mm/page_owner: add per-fd filter infrastructure for print_mode and NUMA filtering
Subsystems (4)
v7 cover mm/page_owner: add per-fd filter infrastructure for print_mode and NUMA filtering
This patch series introduces per-file-descriptor filtering capabilities to the page_owner feature.
Changes from v6:
- print_mode and NUMA node filter implementation (patches 1-2)
- Add page_owner_filter userspace tool (patch 3)
- Update documentation for per-fd interface (patch 4)
Changes from v5:
- Address SeongJae Park's review comments for patch 1/3:
* Remove unnecessary braces in if/else statement
* Use stack array instead of kmalloc for input buffer
- Address SeongJae Park's review comments for patch 2/3:
* Add node validity check using nodes_subset() to reject non-existent nodes
* Separate variable declaration and statement
* Use kmalloc_objs() for consistency with kernel patterns
* Remove 100 bytes overhead
- Add lore links to all previous versions
Changes from v4:
- Optimize nodes_empty() check in page iteration loop
- Add __data_racy qualifier to nid_mask field
Changes from v3:
- Change print_mode from numeric (0/1) to string-based interface
* Use "full_stack"/"stack_handle" strings instead of numbers
* Display current mode with bracket notation: "[full_stack] stack_handle"
- Remove "-1" support from NUMA filter
* Use empty string to clear filter (echo > nid)
- Use strncpy_from_user() instead of copy_from_user()
- Rename nid_filter_fops to page_owner_nid_filter_fops for consistency
- Merge patch 1 (infrastructure) and patch 2 (print_mode) from v3
- Update documentation to match new interface
* String-based examples
* Tab indentation in code blocks
Changes from v2:
- Remove READ_ONCE/WRITE_ONCE for nodemask_t (fixes compilation errors)
* nodemask_t is a large structure (128 bytes) that triggers compile-time asserts
* Direct assignment is safe for this use case
- Add comment explaining input length calculation formula
* 6 bytes = ",NNNNN" (comma + 5-digit node number)
- Simplify "-1" check using kstrtoint() instead of dual strcmp()
- Move nodemask_t mask read outside PFN iteration loop for performance
* Avoids 128-byte structure copy on each iteration
- Add documentation for filter features (patch 3/3)
Changes from v1:
- Renamed 'compact' to 'print_mode' with enum type for better clarity
* PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_FULL_STACK (0): print full stack traces
* PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_STACK_HANDLE (1): print only stack handles
- Changed NUMA filter from single node to nodelist with bitmask support
* Uses nodelist_parse() to support "0", "0,2", "0-3", "0,2-4,7" formats
* Uses nodemask_t internally for efficient multi-node filtering
* Output uses %*pbl format (e.g., "0-2", "0,2-4,7")
- Improved memory handling in nid_filter_write using dynamic allocation
* Limit: (100 + 6 * MAX_NUMNODES) to handle worst-case input
Problem Statement
=================
In production environments with large memory configurations (e.g., 250GB+), collecting page_owner information often results in files ranging from several gigabytes to over 10GB. This creates significant challenges:
1. Storage pressure on production systems
2. Difficulty transferring large files from production environments
3. Post-processing overhead with tools/mm/page_owner_sort.c
The primary contributor to file size is redundant stack trace information. While the kernel already deduplicates stacks via stackdepot, page_owner retrieves and stores full stack traces for each page, only to deduplicate them again during post-processing.
Additionally, in NUMA-aware environments (e.g., DPDK-based cloud deployments where QEMU processes are bound to specific NUMA nodes), OOM events are often node-specific rather than system-wide. Previously, page_owner could not filter by NUMA node, forcing users to collect and analyze data for all nodes.
Solution
========
This patch series introduces a per-file-descriptor filter infrastructure with two initial filters:
1. **Print Mode Filter**: Outputs only stack handles instead of full stack traces. The handle-to-stack mapping can be retrieved from the existing show_stacks_handles interface. This dramatically reduces output size while preserving all allocation metadata.
2. **NUMA Node Filter**: Allows filtering pages by specific NUMA node(s) using flexible nodelist format, enabling targeted analysis of memory issues in NUMA-aware deployments.
The per-fd design allows multiple concurrent page_owner reads with different filters, solving coordination issues in multi-user production environments.
Implementation
==============
The series is structured as follows:
- Patch 1: Implement print_mode filter infrastructure
* Add file->private_data to store per-fd filter state
* Add .open, .release, and .write file operations
* Support "stack", "handle", and "stack_handle" modes via "mode=" write commands
- Patch 2: Implement NUMA node filter infrastructure
* Add nid_filter field to per-fd state
* Support flexible nodelist format via "nid=" write commands (single, multiple, ranges)
* Validate nodes and reject non-existent nodes using nodes_subset()
- Patch 3: Add page_owner_filter userspace tool
* Manages per-fd filters via write() interface
* Provides user-friendly command-line interface
* Includes comprehensive input validation
- Patch 4: Document filter features and usage
Usage Example
=============
Using the page_owner_filter tool with per-fd filters:
# ./page_owner_filter -m stack_handle -n "0,2-3" -o page_owner.txt
The tool opens /sys/kernel/debug/page_owner, sets filters via write(), then reads the filtered output to the specified file (or stdout).
