Re: [PATCH sched_ext/for-7.2] sched_ext: add p->scx.tid and SCX_OPS_TID_TO_TASK lookup

Andrea Righi
2026-04-19T17:02:55Z

Hi Tejun,

On Sun, Apr 19, 2026 at 06:18:46AM -1000, Tejun Heo wrote:
> BPF schedulers that can't hold task_struct pointers (arena-backed ones in
> particular) key tasks by pid. During exit, pid is released before the
> task finishes passing through scheduler callbacks, so a dying task
> becomes invisible to the BPF side mid-schedule. scx_qmap hits this: an
> exiting task's dispatch callback can't recover its queue entry, stalling
> dispatch until SCX_EXIT_ERROR_STALL.
>
> Add a unique non-zero u64 p->scx.tid assigned at fork that survives the
> full task lifetime including exit. scx_bpf_tid_to_task() looks up the
> task; unlike bpf_task_from_pid(), it handles exiting tasks.
>
> The lookup costs an rhashtable insert/remove under scx_tasks_lock, so
> root schedulers opt in via SCX_OPS_TID_TO_TASK. Sub-schedulers that set
> the flag to declare a dependency are rejected at attach if root didn't
> opt in.
>
> scx_qmap converted: keys tasks by tid and enables SCX_OPS_ENQ_EXITING.
> Pre-patch it stalls within seconds under a non-leader-exec workload;
> with the patch it runs cleanly.
>
> Signed-off-by: Tejun Heo <tj@kernel.org>
> ---
> include/linux/sched/ext.h | 9 +
> kernel/sched/ext.c | 144 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--
> kernel/sched/ext_internal.h | 20 +++-
> tools/sched_ext/include/scx/common.bpf.h | 1
> tools/sched_ext/scx_qmap.bpf.c | 13 +-
> 5 files changed, 170 insertions(+), 17 deletions(-)
>
> --- a/include/linux/sched/ext.h
> +++ b/include/linux/sched/ext.h
> @@ -203,6 +203,15 @@ struct sched_ext_entity {
> u64 core_sched_at; /* see scx_prio_less() */
> #endif
>
> + /*
> + * Unique non-zero task ID assigned at fork. Persists across exec and
> + * is never reused. Lets BPF schedulers identify tasks without storing
> + * kernel pointers - arena-backed schedulers being one example. See
> + * scx_bpf_tid_to_task().
> + */
> + u64 tid;
> + struct rhash_head tid_hash_node; /* see SCX_OPS_TID_TO_TASK */
> +
> /* BPF scheduler modifiable fields */
>
> /*
> --- a/kernel/sched/ext.c
> +++ b/kernel/sched/ext.c
> @@ -38,6 +38,15 @@ static const struct rhashtable_params sc
> static struct rhashtable scx_sched_hash;
> #endif
>
> +/* see SCX_OPS_TID_TO_TASK */
> +static const struct rhashtable_params scx_tid_hash_params = {
> + .key_len = sizeof_field(struct sched_ext_entity, tid),
> + .key_offset = offsetof(struct sched_ext_entity, tid),
> + .head_offset = offsetof(struct sched_ext_entity, tid_hash_node),
> + .insecure_elasticity = true, /* inserted/removed under scx_tasks_lock */
> +};
> +static struct rhashtable scx_tid_hash;
> +
> /*
> * During exit, a task may schedule after losing its PIDs. When disabling the
> * BPF scheduler, we need to be able to iterate tasks in every state to
> @@ -58,10 +67,25 @@ static cpumask_var_t scx_bypass_lb_resch
> static bool scx_init_task_enabled;
> static bool scx_switching_all;
> DEFINE_STATIC_KEY_FALSE(__scx_switched_all);
> +static DEFINE_STATIC_KEY_FALSE(__scx_tid_to_task_enabled);
> +
> +/*
> + * True once SCX_OPS_TID_TO_TASK has been negotiated with the root scheduler
> + * and the tid->task table is live. Wraps the static key so callers don't
> + * take the address, and hints "likely enabled" for the common case where
> + * the feature is in use.
> + */
> +static inline bool scx_tid_to_task_enabled(void)
> +{
> + return static_branch_likely(&__scx_tid_to_task_enabled);
> +}
>
> static atomic_long_t scx_nr_rejected = ATOMIC_LONG_INIT(0);
> static atomic_long_t scx_hotplug_seq = ATOMIC_LONG_INIT(0);
>
> +/* Global cursor for the per-CPU tid allocator. Starts at 1; tid 0 is reserved. */
> +static atomic64_t scx_tid_cursor = ATOMIC64_INIT(1);
> +
> #ifdef CONFIG_EXT_SUB_SCHED
> /*
> * The sub sched being enabled. Used by scx_disable_and_exit_task() to exit
> @@ -111,6 +135,17 @@ struct scx_kick_syncs {
