[RFC PATCH 05/57] mm/collapse: state what a collapse may do in the policy

From: Kiryl Shutsemau

Date: Sun Aug 16 2026 - 18:47:12 EST


From: "Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)" <kas@xxxxxxxxxx>

Tests scattered through the collapse path decide what a collapse is
allowed to do by asking whether khugepaged started it. Between them
they settle:

- which VMAs are eligible, and how hard to try for a folio;
- how many empty, swapped-out or shared PTEs a window may contain, and
whether a sub-PMD window is held to a stricter rule than a PMD;
- whether a range has to look used, and whether a MADV_FREE'd page is
left alone;
- whether the PMD is mapped as part of the request, and whether dirty
pages are worth writing back and retrying.

None of those is a fact about khugepaged. Each is something the caller
decided before asking, and the collapse code should not have to look up
who called to find out.

Add struct collapse_policy for the caller to fill: khugepaged from its
own settings, MADV_COLLAPSE from the fact that a user asked explicitly.
Every test becomes a read of a field.

khugepaged fills the policy once per scan pass, MADV_COLLAPSE once per
call. That is the one change in behaviour: the tunables are sampled
once per pass rather than on every call, so a table scanned early in a
pass and one scanned late are judged alike.

cc->is_khugepaged stays, with a single reader left: the daemon's
collapse counter, which is bookkeeping and not policy.

collapse_file() also drops a NULL check on the collapse_control. It has
one call site, reached only from collapse_single_pmd(), which
dereferences cc unconditionally, so the check was already dead.

Assisted-by: Claude-Code:claude-opus-5
Signed-off-by: Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta) <kas@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
mm/collapse.h | 47 ++++++++++++++++++++++
mm/khugepaged.c | 105 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------------------
2 files changed, 107 insertions(+), 45 deletions(-)

diff --git a/mm/collapse.h b/mm/collapse.h
index 9c82e71533df..44f52ea5bbb8 100644
--- a/mm/collapse.h
+++ b/mm/collapse.h
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
#ifndef __MM_COLLAPSE_H
#define __MM_COLLAPSE_H

+#include <linux/mm.h>
#include <linux/nodemask.h>
#include <linux/pgtable.h>
#include <linux/types.h>
@@ -41,7 +42,53 @@ enum scan_result {
SCAN_PAGE_DIRTY_OR_WRITEBACK,
};

+/*
+ * What a collapse is allowed to do, decided by whoever asked for it, so the
+ * code doing it need not ask who its caller is: khugepaged fills this in from
+ * its own settings, MADV_COLLAPSE from the fact that a user asked explicitly.
+ */
+struct collapse_policy {
+ /* Limits, stated per PMD; HPAGE_PMD_NR means "no limit" */
+ unsigned int max_ptes_none;
+ unsigned int max_ptes_swap;
+ unsigned int max_ptes_shared;
+
+ /*
+ * Hold a sub-PMD window to a stricter rule than a PMD: no swapped-out
+ * and no shared PTEs at all, and max_ptes_none as
+ * collapse_max_ptes_none() scales it. khugepaged holds mTHP collapse
+ * to that; an explicit request does not.
+ */
+ bool strict_sub_pmd;
+
+ /*
+ * Collapse only where it looks worth doing: require some sign the range
+ * is in use, and leave clean lazyfree folios for reclaim rather than
+ * collapsing them into a folio that is not lazyfree. A user who asked
+ * for a collapse gets one either way.
+ */
+ bool skip_lazyfree;
+ bool require_referenced;
+
+ /*
+ * Finish the job rather than leaving it half done for a fault to pick
+ * up: map the PMD over a file collapse before returning, and write
+ * dirty pages back and retry once instead of refusing them. Both cost
+ * latency the caller has asked to pay.
+ */
+ bool install_pmd;
+ bool writeback_dirty;
+
+ /* How hard to try for a destination folio */
+ gfp_t gfp;
+
+ /* Which VMAs are eligible, as thp_vma_allowable_orders() spells it */
+ enum tva_type tva_type;
+};
+
struct collapse_control {
+ struct collapse_policy policy;
+
bool is_khugepaged;

