Re: [PATCH] proc/stat: document uptime-based CPU utilization calculation

From: ningle

Date: Tue Jan 20 2026 - 03:45:57 EST


Hi,

Gentle ping on this documentation patch.

The main motivation is to describe how userspace can compute more stable
CPU utilization on systems that already enable NOHZ and virtual CPU
accounting (CONFIG_VIRT_CPU_ACCOUNTING_*), where idle time in /proc/stat
is already accurate.

In this context, improving observability is often easier by providing a
better time reference for these existing counters (e.g. a timestamp
field in /proc/stat), rather than enabling additional options like
CONFIG_CONTEXT_TRACKING_USER_FORCE, which may be too heavy for many
production environments.

If this direction is acceptable, I can adjust the text or placement as
you prefer.

Thanks,
ning le