> static DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct scx_kick_syncs __rcu *, scx_kick_syncs);
>
> /*
> + * Per-CPU buffered allocator state for p->scx.tid. Each CPU pulls a chunk of
> + * SCX_TID_CHUNK ids from scx_tid_cursor and hands them out locally without
> + * further synchronization. See scx_alloc_tid().
> + */
> +struct scx_tid_alloc {
> + u64 next;
> + u64 end;
> +};
> +static DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct scx_tid_alloc, scx_tid_alloc);
> +
> +/*
> * Direct dispatch marker.
> *
> * Non-NULL values are used for direct dispatch from enqueue path. A valid
> @@ -3665,6 +3700,21 @@ void init_scx_entity(struct sched_ext_en
> scx->slice = SCX_SLICE_DFL;
> }
>
> +/* See scx_tid_alloc / scx_tid_cursor. */
> +static u64 scx_alloc_tid(void)
> +{
> + struct scx_tid_alloc *ta;
> +
> + guard(preempt)();
> + ta = this_cpu_ptr(&scx_tid_alloc);
> +
> + if (unlikely(ta->next >= ta->end)) {
> + ta->next = atomic64_fetch_add(SCX_TID_CHUNK, &scx_tid_cursor);
> + ta->end = ta->next + SCX_TID_CHUNK;
> + }
> + return ta->next++;
> +}
> +
> void scx_pre_fork(struct task_struct *p)
> {
> /*
> @@ -3682,6 +3732,8 @@ int scx_fork(struct task_struct *p, stru
>
> percpu_rwsem_assert_held(&scx_fork_rwsem);
>
> + p->scx.tid = scx_alloc_tid();
> +
> if (scx_init_task_enabled) {
> #ifdef CONFIG_EXT_SUB_SCHED
> struct scx_sched *sch = kargs->cset->dfl_cgrp->scx_sched;
> @@ -3717,9 +3769,13 @@ void scx_post_fork(struct task_struct *p
> }
> }
>
> - raw_spin_lock_irq(&scx_tasks_lock);
> - list_add_tail(&p->scx.tasks_node, &scx_tasks);
> - raw_spin_unlock_irq(&scx_tasks_lock);
> + scoped_guard(raw_spinlock_irq, &scx_tasks_lock) {
> + list_add_tail(&p->scx.tasks_node, &scx_tasks);
> + if (scx_tid_to_task_enabled())
> + rhashtable_lookup_insert_fast(&scx_tid_hash,
> + &p->scx.tid_hash_node,
> + scx_tid_hash_params);
> + }
>
> percpu_up_read(&scx_fork_rwsem);
> }
> @@ -3770,17 +3826,19 @@ static bool task_dead_and_done(struct ta
>
> void sched_ext_dead(struct task_struct *p)
> {
> - unsigned long flags;
> -
> /*
> * By the time control reaches here, @p has %TASK_DEAD set, switched out
> * for the last time and then dropped the rq lock - task_dead_and_done()
> * should be returning %true nullifying the straggling sched_class ops.
> * Remove from scx_tasks and exit @p.
> */
> - raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&scx_tasks_lock, flags);
> - list_del_init(&p->scx.tasks_node);
> - raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore(&scx_tasks_lock, flags);
> + scoped_guard(raw_spinlock_irqsave, &scx_tasks_lock) {
> + list_del_init(&p->scx.tasks_node);
> + if (scx_tid_to_task_enabled())
> + rhashtable_remove_fast(&scx_tid_hash,
> + &p->scx.tid_hash_node,
> + scx_tid_hash_params);
> + }
>
> /*
> * @p is off scx_tasks and wholly ours. scx_root_enable()'s READY ->
> @@ -5794,9 +5852,13 @@ static void scx_root_disable(struct scx_
>
> /* no task is on scx, turn off all the switches and flush in-progress calls */
> static_branch_disable(&__scx_enabled);
> + if (sch->ops.flags & SCX_OPS_TID_TO_TASK)
> + static_branch_disable(&__scx_tid_to_task_enabled);
> bitmap_zero(sch->has_op, SCX_OPI_END);
> scx_idle_disable();
> synchronize_rcu();
> + if (sch->ops.flags & SCX_OPS_TID_TO_TASK)
> + rhashtable_free_and_destroy(&scx_tid_hash, NULL, NULL);

IIUC we don't unlink per-element nodes here, but we just free the whole bucket
storage, right? So, nodes may still be chained in task_struct for live tasks
(leaving a potential stale state).

I'm wondering if we should have a teardown function, called before disabling
SCX_OPS_TID_TO_TASK and destroying scx_tid_hash, to explicitly remove all the
scx_tid_hash entries via rhashtable_remove_fast().

Essentially the order of operation should be:
1. disable all tasks on scx,
2. drain all tid hash entries,
3. allow forks again, turn off static keys, synchronize_rcu(),
rhashtable_free_and_destroy()

Am I missing something?

Thanks,
-Andrea