPU caused a split between figuring
out the required number of tables and actually doing the full split
(though it seems unlikely) which Ryan point out in here:
- https://lore.kernel.org/all/73ced1db-a2e2-49ea-927e-9fc4a30e771e@arm.com/

So, it's also required for case of success too.

--
Sincerely,
Yeoreum Yun