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authorTim Chen <tim.c.chen@linux.intel.com>2026-09-21 17:37:22 -0700
committerIngo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>2026-09-22 10:49:53 +0200
commit0d6526f82c3cdefcca47f73f5fc08dc6f335eac6 (patch)
tree176dc2d685debcfb082c151ee94f2425ac96b364 /Documentation/process/debugging/gdb-kernel-debugging.rst
downloadlinux-stable-0d6526f82c3cdefcca47f73f5fc08dc6f335eac6.tar.gz
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sched/cache: Keep nr_pref_llc_running in the runnable domain, to fix LLC mis-scheduling buggrafted
alb_break_llc() decides whether to break LLC preference during active load balance. It does so by testing that every runnable fair task on the source rq prefers its LLC: env->src_rq->nr_pref_llc_running == env->src_rq->cfs.h_nr_runnable But the two counters cover different sets. nr_pref_llc_running is updated in account_llc_enqueue()/account_llc_dequeue(), next to cfs_rq->nr_queued, so it follows queued tasks. h_nr_runnable is updated in set_delayed()/ clear_delayed() and drops delay-dequeued tasks. So under DELAY_DEQUEUE, a preferring task that goes to sleep stays counted in nr_pref_llc_running while h_nr_runnable falls. The equality then breaks, alb_break_llc() returns false, and active balance is free to pull a task off its preferred LLC. Active balance only moves runnable tasks, and this is the only LLC check it consults: once the stopper runs, LBF_ACTIVE_LB skips the per-task test in can_migrate_task(). The runnable set is the one we want. Fix it on the counter side. A task should be counted in nr_pref_llc_running exactly while it is both queued on its preferred LLC (pref_llc_queued) and runnable (!sched_delayed). Define that membership once in task_pref_llc_runnable(), and adjust the counter only through pref_llc_running_inc()/pref_llc_running_dec() from the four sites that change either input: account_llc_enqueue(), account_llc_dequeue(), set_delayed() and clear_delayed(). Gating every update on the same predicate keeps the delay, wake and dequeue paths from double-counting or underflowing; see the comments at those sites for the ordering. nr_llc_running and sd->llc_counts are not touched and stay on queued semantics. Fixes: 714059f79ff0 ("sched/cache: Handle moving single tasks to/from their preferred LLC") Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20260827135000.735138-1-zhanxusheng@xiaomi.com/ Reported-by: Zhan Xusheng <zhanxusheng@xiaomi.com> Suggested-by: Chen Yu <yu.c.chen@intel.com> Signed-off-by: Tim Chen <tim.c.chen@linux.intel.com> Signed-off-by: Peter Zijlstra (Intel) <peterz@infradead.org> Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org> Reviewed-by: Kayra Cizmeci <kayracizmeci@gmail.com> Cc: <stable@kernel.org> # v7.2.x Link: https://patch.msgid.link/06af61afedac32e6477f57feb4d658f6c411c3af.1790035273.git.tim.c.chen@linux.intel.com
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+.. highlight:: none
+
+Debugging kernel and modules via gdb
+====================================
+
+The kernel debugger kgdb, hypervisors like QEMU or JTAG-based hardware
+interfaces allow to debug the Linux kernel and its modules during runtime
+using gdb. Gdb comes with a powerful scripting interface for python. The
+kernel provides a collection of helper scripts that can simplify typical
+kernel debugging steps. This is a short tutorial about how to enable and use
+them. It focuses on QEMU/KVM virtual machines as target, but the examples can
+be transferred to the other gdb stubs as well.
+
+
+Requirements
+------------
+
+- gdb 7.2+ (recommended: 7.4+) with python support enabled (typically true
+ for distributions)
+
+
+Setup
+-----
+
+- Create a virtual Linux machine for QEMU/KVM (see www.linux-kvm.org and
+ www.qemu.org for more details). For cross-development,
+ https://landley.net/aboriginal/bin keeps a pool of machine images and
+ toolchains that can be helpful to start from.
+
+- Build the kernel with CONFIG_GDB_SCRIPTS enabled, but leave
+ CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO_REDUCED off. If your architecture supports
+ CONFIG_FRAME_POINTER, keep it enabled.
+
+- Install that kernel on the guest, turn off KASLR if necessary by adding
+ "nokaslr" to the kernel command line.
+ Alternatively, QEMU allows to boot the kernel directly using -kernel,
+ -append, -initrd command line switches. This is generally only useful if
+ you do not depend on modules. See QEMU documentation for more details on
+ this mode. In this case, you should build the kernel with
+ CONFIG_RANDOMIZE_BASE disabled if the architecture supports KASLR.
+
+- Build the gdb scripts (required on kernels v5.1 and above)::
+
+ make scripts_gdb
+
+- Enable the gdb stub of QEMU/KVM, either
+
+ - at VM startup time by appending "-s" to the QEMU command line
+
+ or
+
+ - during runtime by issuing "gdbserver" from the QEMU monitor
+ console
+
+- cd /path/to/linux-build
+
+- Start gdb: gdb vmlinux
+
+ Note: Some distros may restrict auto-loading of gdb scripts to known safe
+ directories. In case gdb reports to refuse loading vmlinux-gdb.py, add::
+
+ add-auto-load-safe-path /path/to/linux-build
+
+ to ~/.gdbinit. See gdb help for more details.