/* Num pages scanned per node */
diff --git a/mm/khugepaged.c b/mm/khugepaged.c
index a12aafae8d9c..eebc044a930e 100644
--- a/mm/khugepaged.c
+++ b/mm/khugepaged.c
@@ -310,15 +310,12 @@ struct attribute_group khugepaged_attr_group = {
static unsigned int collapse_max_ptes_none(struct collapse_control *cc,
struct vm_area_struct *vma, unsigned int order)
{
- const unsigned int max_ptes_none = khugepaged_max_ptes_none;
+ const unsigned int max_ptes_none = cc->policy.max_ptes_none;

if (vma && userfaultfd_armed(vma))
return 0;
- /* for MADV_COLLAPSE, allow any empty/shared zeropage PTEs */
- if (!cc->is_khugepaged)
- return HPAGE_PMD_NR;
- /* for PMD collapse, respect the user defined maximum */
- if (is_pmd_order(order))
+ /* The limit as given, at the PMD order and wherever it is not capped */
+ if (is_pmd_order(order) || !cc->policy.strict_sub_pmd)
return max_ptes_none;
/*
* for mTHP collapse with the sysctl value set to KHUGEPAGED_MAX_PTES_LIMIT,
@@ -350,19 +347,12 @@ static unsigned int collapse_max_ptes_shared(struct collapse_control *cc,
unsigned int order)
{
/*
- * For MADV_COLLAPSE, do not restrict the number of PTEs that map shared
- * anonymous pages.
+ * A sub-PMD window held to the strict rule takes no shared page at all:
+ * an mTHP is not worth the CoW-breaking.
*/
- if (!cc->is_khugepaged)
- return HPAGE_PMD_NR;
- /*
- * for mTHP collapse do not allow collapsing anonymous memory pages that
- * are shared between processes.
- */
- if (!is_pmd_order(order))
+ if (!is_pmd_order(order) && cc->policy.strict_sub_pmd)
return 0;
- /* for PMD collapse, respect the user defined maximum */
- return khugepaged_max_ptes_shared;
+ return cc->policy.max_ptes_shared;
}

/**
@@ -378,16 +368,12 @@ static unsigned int collapse_max_ptes_swap(struct collapse_control *cc,
unsigned int order)
{
/*
- * For MADV_COLLAPSE, do not restrict the number PTEs entries or
- * pagecache entries that are non-present.
+ * A sub-PMD window held to the strict rule takes nothing non-present:
+ * reading pages back to build an mTHP is not worth the latency.
*/
- if (!cc->is_khugepaged)
- return HPAGE_PMD_NR;
- /* for mTHP collapse do not allow any non-present PTEs or pagecache entries */
- if (!is_pmd_order(order))
+ if (!is_pmd_order(order) && cc->policy.strict_sub_pmd)
return 0;
- /* for PMD collapse, respect the user defined maximum */
- return khugepaged_max_ptes_swap;
+ return cc->policy.max_ptes_swap;
}

int hugepage_madvise(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
@@ -686,7 +672,7 @@ static enum scan_result __collapse_huge_page_isolate(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
* If the vma has the VM_DROPPABLE flag, the collapse will
* preserve the lazyfree property without needing to skip.
*/
- if (cc->is_khugepaged && !(vma->vm_flags & VM_DROPPABLE) &&
+ if (cc->policy.skip_lazyfree && !(vma->vm_flags & VM_DROPPABLE) &&
folio_test_lazyfree(folio) && !pte_dirty(pteval)) {
result = SCAN_PAGE_LAZYFREE;
goto out;
@@ -775,12 +761,12 @@ static enum scan_result __collapse_huge_page_isolate(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
if (folio_test_large(folio))
list_add_tail(&folio->lru, compound_pagelist);
next:
- if (cc->is_khugepaged &&
+ if (cc->policy.require_referenced &&
folio_pte_referenced(folio, vma, addr, pteval))
referenced++;
}