Sample print_mode output (showing handles only):
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper),
ts 0 ns PFN 0x40000 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable
Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x252000(__GFP_NOWARN|
__GFP_NORETRY|__GFP_COMP|__GFP_THISNODE), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper),
ts 0 ns PFN 0x40002 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable
Flags 0x23fffe0000000200(workingset|node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577Testing
=======
Tested on a 4-node NUMA system. Verified that:
1. **Kernel without page_owner enabled**:
Tool properly detects and reports missing page_owner support:
``` $ ./page_owner_filter -m stack Error: /sys/kernel/debug/page_owner does not exist Make sure page_owner is enabled in kernel ```
2. **Kernel without per-fd filter support**:
Tool properly detects and reports missing filter support:
```
$ ./page_owner_filter -m stack
Error: Kernel rejected the filter command.
Possible causes:
- Kernel does not support per-fd filtering
- NUMA node has no memory
- Unknown reason
```3. **Comprehensive userspace tool testing**:
Tested 26 test cases covering:
- Help messages (-h, --help)
- Invalid inputs (mode, nid format, range validation)
- Valid modes (stack, handle, stack_handle)
- Valid nid filters (single node, multiple nodes, ranges)
- Combined mode and nid filters
- Node validity verification (grep-based verification)
- Error handling for out-of-range nodes
Test script (test_page_owner_filter.sh):
```bash #!/bin/bash # Test script for page_owner_filter tool cd "$(dirname "$0")" echo "=========================================" echo "page_owner_filter Test Suite" echo "=========================================" echo echo "Test 1: -h" echo "./page_owner_filter -h" ./page_owner_filter -h echo echo "Test 2: --help" echo "./page_owner_filter --help" ./page_owner_filter --help echo echo "Test 3: Invalid mode" echo ./page_owner_filter -m invalid ./page_owner_filter -m invalid echo echo "Test 4: Invalid nid with letters" echo ./page_owner_filter -n 0,a,2 ./page_owner_filter -n 0,a,2 echo echo "Test 5: Invalid nid with double comma" echo ./page_owner_filter -n 0,,2 ./page_owner_filter -n 0,,2 echo echo "Test 6: Invalid nid starting with comma" echo ./page_owner_filter -n ,0,1 ./page_owner_filter -n ,0,1 echo echo "Test 7: Invalid nid ending with comma" echo ./page_owner_filter -n "0,1," ./page_owner_filter -n "0,1," echo echo "Test 8: No filters specified" echo ./page_owner_filter ./page_owner_filter echo echo "Test 9: Invalid nid - node 4 (out of range)" echo ./page_owner_filter -n 4 ./page_owner_filter -n 4 echo echo "Test 10: Invalid nid - large number" echo './page_owner_filter -n 65535' ./page_owner_filter -n 65535 echo echo "Test 11: Invalid mode AND invalid nid" echo ./page_owner_filter -m wrong -n abc ./page_owner_filter -m wrong -n abc echo echo "Test 12: Two invalid modes (try both)" echo ./page_owner_filter -m wrong1 -m wrong2 ./page_owner_filter -m wrong1 -m wrong2 echo echo "Test 13: Valid mode - stack" echo './page_owner_filter -m stack | head -20' ./page_owner_filter -m stack | head -20 echo echo "Test 14: Valid mode - handle" echo './page_owner_filter -m handle | head -20' ./page_owner_filter -m handle | head -20 echo echo "Test 15: Valid mode - stack_handle" echo './page_owner_filter -m stack_handle | head -20' ./page_owner_filter -m stack_handle | head -20 echo echo "Test 16: All modes" echo './page_owner_filter -m stack -m handle -m stack_handle | head -20' ./page_owner_filter -m stack -m handle -m stack_handle | head -20 echo echo "Test 17: Valid nid - single" echo './page_owner_filter -n 0 | head -20' ./page_owner_filter -n 0 | head -20 echo 'Verify: should have node=0, should NOT have node=1,2,3' echo './page_owner_filter -n 0 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c' ./page_owner_filter -n 0 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c echo echo "Test 18: Valid nid - multiple" echo 'Verify: should have node=0,1,3, should NOT have node=2' echo './page_owner_filter -n 0,1,3 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c' ./page_owner_filter -n 0,1,3 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c echo echo "Test 19: Valid nid - range" echo 'Verify: should have node=2,3, should NOT have node=0,1' echo './page_owner_filter -n 2-3 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c' ./page_owner_filter -n 2-3 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c echo echo "Test 20: Valid nid - range" echo 'Verify: should have node=0,1,2,3' echo './page_owner_filter -n 2-3,0-1 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c' ./page_owner_filter -n 2-3,0-1 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c echo echo "Test 21: Valid nid - range" echo 'Verify: should have node=2, should NOT have node=0,1,3' echo './page_owner_filter -n 2-2 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c' ./page_owner_filter -n 2-2 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c echo echo "Test 22: Invalid nid - range start must be <= end" echo './page_owner_filter -n 3-0' ./page_owner_filter -n 3-0 echo echo './page_owner_filter -n 1-0,0-1' ./page_owner_filter -n 1-0,0-1 echo echo './page_owner_filter -n 2-3,1-0,0-1' ./page_owner_filter -n 2-3,1-0,0-1 echo echo './page_owner_filter -n 3,1-0,1' ./page_owner_filter -n 3,1-0,1 echo echo "Test 23: Invalid nid - NUMA node 4 and above have no memory" echo './page_owner_filter -n 0-4' ./page_owner_filter -n 0-4 echo echo './page_owner_filter -n 1,0-4' ./page_owner_filter -n 1,0-4 echo echo './page_owner_filter -n 7-8' ./page_owner_filter -n 7-8 echo echo './page_owner_filter -n 8-1' ./page_owner_filter -n 8-1 echo echo "Test 24: Valid nid - range and comma mixed" echo 'Verify: should have node=0,2,3, should NOT have node=1' echo './page_owner_filter -n 2-3,0| grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c' ./page_owner_filter -n 2-3,0 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c echo echo "Test 25: Valid nid - range and comma mixed" echo 'Verify: should have node=1,2,3, should NOT have node=0' echo './page_owner_filter -n 1,2-3| grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c' ./page_owner_filter -n 1,2-3 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c echo echo "Test 26: Valid handle mode + nid filter" echo './page_owner_filter -m handle -n "0,1" | head -20' ./page_owner_filter -m handle -n "0,1" | head -20 echo 'Verify: should show stacks, and only node=0,1 (not 2,3)' echo './page_owner_filter -m handle -n "0,1" | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c' ./page_owner_filter -m handle -n "0,1" | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c echo echo "=========================================" echo "Tests completed. Please check output above." echo "=========================================" ```
Test output:
```
