From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1757163AbXKAB4e (ORCPT ); Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:56:34 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1752871AbXKAB41 (ORCPT ); Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:56:27 -0400 Received: from sj-iport-3-in.cisco.com ([171.71.176.72]:15350 "EHLO sj-iport-3.cisco.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752630AbXKAB40 (ORCPT ); Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:56:26 -0400 X-IronPort-AV: E=Sophos;i="4.21,354,1188802800"; d="scan'208";a="541972397" Message-ID: <47293248.9000906@cisco.com> Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:56:24 -0700 From: "bc Wong (chimwong)" User-Agent: Thunderbird 1.5.0.13 (X11/20070824) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: filp usage when cpu busy Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-OriginalArrivalTime: 01 Nov 2007 01:56:25.0199 (UTC) FILETIME=[68C4C7F0:01C81C2A] Authentication-Results: sj-dkim-2; header.From=bcwong@cisco.com; dkim=pass ( sig from cisco.com/sjdkim2002 verified; ); Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Hi, With 2.6.16 x86_64 on a 4 core machine, I noticed that the filp usage (according to /proc/slabinfo) shoots up and keeps on increasing sharply when one of the CPUs is (1) locked up, or (2) very busy doing a lot of printk()'s with KERN_EMERG. In the case of (1), it's permanent until it runs out of memory eventually. For (2), it's temporary; filp count comes back down when the printk()'s are done. I can't think of any relationship between a busy/ locked-up CPU and filp count. The system is still functional. New short-lived processes kept being created, but the overall number of processes is stable. Does anyone know why filp count would go up like that? Thanks, bc