+
+- Attach to the booted guest::
+
+ (gdb) target remote :1234
+
+
+Examples of using the Linux-provided gdb helpers
+------------------------------------------------
+
+- Load module (and main kernel) symbols::
+
+ (gdb) lx-symbols
+ loading vmlinux
+ scanning for modules in /home/user/linux/build
+ loading @0xffffffffa0020000: /home/user/linux/build/net/netfilter/xt_tcpudp.ko
+ loading @0xffffffffa0016000: /home/user/linux/build/net/netfilter/xt_pkttype.ko
+ loading @0xffffffffa0002000: /home/user/linux/build/net/netfilter/xt_limit.ko
+ loading @0xffffffffa00ca000: /home/user/linux/build/net/packet/af_packet.ko
+ loading @0xffffffffa003c000: /home/user/linux/build/fs/fuse/fuse.ko
+ ...
+ loading @0xffffffffa0000000: /home/user/linux/build/drivers/ata/ata_generic.ko
+
+- Set a breakpoint on some not yet loaded module function, e.g.::
+
+ (gdb) b btrfs_init_sysfs
+ Function "btrfs_init_sysfs" not defined.
+ Make breakpoint pending on future shared library load? (y or [n]) y
+ Breakpoint 1 (btrfs_init_sysfs) pending.
+
+- Continue the target::
+
+ (gdb) c
+
+- Load the module on the target and watch the symbols being loaded as well as
+ the breakpoint hit::
+
+ loading @0xffffffffa0034000: /home/user/linux/build/lib/libcrc32c.ko
+ loading @0xffffffffa0050000: /home/user/linux/build/lib/lzo/lzo_compress.ko
+ loading @0xffffffffa006e000: /home/user/linux/build/lib/zlib_deflate/zlib_deflate.ko
+ loading @0xffffffffa01b1000: /home/user/linux/build/fs/btrfs/btrfs.ko
+
+ Breakpoint 1, btrfs_init_sysfs () at /home/user/linux/fs/btrfs/sysfs.c:36
+ 36 btrfs_kset = kset_create_and_add("btrfs", NULL, fs_kobj);
+
+- Dump the log buffer of the target kernel::
+
+ (gdb) lx-dmesg
+ [ 0.000000] Initializing cgroup subsys cpuset
+ [ 0.000000] Initializing cgroup subsys cpu
+ [ 0.000000] Linux version 3.8.0-rc4-dbg+ (...
+ [ 0.000000] Command line: root=/dev/sda2 resume=/dev/sda1 vga=0x314
+ [ 0.000000] e820: BIOS-provided physical RAM map:
+ [ 0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x0000000000000000-0x000000000009fbff] usable
+ [ 0.000000] BIOS-e820: [mem 0x000000000009fc00-0x000000000009ffff] reserved
+ ....
+
+- Examine fields of the current task struct(supported by x86 and arm64 only)::
+
+ (gdb) p $lx_current().pid
+ $1 = 4998
+ (gdb) p $lx_current().comm
+ $2 = "modprobe\000\000\000\000\000\000\000"
+
+- Make use of the per-cpu function for the current or a specified CPU::
+
+ (gdb) p $lx_per_cpu(runqueues).nr_running
+ $3 = 1
+ (gdb) p $lx_per_cpu(runqueues, 2).nr_running
+ $4 = 0
+
+- Dig into hrtimers using the container_of helper::
+
+ (gdb) set $leftmost = $lx_per_cpu(hrtimer_bases).clock_base[0].active.rb_root.rb_leftmost
+ (gdb) p *$container_of($leftmost, "struct hrtimer", "node")
+ $5 = {
+ node = {
+ node = {
+ __rb_parent_color = 18446612686384860673,
+ rb_right = 0xffff888231da8b00,
+ rb_left = 0x0
+ },
+ expires = 1228461000000
+ },
+ _softexpires = 1228461000000,
+ function = 0xffffffff8137ab20 <tick_nohz_handler>,
+ base = 0xffff888231d9b4c0,
+ state = 1 '\001',
+ is_rel = 0 '\000',
+ is_soft = 0 '\000',
+ is_hard = 1 '\001'
+ }
+
+
+List of commands and functions
+------------------------------
+
+The number of commands and convenience functions may evolve over the time,
+this is just a snapshot of the initial version::
+
+ (gdb) apropos lx
+ function lx_current -- Return current task
+ function lx_module -- Find module by name and return the module variable
+ function lx_per_cpu -- Return per-cpu variable
+ function lx_task_by_pid -- Find Linux task by PID and return the task_struct variable
+ function lx_thread_info -- Calculate Linux thread_info from task variable
+ lx-dmesg -- Print Linux kernel log buffer
+ lx-lsmod -- List currently loaded modules
+ lx-symbols -- (Re-)load symbols of Linux kernel and currently loaded modules
+
+Detailed help can be obtained via "help <command-name>" for commands and "help
+function <function-name>" for convenience functions.
+
+Debugging GDB scripts
+---------------------
+
+GDB does not enable a full Python backtrace which can make debugging GDB
+scripts more difficult than necessary. The following will allow for printing a
+full backtrace of the python environment::
+
+ (gdb) set python print-stack full