=========================================
page_owner_filter Test Suite
=========================================
Test 1: -h
./page_owner_filter -h
Usage: ./page_owner_filter [OPTIONS]
Options:
-m, --mode MODE : print_mode (stack, handle, or stack_handle)
-n, --nid NID_LIST : NUMA node IDs (comma-separated or ranges)
-o, --output FILE : output file (default: stdout)
-h, --help : show this help message
Examples:
./page_owner_filter -m stack
./page_owner_filter -m handle
./page_owner_filter -m stack_handle
./page_owner_filter -m stack -o output.txt
./page_owner_filter -n 0,1,2
./page_owner_filter -m stack -n 0
Test 2: --help
./page_owner_filter --help
Usage: ./page_owner_filter [OPTIONS]
Options:
-m, --mode MODE : print_mode (stack, handle, or stack_handle)
-n, --nid NID_LIST : NUMA node IDs (comma-separated or ranges)
-o, --output FILE : output file (default: stdout)
-h, --help : show this help message
Examples:
./page_owner_filter -m stack
./page_owner_filter -m handle
./page_owner_filter -m stack_handle
./page_owner_filter -m stack -o output.txt
./page_owner_filter -n 0,1,2
./page_owner_filter -m stack -n 0
Test 3: Invalid mode
./page_owner_filter -m invalid
Error: Invalid mode 'invalid'
Valid modes: stack, handle, stack_handle
Test 4: Invalid nid with letters
./page_owner_filter -n 0,a,2
Error: Invalid character 'a' in nid_list
Test 5: Invalid nid with double comma
./page_owner_filter -n 0,,2
Error: Invalid nid_list format
Test 6: Invalid nid starting with comma
./page_owner_filter -n ,0,1
Error: Invalid nid_list format
Test 7: Invalid nid ending with comma
./page_owner_filter -n 0,1,
Error: Invalid nid_list format
Test 8: No filters specified
./page_owner_filter
Error: At least one filter (-m or -n) must be specified
Usage: ./page_owner_filter [OPTIONS]
Options:
-m, --mode MODE : print_mode (stack, handle, or stack_handle)
-n, --nid NID_LIST : NUMA node IDs (comma-separated or ranges)
-o, --output FILE : output file (default: stdout)
-h, --help : show this help message
Examples:
./page_owner_filter -m stack
./page_owner_filter -m handle
./page_owner_filter -m stack_handle
./page_owner_filter -m stack -o output.txt
./page_owner_filter -n 0,1,2
./page_owner_filter -m stack -n 0
Test 9: Invalid nid - node 4 (out of range)
./page_owner_filter -n 4
Error: Kernel rejected the filter command.
Possible causes:
- Kernel does not support per-fd filtering
- NUMA node has no memory
- Unknown reason
Test 10: Invalid nid - large number
./page_owner_filter -n 65535
write filter command: Numerical result out of range
Test 11: Invalid mode AND invalid nid
./page_owner_filter -m wrong -n abc
Error: Invalid mode 'wrong'
Valid modes: stack, handle, stack_handle
Test 12: Two invalid modes (try both)
./page_owner_filter -m wrong1 -m wrong2
Error: Invalid mode 'wrong1'
Valid modes: stack, handle, stack_handle
Test 13: Valid mode - stack
./page_owner_filter -m stack | head -20
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40000 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
page_ext_init+0x204/0x298
mm_core_init+0xdc/0x14c
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40001 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
page_ext_init+0x204/0x298
mm_core_init+0xdc/0x14c
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40002 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
page_ext_init+0x204/0x298
mm_core_init+0xdc/0x14c
Test 14: Valid mode - handle
./page_owner_filter -m handle | head -20
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40000 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40001 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40002 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40003 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40004 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000040(head|node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Test 15: Valid mode - stack_handle
./page_owner_filter -m stack_handle | head -20
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40000 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
page_ext_init+0x204/0x298
mm_core_init+0xdc/0x14c
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40001 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
page_ext_init+0x204/0x298
mm_core_init+0xdc/0x14c
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40002 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
Test 16: All modes
./page_owner_filter -m stack -m handle -m stack_handle | head -20
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40000 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
page_ext_init+0x204/0x298
mm_core_init+0xdc/0x14c
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40001 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
page_ext_init+0x204/0x298
mm_core_init+0xdc/0x14c
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40002 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
Test 17: Valid nid - single
./page_owner_filter -n 0 | head -20
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40000 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
page_ext_init+0x204/0x298
mm_core_init+0xdc/0x14c
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40001 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
page_ext_init+0x204/0x298
mm_core_init+0xdc/0x14c
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40002 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
register_early_stack+0x2c/0x70
init_page_owner+0x2c/0x460
page_ext_init+0x204/0x298
mm_core_init+0xdc/0x14c
Verify: should have node=0, should NOT have node=1,2,3
./page_owner_filter -n 0 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c
91327 node=0
Test 18: Valid nid - multiple
Verify: should have node=0,1,3, should NOT have node=2
./page_owner_filter -n 0,1,3 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c
91299 node=0
43515 node=1
110404 node=3
Test 19: Valid nid - range
Verify: should have node=2,3, should NOT have node=0,1
./page_owner_filter -n 2-3 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c
19391 node=2
110287 node=3
Test 20: Valid nid - range
Verify: should have node=0,1,2,3
./page_owner_filter -n 2-3,0-1 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c
91562 node=0
43527 node=1
19495 node=2
110286 node=3
Test 21: Valid nid - range
Verify: should have node=2, should NOT have node=0,1,3
./page_owner_filter -n 2-2 | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c
19505 node=2
Test 22: Invalid nid - range start must be <= end
./page_owner_filter -n 3-0
Error: Invalid range 3-0 (start must be <= end)
./page_owner_filter -n 1-0,0-1
Error: Invalid range 1-0 (start must be <= end)
./page_owner_filter -n 2-3,1-0,0-1
Error: Invalid range 1-0 (start must be <= end)
./page_owner_filter -n 3,1-0,1
Error: Invalid range 1-0 (start must be <= end)
Test 23: Invalid nid - NUMA node 4 and above have no memory
./page_owner_filter -n 0-4
Error: Kernel rejected the filter command.
