rcu: Apply Dave Jones's NOCB Kconfig help feedback
The Kconfig help text for the RCU_NOCB_CPU_NONE, RCU_NOCB_CPU_ZERO,
and RCU_NOCB_CPU_ALL Kconfig options was unclear, so this commit
adds a bit more detail.
Reported-by: Dave Jones <davej@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
diff --git a/init/Kconfig b/init/Kconfig
index 8df5116..f54bc60 100644
--- a/init/Kconfig
+++ b/init/Kconfig
@@ -682,9 +682,10 @@
prompt "Build-forced no-CBs CPUs"
default RCU_NOCB_CPU_NONE
help
- This option allows no-CBs CPUs to be specified at build time.
- Additional no-CBs CPUs may be specified by the rcu_nocbs=
- boot parameter.
+ This option allows no-CBs CPUs (whose RCU callbacks are invoked
+ from kthreads rather than from softirq context) to be specified
+ at build time. Additional no-CBs CPUs may be specified by
+ the rcu_nocbs= boot parameter.
config RCU_NOCB_CPU_NONE
bool "No build_forced no-CBs CPUs"
@@ -692,25 +693,40 @@
help
This option does not force any of the CPUs to be no-CBs CPUs.
Only CPUs designated by the rcu_nocbs= boot parameter will be
- no-CBs CPUs.
+ no-CBs CPUs, whose RCU callbacks will be invoked by per-CPU
+ kthreads whose names begin with "rcuo". All other CPUs will
+ invoke their own RCU callbacks in softirq context.
+
+ Select this option if you want to choose no-CBs CPUs at
+ boot time, for example, to allow testing of different no-CBs
+ configurations without having to rebuild the kernel each time.
config RCU_NOCB_CPU_ZERO
bool "CPU 0 is a build_forced no-CBs CPU"
depends on RCU_NOCB_CPU && !NO_HZ_FULL
help
- This option forces CPU 0 to be a no-CBs CPU. Additional CPUs
- may be designated as no-CBs CPUs using the rcu_nocbs= boot
- parameter will be no-CBs CPUs.
+ This option forces CPU 0 to be a no-CBs CPU, so that its RCU
+ callbacks are invoked by a per-CPU kthread whose name begins
+ with "rcuo". Additional CPUs may be designated as no-CBs
+ CPUs using the rcu_nocbs= boot parameter will be no-CBs CPUs.
+ All other CPUs will invoke their own RCU callbacks in softirq
+ context.
Select this if CPU 0 needs to be a no-CBs CPU for real-time
- or energy-efficiency reasons.
+ or energy-efficiency reasons, but the real reason it exists
+ is to ensure that randconfig testing covers mixed systems.
config RCU_NOCB_CPU_ALL
bool "All CPUs are build_forced no-CBs CPUs"
depends on RCU_NOCB_CPU
help
This option forces all CPUs to be no-CBs CPUs. The rcu_nocbs=
- boot parameter will be ignored.
+ boot parameter will be ignored. All CPUs' RCU callbacks will
+ be executed in the context of per-CPU rcuo kthreads created for
+ this purpose. Assuming that the kthreads whose names start with
+ "rcuo" are bound to "housekeeping" CPUs, this reduces OS jitter
+ on the remaining CPUs, but might decrease memory locality during
+ RCU-callback invocation, thus potentially degrading throughput.
Select this if all CPUs need to be no-CBs CPUs for real-time
or energy-efficiency reasons.