Re: [PATCH v3 6/7] mm: list_lru: introduce folio_memcg_list_lru_alloc()

[Lorenzo Stoakes (Oracle)]

On Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 03:53:24PM -0400, Johannes Weiner wrote:
> memcg_list_lru_alloc() is called every time an object that may end up
> on the list_lru is created. It needs to quickly check if the list_lru
> heads for the memcg already exist, and allocate them when they don't.
>
> Doing this with folio objects is tricky: folio_memcg() is not stable
> and requires either RCU protection or pinning the cgroup. But it's
> desirable to make the existence check lightweight under RCU, and only
> pin the memcg when we need to allocate list_lru heads and may block.
>
> In preparation for switching the THP shrinker to list_lru, add a
> helper function for allocating list_lru heads coming from a folio.
>
> Reviewed-by: David Hildenbrand (Arm) <david@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Signed-off-by: Johannes Weiner <hannes@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Logic LGTM, but would be nice to have some kdoc. With that addressed, feel free
to add:

Reviewed-by: Lorenzo Stoakes (Oracle) <ljs@xxxxxxxxxx>

> ---
>  include/linux/list_lru.h | 12 ++++++++++++
>  mm/list_lru.c            | 39 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----
>  2 files changed, 46 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/include/linux/list_lru.h b/include/linux/list_lru.h
> index 4afc02deb44d..4bd29b61c59a 100644
> --- a/include/linux/list_lru.h
> +++ b/include/linux/list_lru.h
> @@ -81,6 +81,18 @@ static inline int list_lru_init_memcg_key(struct list_lru *lru, struct shrinker
>
>  int memcg_list_lru_alloc(struct mem_cgroup *memcg, struct list_lru *lru,
>  			 gfp_t gfp);
> +
> +#ifdef CONFIG_MEMCG
> +int folio_memcg_list_lru_alloc(struct folio *folio, struct list_lru *lru,
> +			       gfp_t gfp);

Could we have a kdoc comment for this? Thanks!

> +#else
> +static inline int folio_memcg_list_lru_alloc(struct folio *folio,
> +					     struct list_lru *lru, gfp_t gfp)
> +{
> +	return 0;
> +}
> +#endif
> +
>  void memcg_reparent_list_lrus(struct mem_cgroup *memcg, struct mem_cgroup *parent);
>
>  /**
> diff --git a/mm/list_lru.c b/mm/list_lru.c
> index b817c0f48f73..1ccdd45b1d14 100644
> --- a/mm/list_lru.c
> +++ b/mm/list_lru.c
> @@ -537,17 +537,14 @@ static inline bool memcg_list_lru_allocated(struct mem_cgroup *memcg,
>  	return idx < 0 || xa_load(&lru->xa, idx);
>  }
>
> -int memcg_list_lru_alloc(struct mem_cgroup *memcg, struct list_lru *lru,
> -			 gfp_t gfp)
> +static int __memcg_list_lru_alloc(struct mem_cgroup *memcg,
> +				  struct list_lru *lru, gfp_t gfp)
>  {
>  	unsigned long flags;
>  	struct list_lru_memcg *mlru = NULL;
>  	struct mem_cgroup *pos, *parent;
>  	XA_STATE(xas, &lru->xa, 0);
>
> -	if (!list_lru_memcg_aware(lru) || memcg_list_lru_allocated(memcg, lru))
> -		return 0;
> -
>  	gfp &= GFP_RECLAIM_MASK;
>  	/*
>  	 * Because the list_lru can be reparented to the parent cgroup's
> @@ -588,6 +585,38 @@ int memcg_list_lru_alloc(struct mem_cgroup *memcg, struct list_lru *lru,
>
>  	return xas_error(&xas);
>  }
> +
> +int memcg_list_lru_alloc(struct mem_cgroup *memcg, struct list_lru *lru,
> +			 gfp_t gfp)
> +{
> +	if (!list_lru_memcg_aware(lru) || memcg_list_lru_allocated(memcg, lru))
> +		return 0;
> +	return __memcg_list_lru_alloc(memcg, lru, gfp);
> +}
> +
> +int folio_memcg_list_lru_alloc(struct folio *folio, struct list_lru *lru,
> +			       gfp_t gfp)
> +{
> +	struct mem_cgroup *memcg;
> +	int res;
> +
> +	if (!list_lru_memcg_aware(lru))
> +		return 0;
> +
> +	/* Fast path when list_lru heads already exist */
> +	rcu_read_lock();

OK nice I see folio_memcg() explicitly states an RCU lock suffices....

> +	memcg = folio_memcg(folio);
> +	res = memcg_list_lru_allocated(memcg, lru);

...And an xa_load() should also be RCU safe :)

> +	rcu_read_unlock();
> +	if (likely(res))
> +		return 0;

So that's nice!

> +
> +	/* Allocation may block, pin the memcg */
> +	memcg = get_mem_cgroup_from_folio(folio);
> +	res = __memcg_list_lru_alloc(memcg, lru, gfp);
> +	mem_cgroup_put(memcg);
> +	return res;
> +}
>  #else
>  static inline void memcg_init_list_lru(struct list_lru *lru, bool memcg_aware)
>  {
> --
> 2.53.0
>

Cheers, Lorenzo