Possible causes:
- Kernel does not support per-fd filtering
- NUMA node has no memory
- Unknown reason
./page_owner_filter -n 1,0-4
Error: Kernel rejected the filter command.
Possible causes:
- Kernel does not support per-fd filtering
- NUMA node has no memory
- Unknown reason
./page_owner_filter -n 7-8
Error: Kernel rejected the filter command.
Possible causes:
- Kernel does not support per-fd filtering
- NUMA node has no memory
- Unknown reason
./page_owner_filter -n 8-1
Error: Invalid range 8-1 (start must be <= end)
Test 24: Valid nid - range and comma mixed
Verify: should have node=0,2,3, should NOT have node=1
./page_owner_filter -n 2-3,0| grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c
91741 node=0
19389 node=2
110286 node=3
Test 25: Valid nid - range and comma mixed
Verify: should have node=1,2,3, should NOT have node=0
./page_owner_filter -n 1,2-3| grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c
43462 node=1
19402 node=2
110288 node=3
Test 26: Valid handle mode + nid filter
./page_owner_filter -m handle -n "0,1" | head -20
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40000 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40001 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40002 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40003 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000000(node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Page allocated via order 0, mask 0x0(), pid 0, tgid 0 (swapper), ts 0 ns
PFN 0x40004 type Unmovable Block 512 type Unmovable Flags 0x3fffe0000000040(head|node=0|zone=0|lastcpupid=0x1ffff)
handle: 1048577
Verify: should show stacks, and only node=0,1 (not 2,3)
./page_owner_filter -m handle -n "0,1" | grep "PFN" | grep -o "node=[0-9]" | sort | uniq -c
91677 node=0
43458 node=1
=========================================
Tests completed. Please check output above.
=========================================
```Future Enhancements
===================
The per-fd filter infrastructure is designed to be extensible. Potential future filters could include:
- PID/TGID filtering
- Time range filtering (allocation timestamp windows)
- GFP flag filtering
- Migration type filtering
v6: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v5: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v4: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v3: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v2: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v1: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
---
Zhen Ni (4):
mm/page_owner: add print_mode filter
mm/page_owner: add NUMA node filter
tools/mm: add page_owner_filter userspace tool
mm/page_owner: document page_owner filter
Documentation/mm/page_owner.rst | 77 ++++++++- mm/page_owner.c | 143 ++++++++++++++++- tools/mm/Makefile | 4 +- tools/mm/page_owner_filter.c | 277 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 4 files changed, 493 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-) create mode 100644 tools/mm/page_owner_filter.c
Signature · 1 line
2.20.1
PATCH v7 1/4 mm/page_owner: add print_mode filter
Add a print_mode filter to page_owner that allows users to choose between printing stack traces, stack handles, or both, providing flexibility for different debugging and analysis scenarios.
The filter provides three modes via page_owner:
- Writing "mode=stack" prints stack traces for each page (default)
- Writing "mode=handle" prints only the handle number
- Writing "mode=stack_handle" prints both stack traces and handles
The default stack mode maintains backward compatibility with existing usage, displaying complete stack traces for each page allocation.
The handle mode dramatically reduces log size and improves performance by showing only the handle number instead of the full stack trace. Testing shows handle mode reduces output size by ~66% (84MB vs 244MB) and improves read performance by ~4.4x compared to full stack output. The mapping from handles to actual stack traces can be obtained via the show_stacks_handles interface.
The stack_handle mode prints both stack traces and handles, making it easier to identify pages with the same allocation pattern by comparing handle numbers instead of comparing large stack traces.
Example usage:
# Using the page_owner_filter tool (recommended)
./page_owner_filter -m stack # Print only stack traces (default) ./page_owner_filter -m handle # Print only handles ./page_owner_filter -m stack_handle # Print both stack and handles
Sample output (handle mode):
Page allocated via order 0, migratetype Unmovable, gfp_mask 0x1100ca, pid 1, tgid 1 (systemd), ts 123456789 ns
PFN 0x1000 type Unmovable Block 1 type Unmovable
Flags 0x3fffe800000084(referenced|lru|active|private|node=0|zone=1)
handle: 17432583
...
