[PATCH] sched/idle: Fix avg_idle saturation by establishing symmetric idle entry hook

[PATCH] sched/idle: Fix avg_idle saturation by establishing symmetric idle entry hook

[Masahito S]

update_rq_avg_idle(), called from put_prev_task_idle(), computes
rq->avg_idle as rq_clock() - rq->idle_stamp.  However, idle_stamp is
only set by sched_balance_newidle() when a CPU enters CPU_NEWLY_IDLE
through the fair class path.  When the idle task is preempted without
sched_balance_newidle() having run (boot, hotplug, sched class
transitions), idle_stamp remains 0, producing a delta equal to
rq_clock() — a value in the billions of nanoseconds — which saturates
avg_idle at 2 * max_idle_balance_cost.

This inflated avg_idle prevents sched_balance_newidle() from
early-returning (fair.c: avg_idle < max_newidle_lb_cost check),
making it overly aggressive.  The resulting excess newidle migrations
override wake-time placement decisions made by select_idle_sibling(),
degrading cache locality that careful placement (recent_used_cpu,
select_idle_core, etc.) is designed to preserve.

Fix this by:

1. Adding an idle_stamp validity guard to update_rq_avg_idle(), so
   that a zero idle_stamp is never used as a timestamp.

2. Setting idle_stamp in set_next_task_idle() when it has not already
   been set by sched_balance_newidle().  This establishes a symmetric
   idle entry/exit contract: set_next_task_idle() marks the start of
   the idle period, put_prev_task_idle() measures and records it via
   update_rq_avg_idle().

The entry hook preserves idle_stamp if sched_balance_newidle() has
already set it, maintaining the existing semantic where balance-attempt
duration is included in the idle measurement.
---
 kernel/sched/core.c | 3 +++
 kernel/sched/idle.c | 3 +++
 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+)

diff --git a/kernel/sched/core.c b/kernel/sched/core.c
index 496dff740d..ec801f731c 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/core.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/core.c
@@ -3633,6 +3633,9 @@ static inline void ttwu_do_wakeup(struct task_struct *p)
 
 void update_rq_avg_idle(struct rq *rq)
 {
+	if (!rq->idle_stamp)
+		return;
+
 	u64 delta = rq_clock(rq) - rq->idle_stamp;
 	u64 max = 2*rq->max_idle_balance_cost;
 
diff --git a/kernel/sched/idle.c b/kernel/sched/idle.c
index a83be0c834..9ceb7e6224 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/idle.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/idle.c
@@ -491,6 +491,9 @@ static void set_next_task_idle(struct rq *rq, struct task_struct *next, bool fir
 	schedstat_inc(rq->sched_goidle);
 	next->se.exec_start = rq_clock_task(rq);
 
+	if (!rq->idle_stamp)
+		rq->idle_stamp = rq_clock(rq);
+
 	/*
 	 * rq is about to be idle, check if we need to update the
 	 * lost_idle_time of clock_pelt
-- 
2.34.1