- if (unlikely(cc->is_khugepaged && !referenced)) {
+ if (unlikely(cc->policy.require_referenced && !referenced)) {
result = SCAN_LACK_REFERENCED_PAGE;
} else {
result = SCAN_SUCCEED;
@@ -984,6 +970,36 @@ static inline gfp_t alloc_hugepage_khugepaged_gfpmask(void)
return khugepaged_defrag() ? GFP_TRANSHUGE : GFP_TRANSHUGE_LIGHT;
}

+/* khugepaged collapses on its own initiative, so it obeys its own settings. */
+static void collapse_policy_khugepaged(struct collapse_policy *p)
+{
+ p->max_ptes_none = READ_ONCE(khugepaged_max_ptes_none);
+ p->max_ptes_swap = READ_ONCE(khugepaged_max_ptes_swap);
+ p->max_ptes_shared = READ_ONCE(khugepaged_max_ptes_shared);
+ p->strict_sub_pmd = true;
+ p->skip_lazyfree = true;
+ p->require_referenced = true;
+ p->install_pmd = false;
+ p->writeback_dirty = false;
+ p->gfp = alloc_hugepage_khugepaged_gfpmask();
+ p->tva_type = TVA_KHUGEPAGED;
+}
+
+/* MADV_COLLAPSE was asked for explicitly, so it is not held to those. */
+static void collapse_policy_forced(struct collapse_policy *p)
+{
+ p->max_ptes_none = HPAGE_PMD_NR;
+ p->max_ptes_swap = HPAGE_PMD_NR;
+ p->max_ptes_shared = HPAGE_PMD_NR;
+ p->strict_sub_pmd = false;
+ p->skip_lazyfree = false;
+ p->require_referenced = false;
+ p->install_pmd = true;
+ p->writeback_dirty = true;
+ p->gfp = GFP_TRANSHUGE;
+ p->tva_type = TVA_FORCED_COLLAPSE;
+}
+
#ifdef CONFIG_NUMA
static int collapse_find_target_node(struct collapse_control *cc)
{
@@ -1021,8 +1037,7 @@ static enum scan_result hugepage_vma_revalidate(struct mm_struct *mm, unsigned l
struct collapse_control *cc, unsigned int order)
{
struct vm_area_struct *vma;
- enum tva_type type = cc->is_khugepaged ? TVA_KHUGEPAGED :
- TVA_FORCED_COLLAPSE;
+ enum tva_type type = cc->policy.tva_type;

if (unlikely(collapse_test_exit_or_disable(mm)))
return SCAN_ANY_PROCESS;
@@ -1205,8 +1220,7 @@ static enum scan_result __collapse_huge_page_swapin(struct mm_struct *mm,
static enum scan_result alloc_charge_folio(struct folio **foliop, struct mm_struct *mm,
struct collapse_control *cc, unsigned int order)
{
- gfp_t gfp = (cc->is_khugepaged ? alloc_hugepage_khugepaged_gfpmask() :
- GFP_TRANSHUGE);
+ gfp_t gfp = cc->policy.gfp;
int node = collapse_find_target_node(cc);
struct folio *folio;