This implementation uses per-file-descriptor filter state stored in file->private_data, allowing each opener to have independent filter configuration.
---
Changes in v7:
- per-file-descriptor implementation
Changes in v6:
- Remove unnecessary braces in if/else statement (coding style)
- Use stack array (char kbuf[33]) instead of kmalloc for input buffer
Changes in v5:
- No code changes
Changes in v4:
- Change from numeric (0/1) to string-based interface ("full_stack"/"stack_handle")
- Merge infrastructure patch into this patch
Changes in v3:
- No code changes
Changes in v2:
- Renamed from 'compact mode' to 'print_mode' for better clarity
- Use enum values (0=full_stack, 1=stack_handle) instead of boolean
- Update debugfs filename from 'compact' to 'print_mode'
v6: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v5: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v4: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v3: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/ v2: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/ https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/ v1: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/ https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/ --- mm/page_owner.c | 106 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-- 1 file changed, 102 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
mm/page_owner.c +102 -4
@@ -54,6 +54,22 @@ struct stack_print_ctx {u8 flags; }; +enum page_owner_print_mode { +PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_STACK , +PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_HANDLE , +PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_STACK_HANDLE , +}; + +static const char *const page_owner_print_mode_strings[] = { + [PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_STACK ] ="stack" , + [PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_HANDLE ] ="handle" , + [PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_STACK_HANDLE ] ="stack_handle" , +}; + +struct page_owner_filter_state { +enum page_owner_print_mode print_mode; +}; +static bool page_owner_enabled__initdata ;DEFINE_STATIC_KEY_FALSE (page_owner_inited);
@@ -547,7 +563,8 @@ static inline int print_page_owner_memcg(char *kbuf, size_t count, int ret,static ssize_t print_page_owner (char __user *buf,size_t count,unsigned long pfn,struct page *page,struct page_owner *page_owner, -depot_stack_handle_t handle) +depot_stack_handle_t handle, +struct page_owner_filter_state *state) {int ret, pageblock_mt, page_mt;char *kbuf;
@@ -575,7 +592,13 @@ print_page_owner(char __user *buf, size_t count, unsigned long pfn, migratetype_names[pageblock_mt], &page->flags); - ret +=stack_depot_snprint (handle, kbuf + ret, count - ret,0 ); +if (state->print_mode !=PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_HANDLE ) + ret +=stack_depot_snprint (handle, kbuf + ret, count - ret,0 ); + +if (state->print_mode !=PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_STACK ) + ret +=scnprintf (kbuf + ret, count - ret,"handle: %d\n" , + handle); +if (ret >= count) goto err;
@@ -664,6 +687,7 @@ read_page_owner(struct file *file, char __user *buf, size_t count, loff_t *ppos)struct page_ext *page_ext;struct page_owner *page_owner;depot_stack_handle_t handle; +struct page_owner_filter_state *state = file->private_data;if (!static_branch_unlikely (&page_owner_inited))return -EINVAL ;
@@ -746,7 +770,7 @@ read_page_owner(struct file *file, char __user *buf, size_t count, loff_t *ppos) page_owner_tmp = *page_owner;page_ext_put (page_ext);return print_page_owner (buf, count, pfn, page, - &page_owner_tmp, handle); + &page_owner_tmp, handle, state); ext_put_continue:page_ext_put (page_ext); }
@@ -847,7 +871,81 @@ static void init_early_allocated_pages(void)init_pages_in_zone (zone); } +static int page_owner_open (struct inode *inode,struct file *file) +{ +struct page_owner_filter_state *state; + + state =kzalloc_obj (*state); +if (!state) +return -ENOMEM ; + + state->print_mode =PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_STACK ; + file->private_data = state; +return 0 ; +} + +static int page_owner_release (struct inode *inode,struct file *file) +{ +kfree (file->private_data); +return 0 ; +} + +static ssize_t page_owner_write (struct file *file, +const char __user *buf, +size_t count,loff_t *ppos) +{ +char *kbuf; +char *token; +int ret; +size_t max_input_len; +struct page_owner_filter_state *state = file->private_data; + +/* +* Maximum input length for filter commands: +* 32: print_mode command max length is 17 ("mode=stack_handle"). +*/ + max_input_len =32 ; + +if (count > max_input_len) +return -EINVAL ; + + kbuf =kmalloc_objs (*kbuf, count +1 ); +if (!kbuf) +return -ENOMEM ; + +if (strncpy_from_user (kbuf, buf, count +1 ) <0 ) { + ret = -EFAULT ; + goto out_free; + } + +while ((token =strsep (&kbuf," \t\n" )) !=NULL ) { +if (*token =='\0' ) +continue ; + +if (!strncmp (token,"mode=" ,5 )) { + ret =sysfs_match_string (page_owner_print_mode_strings, + token +5 ); +if (ret <0 ) + goto out_free; + state->print_mode = ret; + }else { + ret = -EINVAL ; + goto out_free; + } + } + + ret = count; + +out_free: +kfree (kbuf); +return ret; +} +static const struct file_operations page_owner_fops = { + .owner =THIS_MODULE , + .open = page_owner_open, + .release = page_owner_release, + .write = page_owner_write, .read = read_page_owner, .llseek = lseek_page_owner, };
@@ -980,7 +1078,7 @@ static int __init pageowner_init(void)return 0 ; } -debugfs_create_file ("page_owner" ,0400 ,NULL ,NULL , &page_owner_fops); +debugfs_create_file ("page_owner" ,0600 ,NULL ,NULL , &page_owner_fops); dir =debugfs_create_dir ("page_owner_stacks" ,NULL ); debugfs_create_file("show_stacks", 0400, dir, (void *)(STACK_PRINT_FLAG_STACK |
Signature · 1 line
2.20.1
PATCH v7 2/4 mm/page_owner: add NUMA node filter
In reply to Zhen NiAdd NUMA node filtering functionality to page_owner to allow filtering pages by specific NUMA node(s). This is useful for NUMA-aware memory allocation analysis and debugging.
