Re: [PATCH v2] sched/deadline: Reset dl_server execution state on stop

[Gabriele Monaco]

2026-01-26T21:27:11Z Andrea Righi <arighi@xxxxxxxxxx>:
> On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 04:56:52PM +0000, Gabriele Monaco wrote:
>> Still if it starts before the deadline, the server is going to get throttled as you observed, and perhaps since in your tests the CPU isn't idle, we don't stop the server after that dequeue and then we never replenish after the deadline (because we never start and as you mentioned, the timer is not armed).
>>
>> Can this be what you're observing?
>
> Yes, I think it matches what I'm observing.
>
> In my case the server is (re)started before the deadline, so it immediately
> runs with exhausted runtime, gets throttled, and is dequeued. Since the CPU
> isn't idle, we don't hit a path that would stop the server cleanly and
> reset its execution state.
>
> At that point, because dl_defer_running is still set, the restart path
> assumes the server is already in the running phase and skips arming the
> deferral/replenishment timer. Therefore, once the deadline passes there is
> no remaining trigger to replenish a new period and the server gets stuck in
> a throttled-but-running state.
>

Alright thanks. I believe your fix would work even if you reset the defer_running only when the runtime is exhausted.

This way we'd still keep a bit of benefits of the start-running sequence if fair/scx tasks sleep and run back when the server still has runtime.

We could even keep the defer_running as it is and mark the server as defer_armed (with laxity timer and stuff) only if it starts in this exact condition (runtime = 0 and deadline not expired). But this may just be overly complex for little benefit.

What do you think?

Thanks,
Gabriele