ksm: more on default values
Adjust the max_kernel_pages default to a quarter of totalram_pages,
instead of nr_free_buffer_pages() / 4: the KSM pages themselves come from
highmem, and even on a 16GB PAE machine, 4GB of KSM pages would only be
pinning 32MB of lowmem with their rmap_items, so no need for the more
obscure calculation (nor for its own special init function).
There is no way for the user to switch KSM on if CONFIG_SYSFS is not
enabled, so in that case default run to KSM_RUN_MERGE.
Update KSM Documentation and Kconfig to reflect the new defaults.
Signed-off-by: Hugh Dickins <hugh.dickins@tiscali.co.uk>
Cc: Izik Eidus <ieidus@redhat.com>
Cc: Andrea Arcangeli <aarcange@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
diff --git a/Documentation/vm/ksm.txt b/Documentation/vm/ksm.txt
index 72a22f6..262d8e6 100644
--- a/Documentation/vm/ksm.txt
+++ b/Documentation/vm/ksm.txt
@@ -52,15 +52,15 @@
readable by all but writable only by root:
max_kernel_pages - set to maximum number of kernel pages that KSM may use
- e.g. "echo 2000 > /sys/kernel/mm/ksm/max_kernel_pages"
+ e.g. "echo 100000 > /sys/kernel/mm/ksm/max_kernel_pages"
Value 0 imposes no limit on the kernel pages KSM may use;
but note that any process using MADV_MERGEABLE can cause
KSM to allocate these pages, unswappable until it exits.
- Default: 2000 (chosen for demonstration purposes)
+ Default: quarter of memory (chosen to not pin too much)
pages_to_scan - how many present pages to scan before ksmd goes to sleep
- e.g. "echo 200 > /sys/kernel/mm/ksm/pages_to_scan"
- Default: 200 (chosen for demonstration purposes)
+ e.g. "echo 100 > /sys/kernel/mm/ksm/pages_to_scan"
+ Default: 100 (chosen for demonstration purposes)
sleep_millisecs - how many milliseconds ksmd should sleep before next scan
e.g. "echo 20 > /sys/kernel/mm/ksm/sleep_millisecs"
@@ -70,7 +70,8 @@
set 1 to run ksmd e.g. "echo 1 > /sys/kernel/mm/ksm/run",
set 2 to stop ksmd and unmerge all pages currently merged,
but leave mergeable areas registered for next run
- Default: 1 (for immediate use by apps which register)
+ Default: 0 (must be changed to 1 to activate KSM,
+ except if CONFIG_SYSFS is disabled)
The effectiveness of KSM and MADV_MERGEABLE is shown in /sys/kernel/mm/ksm/:
@@ -86,4 +87,4 @@
proportion there would also indicate poor use of madvise MADV_MERGEABLE.
Izik Eidus,
-Hugh Dickins, 30 July 2009
+Hugh Dickins, 24 Sept 2009
diff --git a/mm/Kconfig b/mm/Kconfig
index edd300a..57963c6 100644
--- a/mm/Kconfig
+++ b/mm/Kconfig
@@ -224,7 +224,9 @@
the many instances by a single resident page with that content, so
saving memory until one or another app needs to modify the content.
Recommended for use with KVM, or with other duplicative applications.
- See Documentation/vm/ksm.txt for more information.
+ See Documentation/vm/ksm.txt for more information: KSM is inactive
+ until a program has madvised that an area is MADV_MERGEABLE, and
+ root has set /sys/kernel/mm/ksm/run to 1 (if CONFIG_SYSFS is set).
config DEFAULT_MMAP_MIN_ADDR
int "Low address space to protect from user allocation"
diff --git a/mm/ksm.c b/mm/ksm.c
index f7edac3..bef1af4 100644
--- a/mm/ksm.c
+++ b/mm/ksm.c
@@ -184,11 +184,6 @@
sizeof(struct __struct), __alignof__(struct __struct),\
(__flags), NULL)
-static void __init ksm_init_max_kernel_pages(void)
-{
- ksm_max_kernel_pages = nr_free_buffer_pages() / 4;
-}
-
static int __init ksm_slab_init(void)
{
rmap_item_cache = KSM_KMEM_CACHE(rmap_item, 0);
@@ -1673,7 +1668,7 @@
struct task_struct *ksm_thread;
int err;
- ksm_init_max_kernel_pages();
+ ksm_max_kernel_pages = totalram_pages / 4;
err = ksm_slab_init();
if (err)
@@ -1697,6 +1692,9 @@
kthread_stop(ksm_thread);
goto out_free2;
}
+#else
+ ksm_run = KSM_RUN_MERGE; /* no way for user to start it */
+
#endif /* CONFIG_SYSFS */
return 0;