The filter supports flexible input formats:
- Single node: nid=0
- Multiple nodes: nid=0,2,3
- Node range: nid=0-3
- Mixed format: nid=0,2-4,7
Example usage:
# Using the page_owner_filter tool (recommended) ./page_owner_filter -n 0-3 ./page_owner_filter -m stack_handle -n 0,2-4,7
The implementation uses per-file-descriptor filter state stored in file->private_data, allowing each opener to have independent filter configuration. It uses nodemask_t for efficient multi-node filtering and nodelist_parse() for flexible input parsing. Node validity is verified using nodes_subset() to reject nodes without memory.
---
Changes in v7:
- per-file-descriptor implementation
Changes in v6:
- Add node validity check using nodes_subset
to reject invalid node numbers that don't exist in the system
- Move bool filter_by_nid declaration to top of block
- Use kmalloc_objs instead of kmalloc
- Remove 100 bytes overhead
Changes in v5:
- Optimize nodes_empty() check in page iteration loop
- Add __data_racy qualifier to nid_mask field
Changes in v4:
- Remove "-1" support, use empty string to clear filter
- Use strncpy_from_user() instead of copy_from_user()
- Add concurrency safety documentation for nid_mask access
- Rename fops to page_owner_nid_filter_fops for consistency
Changes in v3:
- Remove READ_ONCE/WRITE_ONCE for nodemask_t (fixes compilation errors)
* nodemask_t is a large structure (128 bytes) that triggers compile-time asserts
* Direct assignment is safe for this use case
- Add comment explaining input length calculation formula
* 6 bytes = ",NNNNN" (comma + 5-digit node number)
- Simplify "-1" check using kstrtoint() instead of dual strcmp()
- Move nodemask_t mask read outside PFN iteration loop for performance
* Avoids 128-byte structure copy on each iteration
Changes in v2:
- Use nodemask_t instead of int to support multiple nodes
- Implement nodelist_parse() to support flexible input formats
* Single node: "0", "2"
* Multiple nodes: "0,2,3"
* Ranges: "0-3"
* Mixed: "0,2-4,7"
- Use %*pbl format for output (e.g., "0-2", "0,2-4,7")
- Use dynamic memory allocation (kmalloc) to handle variable-length input
- Follow cpuset's max_write_len pattern: (100 + 6 * MAX_NUMNODES)
v6: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v5: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v4: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v3: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v2: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v1: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
--- mm/page_owner.c | 43 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--- 1 file changed, 40 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
mm/page_owner.c +40 -3
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ static const char * const page_owner_print_mode_strings[] = {struct page_owner_filter_state {enum page_owner_print_mode print_mode; +nodemask_t nid_filter; +bool nid_filter_enabled; };static bool page_owner_enabled__initdata ;
@@ -764,6 +766,13 @@ read_page_owner(struct file *file, char __user *buf, size_t count, loff_t *ppos)if (!handle) goto ext_put_continue; +if (state->nid_filter_enabled) { +int page_nid =page_to_nid (page); + +if (!node_isset (page_nid, state->nid_filter)) + goto ext_put_continue; + } +/* Record the next PFN to read in the file offset */ *ppos = pfn +1 ;
@@ -880,6 +889,8 @@ static int page_owner_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)return -ENOMEM ; state->print_mode =PAGE_OWNER_PRINT_STACK ; +nodes_clear (state->nid_filter); + state->nid_filter_enabled = false; file->private_data = state;return 0 ; }
@@ -899,12 +910,18 @@ static ssize_t page_owner_write(struct file *file,int ret;size_t max_input_len;struct page_owner_filter_state *state = file->private_data; +enum page_owner_print_mode new_print_mode = state->print_mode; +nodemask_t new_nid_filter = state->nid_filter; +bool new_nid_filter_enabled = state->nid_filter_enabled;/* * Maximum input length for filter commands: -* 32: print_mode command max length is 17 ("mode=stack_handle"). +* - 32: print_mode command max length is 17 ("mode=stack_handle") +* with sufficient buffer +* - 6 * MAX_NUMNODES: worst case for nid list +* Worst case per node: ",NNNNN" (comma + 5-digit node number) = 6 bytes */ - max_input_len =32 ; + max_input_len =32 +6 *MAX_NUMNODES ;if (count > max_input_len)return -EINVAL ;
@@ -927,13 +944,33 @@ static ssize_t page_owner_write(struct file *file, token + 5);if (ret <0 ) goto out_free; - state->print_mode = ret; + new_print_mode = ret; + }else if (!strncmp (token,"nid=" ,4 )) { + ret =nodelist_parse (token +4 , new_nid_filter); +if (ret <0 ) + goto out_free; + +/* +* We want to filter memory allocations by numa nodes, so make sure +* that the specified nodes have memory. +*/ +if (!nodes_subset (new_nid_filter, node_states[N_MEMORY ])) { + ret = -EINVAL ; + goto out_free; + } + + new_nid_filter_enabled = true; }else { ret = -EINVAL ; goto out_free; } } +/* Update state atomically */ + state->print_mode = new_print_mode; + state->nid_filter = new_nid_filter; + state->nid_filter_enabled = new_nid_filter_enabled; + ret = count; out_free:
Signature · 1 line
2.20.1
PATCH v7 3/4 tools/mm: add page_owner_filter userspace tool
In reply to Zhen NiAdd a userspace filtering tool for page_owner that supports per-fd filtering with print_mode and NUMA node filters.