@@ -1559,7 +1573,7 @@ static enum scan_result collapse_scan_pmd(struct mm_struct *mm,
const unsigned int max_ptes_shared = collapse_max_ptes_shared(cc, HPAGE_PMD_ORDER);
const unsigned int max_ptes_swap = collapse_max_ptes_swap(cc, HPAGE_PMD_ORDER);
unsigned int max_ptes_none = collapse_max_ptes_none(cc, vma, HPAGE_PMD_ORDER);
- enum tva_type tva_flags = cc->is_khugepaged ? TVA_KHUGEPAGED : TVA_FORCED_COLLAPSE;
+ enum tva_type tva_flags = cc->policy.tva_type;
pmd_t *pmd;
pte_t *pte, *_pte, pteval;
int i;
@@ -1658,7 +1672,7 @@ static enum scan_result collapse_scan_pmd(struct mm_struct *mm,
* If the vma has the VM_DROPPABLE flag, the collapse will
* preserve the lazyfree property without needing to skip.
*/
- if (cc->is_khugepaged && !(vma->vm_flags & VM_DROPPABLE) &&
+ if (cc->policy.skip_lazyfree && !(vma->vm_flags & VM_DROPPABLE) &&
folio_test_lazyfree(folio) && !pte_dirty(pteval)) {
result = SCAN_PAGE_LAZYFREE;
goto out_unmap;
@@ -1716,11 +1730,11 @@ static enum scan_result collapse_scan_pmd(struct mm_struct *mm,
goto out_unmap;
}

- if (cc->is_khugepaged &&
+ if (cc->policy.require_referenced &&
folio_pte_referenced(folio, vma, addr, pteval))
referenced++;
}
- if (cc->is_khugepaged &&
+ if (cc->policy.require_referenced &&
(!referenced ||
(unmapped && referenced < HPAGE_PMD_NR / 2))) {
result = SCAN_LACK_REFERENCED_PAGE;
@@ -2572,11 +2586,11 @@ static enum scan_result collapse_file(struct mm_struct *mm, unsigned long addr,
xas_unlock_irq(&xas);

/*
- * Remove pte page tables, so we can re-fault the page as huge.
- * If MADV_COLLAPSE, adjust result to call try_collapse_pte_mapped_thp().
+ * Remove pte page tables, so we can re-fault the page as huge. A caller
+ * that wants the PMD mapped now is told to go and do that.
*/
retract_page_tables(mapping, start);
- if (cc && !cc->is_khugepaged)
+ if (cc->policy.install_pmd)
result = SCAN_PTE_MAPPED_HUGEPAGE;
folio_unlock(new_folio);

@@ -2760,11 +2774,8 @@ static enum scan_result collapse_single_pmd(unsigned long addr,
retry:
result = collapse_scan_file(mm, addr, file, pgoff, cc);

- /*
- * For MADV_COLLAPSE, when encountering dirty pages, try to writeback,
- * then retry the collapse one time.
- */
- if (!cc->is_khugepaged && result == SCAN_PAGE_DIRTY_OR_WRITEBACK &&
+ /* Dirty pages are worth a writeback and one more try, if asked for */
+ if (cc->policy.writeback_dirty && result == SCAN_PAGE_DIRTY_OR_WRITEBACK &&
!triggered_wb && mapping_can_writeback(file->f_mapping)) {
const loff_t lstart = (loff_t)pgoff << PAGE_SHIFT;
const loff_t lend = lstart + HPAGE_PMD_SIZE - 1;
@@ -2781,7 +2792,7 @@ static enum scan_result collapse_single_pmd(unsigned long addr,
result = SCAN_ANY_PROCESS;
else
result = try_collapse_pte_mapped_thp(mm, addr,
- !cc->is_khugepaged);
+ cc->policy.install_pmd);
if (result == SCAN_PMD_MAPPED)
result = SCAN_SUCCEED;
mmap_read_unlock(mm);
@@ -2931,6 +2942,9 @@ static void khugepaged_do_scan(struct collapse_control *cc)

lru_add_drain_all();

+ /* One policy for the whole pass, so every table is judged the same */
+ collapse_policy_khugepaged(&cc->policy);
+
cc->progress = 0;
while (true) {
cond_resched();
@@ -3159,6 +3173,7 @@ int madvise_collapse(struct vm_area_struct *vma, unsigned long start,
if (!cc)
return -ENOMEM;
cc->is_khugepaged = false;
+ collapse_policy_forced(&cc->policy);
cc->progress = 0;

mmgrab(mm);
--
2.54.0