[PATCH] sched/fair: Add more core cookie check in wake up fast path
From: Fernand Sieber
Date: Thu Nov 20 2025 - 05:20:40 EST
The fast path in select_idle_sibling() can place tasks on CPUs without
considering core scheduling constraints, potentially causing immediate
force idle when the sibling runs an incompatible task.
Add cookie compatibility checks before selecting a CPU in the fast path.
This prevents placing waking tasks on CPUs where the sibling is running
an incompatible task, reducing force idle occurrences.
Testing
=======
Perf testing using 10 threads on 8 CPUs on a platform with each core
sporting two hyperthreads.
Each thread is running 1200 iterations of a cycle consisting of a random
period of work between 0-10ms followed by a random period of sleep 0-30ms.
The goal of this configuration is to apply a light load on the system
(33%), with randomization causing opportunities for scheduling placement
including all cases of idle cores, partially idle cores and fully busy
cores.
Each test configuration is run 3 times and time to work completion is
measured and averaged. First configuration doesn't use cookies, second
configuration groups the 10 threads in 5 pairs of cookies, third
configuration also groups the 10 threads in 5 pairs of cookies, but with
this patch applied.
Test Results (seconds)
Configuration Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Average Overhead
No cookie 24.653 24.454 24.586 24.564 0.000
Cookie 25.896 26.256 25.979 26.044 1.480
Cookie + patch 25.346 25.007 25.042 25.132 0.568
The patch reduces cookie overhead by 61.7% (0.568/1.480 = 0.383)
Signed-off-by: Fernand Sieber <sieberf@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
kernel/sched/fair.c | 5 ++++-
1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/kernel/sched/fair.c b/kernel/sched/fair.c
index 5b752324270b..90ceb3da2251 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/fair.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/fair.c
@@ -7647,7 +7647,7 @@ static int select_idle_smt(struct task_struct *p, struct sched_domain *sd, int t
*/
if (!cpumask_test_cpu(cpu, sched_domain_span(sd)))
continue;
- if (available_idle_cpu(cpu) || sched_idle_cpu(cpu))
+ if (__select_idle_cpu(cpu, p) != -1)
return cpu;
}
@@ -7841,6 +7841,7 @@ static int select_idle_sibling(struct task_struct *p, int prev, int target)
lockdep_assert_irqs_disabled();
if ((available_idle_cpu(target) || sched_idle_cpu(target)) &&
+ sched_core_cookie_match(cpu_rq(target), p) &&
asym_fits_cpu(task_util, util_min, util_max, target))
return target;
@@ -7849,6 +7850,7 @@ static int select_idle_sibling(struct task_struct *p, int prev, int target)
*/
if (prev != target && cpus_share_cache(prev, target) &&
(available_idle_cpu(prev) || sched_idle_cpu(prev)) &&
+ sched_core_cookie_match(cpu_rq(prev), p) &&
asym_fits_cpu(task_util, util_min, util_max, prev)) {
if (!static_branch_unlikely(&sched_cluster_active) ||
@@ -7881,6 +7883,7 @@ static int select_idle_sibling(struct task_struct *p, int prev, int target)
recent_used_cpu != target &&
cpus_share_cache(recent_used_cpu, target) &&
(available_idle_cpu(recent_used_cpu) || sched_idle_cpu(recent_used_cpu)) &&
+ sched_core_cookie_match(cpu_rq(recent_used_cpu), p) &&
cpumask_test_cpu(recent_used_cpu, p->cpus_ptr) &&
asym_fits_cpu(task_util, util_min, util_max, recent_used_cpu)) {
--
2.34.1
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