Features:
- Three print modes: stack (default), handle, stack_handle
- NUMA node filtering with flexible formats (single: 0, multiple: 0,1,2,
range: 0-3, mixed: 0,2-3)
- Per-file-descriptor filter state for independent filtering
Usage examples:
# Filter by print mode
./page_owner_filter -m handle
./page_owner_filter -m stack_handle
# Filter by NUMA node
./page_owner_filter -n 0
./page_owner_filter -n 0-3
# Combined filters
./page_owner_filter -m stack -n 0,1,2
./page_owner_filter -m handle -n 0,2-3
The tool validates inputs before sending commands to the kernel and provides clear error messages when the kernel does not support per-fd filtering.
---
Changes in v7:
- New patch for userspace tool
--- tools/mm/Makefile | 4 +- tools/mm/page_owner_filter.c | 277 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 279 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) create mode 100644 tools/mm/page_owner_filter.c
tools/mm/Makefile +2 -2
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ # include ../scripts/Makefile.include -BUILD_TARGETS=page-types slabinfo page_owner_sort thp_swap_allocator_test +BUILD_TARGETS=page-types slabinfo page_owner_sort page_owner_filter thp_swap_allocator_test INSTALL_TARGETS = $(BUILD_TARGETS) thpmaps LIB_DIR = ../lib/api
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ $(LIBS): $(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o $@ $< $(LDFLAGS) clean: - $(RM) page-types slabinfo page_owner_sort thp_swap_allocator_test + $(RM) page-types slabinfo page_owner_sort page_owner_filter thp_swap_allocator_test make -C $(LIB_DIR) clean sbindir ?= /usr/sbin
tools/mm/page_owner_filter.c new file +277 -0
277 lines not on this page · raw message
Signature · 1 line
2.20.1
PATCH v7 4/4 mm/page_owner: document page_owner filter
In reply to Zhen NiAdd documentation for the page_owner_filter userspace tool and kernel-level filtering features.
---
Changes in v7:
- document for per-file-descriptor implementation
Changes in v6:
- No code changes
Changes in v5:
- No code changes
Changes in v4:
- Update print_mode documentation to reflect string-based interface
* Change from "0/1" to "full_stack"/"stack_handle"
* Add bracket notation example: "[full_stack] stack_handle"
- Update NUMA filter documentation
* Remove "-1" example
* Add empty string as clear method
- Fix indentation: use tabs instead of spaces in code examples
Changes in v3:
- New patch to document filter features as requested by Andrew Morton
v6: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v5: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v4: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
v3: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/[email protected]/
--- Documentation/mm/page_owner.rst | 77 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 75 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
Documentation/mm/page_owner.rst +75 -2
@@ -65,7 +65,14 @@ un-tracking state. Usage ===== -1) Build user-space helper:: +1) Build user-space helpers:: + +To filter page_owner output:: + + cd tools/mm + make page_owner_filter + +To sort and analyze page_owner output:: cd tools/mm make page_owner_sort
@@ -74,7 +81,11 @@ Usage 3) Do the job that you want to debug. -4) Analyze information from page owner:: +4) (Optional) Filter page_owner output:: + + ./page_owner_filter -m handle -n 0,1,2 > filtered_page_owner.txt + +5) Analyze information from page owner:: cat /sys/kernel/debug/page_owner_stacks/show_stacks > stacks.txt cat stacks.txt
@@ -263,3 +274,65 @@ STANDARD FORMAT SPECIFIERS f free whether the page has been released or not st stacktrace stack trace of the page allocation ator allocator memory allocator for pages + +Filtering page_owner output +============================ + +page_owner supports filtering output at the kernel level before reading, +which reduces the amount of data that needs to be processed in userspace. + +The page_owner_filter tool provides a convenient interface for this filtering +capability. It supports two types of filters: + +1. **print_mode filter**: Control what information is printed for each page + - ``stack``: Print full stack traces (default, compatible with existing usage) + - ``handle``: Print only stack handle numbers (much faster, smaller output) + - ``stack_handle``: Print both stack traces and handle numbers + + The ``handle`` mode uses numeric identifiers instead of full stack traces. + The mapping from handles to actual stack traces can be obtained via the + show_stacks_handles interface. + +2. **NUMA node filter**: Filter pages by NUMA node ID + - Supports single node: ``-n 0`` + - Multiple nodes: ``-n 0,1,2`` + - Ranges: ``-n 0-3`` + - Mixed format: ``-n 0,2-3,5`` + +Usage examples:: + + # Filter by print mode + ./page_owner_filter -m handle + ./page_owner_filter -m stack_handle + + # Filter by NUMA node + ./page_owner_filter -n 0 + ./page_owner_filter -n 0-3 + + # Combined filters + ./page_owner_filter -m stack -n 0,1,2 + ./page_owner_filter -m handle -n 0,2-3 + + # Save to file + ./page_owner_filter -m handle -o filtered_output.txt + +The handle mode is particularly useful for monitoring and performance-critical +scenarios as it dramatically reduces output size. Testing shows handle mode can +reduce output size by ~66% (84MB vs 244MB) and improve read performance by ~4.4x +compared to full stack output. + +The NUMA node filter is useful for NUMA-aware memory allocation analysis and debugging. + +Behind the scenes, page_owner_filter opens /sys/kernel/debug/page_owner and +writes filter commands before reading the filtered output. The filtering uses +per-file-descriptor state, allowing each open() to have independent filter settings. + +Each file descriptor maintains its own filter state, so you can have multiple +independent filtering operations running concurrently. For example, in different +terminals you can run different filters simultaneously:: + + # Terminal 1: Filter node 0 + ./page_owner_filter -n 0 > node0_output.txt + + # Terminal 2: Filter node 1 (runs concurrently) + ./page_owner_filter -n 1 > node1_output.txt
Signature · 1 line
2.20.1
Quoted 10 lines · Zhen Ni
This patch series introduces per-file-descriptor filtering capabilities to the
page_ownerfeature.Problem Statement
=================In production environments with large memory configurations (e.g., 250GB+), collecting
page_ownerinformation often results in files ranging from several gigabytes to over 10GB. This creates significant challenges:
Just out of curiosity...
What are you trying to do with this data on production servers, and why the existing
per-NUMA statistics don't work for you?
Quoted 14 lines
1. Storage pressure on production systems
2. Difficulty transferring large files from production environments
3. Post-processing overhead withtools/mm/page_owner_sort.cThe primary contributor to file size is redundant stack trace information. While the kernel already deduplicates stacks via stackdepot,
page_ownerretrieves and stores full stack traces for each page, only to deduplicate them again during post-processing.Additionally, in NUMA-aware environments (e.g., DPDK-based cloud deployments where QEMU processes are bound to specific NUMA nodes), OOM events are often node-specific rather than system-wide. Previously,
page_ownercould not filter by NUMA node, forcing users to collect and analyze data for all nodes.
Signature · 2 lines
Cheers, Harry / Hyeonggon
Quoted 14 lines · Harry Yoo
Quoted 10 lines · Zhen Ni
This patch series introduces per-file-descriptor filtering capabilities to the
page_ownerfeature.Problem Statement
=================In production environments with large memory configurations (e.g., 250GB+), collecting
page_ownerinformation often results in files ranging from several gigabytes to over 10GB. This creates significant challenges:
Quoted 5 lines
Just out of curiosity...
What are you trying to do with this data on production servers,and why the existing
per-NUMA statistics don't work for you?
If what you want to do is dump which code locations allocated how much memory for each NUMA node on the event of OOM, you probably want to improve memory allocation profiling instead of improving page_owner functionality.
IIRC there was discussion [1] on supporting memcg and numa awareness and querying using ioctl().
[1] Memory Allocation Profiling upcoming features, LPC 2025,
https://lpc.events/event/19/contributions/2146
Signature · 2 lines
Cheers, Harry / Hyeonggon
Quoted 23 lines · Harry Yoo
Quoted 14 lines · Harry Yoo
Quoted 10 lines · Zhen Ni
This patch series introduces per-file-descriptor filtering capabilities to the
page_ownerfeature.Problem Statement
=================In production environments with large memory configurations (e.g., 250GB+), collecting
page_ownerinformation often results in files ranging from several gigabytes to over 10GB. This creates significant challenges:Quoted 5 lines
Just out of curiosity...
What are you trying to do with this data on production servers,and why the existing
per-NUMA statistics don't work for you?
Quoted 8 lines
If what you want to do is dump which code locations allocated how much memory for each NUMA node on the event of OOM, you probably want to improve memory allocation profiling instead of improving
page_ownerfunctionality.IIRC there was discussion [1] on supporting memcg and numa awareness and querying using
ioctl().[1] Memory Allocation Profiling upcoming features, LPC 2025,
https://lpc.events/event/19/contributions/2146
I want to identify which call paths allocated the memory on nearly-exhausted NUMA nodes. Existing per-NUMA statistics (such as numastat -m) cannot tell me this. For example:
# numastat -m ... MemTotal 256923.12 MemFree 214873.33 MemUsed 42049.80 Active 9573.74 Inactive 20694.62 Active(anon) 876.71 Inactive(anon) 1161.75 Active(file) 8697.03 ...
This is particularly problematic because I found that a significant portion of NIC pre-allocated ring buffers are not included in any numastat -m sub-item. This makes kernel-directly-allocated memory difficult to detect using conventional means.
The most outstanding advantage of page_owner, for me, is its ability to traverse PFNs and print information for all pages along with their allocation call stacks. This allows any memory that is difficult to detect through conventional means to be captured by page_owner.
However, the large volume of data and repeated stack printing make the output very large and difficult to analyze. This is my original motivation for introducing the filter.
Memory Allocation Profiling is designed for low-overhead code tagging in production environments, and its information is relatively aggregated. I believe that even if it implements NUMA-specific filtering, it is unlikely to include stackdepot-level information, which is relatively heavyweight.
Best regards,
Zhen Ni
Andrew Morton
maintainerQuoted 2 lines · On Fri, 15 May 2026 17:19:38 +0800 Zhen Ni <[email protected]> wrote:
This patch series introduces per-file-descriptor filtering capabilities to the
page_ownerfeature.
Thanks. AI review asked a lot of questions:
https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/[email protected]
I scanned the list quickly - there do appear to be some things which should be attended to.