Re: [PATCH v1 05/10] mm/huge_memory: remove READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS from file_thp_enabled()

Lorenzo Stoakes (Oracle)
2026-03-27T16:08:26Z

On Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 11:43:57AM -0400, Zi Yan wrote:
> On 27 Mar 2026, at 11:29, Lorenzo Stoakes (Oracle) wrote:
>
> > On Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 11:12:46AM -0400, Zi Yan wrote:
> >> On 27 Mar 2026, at 8:42, Lorenzo Stoakes (Oracle) wrote:
> >>
> >>> On Thu, Mar 26, 2026 at 09:42:50PM -0400, Zi Yan wrote:
> >>>> Replace it with a check on the max folio order of the file's address space
> >>>> mapping, making sure PMD_ORDER is supported.
> >>>>
> >>>> Signed-off-by: Zi Yan <ziy@nvidia.com>
> >>>> ---
> >>>> mm/huge_memory.c | 6 +++---
> >>>> 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
> >>>>
> >>>> diff --git a/mm/huge_memory.c b/mm/huge_memory.c
> >>>> index c7873dbdc470..1da1467328a3 100644
> >>>> --- a/mm/huge_memory.c
> >>>> +++ b/mm/huge_memory.c
> >>>> @@ -89,9 +89,6 @@ static inline bool file_thp_enabled(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
> >>>> {
> >>>> struct inode *inode;
> >>>>
> >>>> - if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS))
> >>>> - return false;
> >>>> -
> >>>> if (!vma->vm_file)
> >>>> return false;
> >>>>
> >>>> @@ -100,6 +97,9 @@ static inline bool file_thp_enabled(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
> >>>> if (IS_ANON_FILE(inode))
> >>>> return false;
> >>>>
> >>>> + if (mapping_max_folio_order(inode->i_mapping) < PMD_ORDER)
> >>>> + return false;
> >>>> +
> >>>
> >>> At this point I think this should be a separate function quite honestly and
> >>> share it with 2/10's use, and then you can put the comment in here re: anon
> >>> shmem etc.
> >>>
> >>> Though that won't apply here of course as shmem_allowable_huge_orders() would
> >>> have been invoked :)
> >>>
> >>> But no harm in refactoring it anyway, and the repetitive < PMD_ORDER stuff is
> >>> unfortunate.
> >>>
> >>> Buuut having said that is this right actually?
> >>>
> >>> Because we have:
> >>>
> >>> if (((in_pf || smaps)) && vma->vm_ops->huge_fault)
> >>> return orders;
> >>>
> >>> Above it, and now you're enabling huge folio file systems to do non-page fault
> >>> THP and that's err... isn't that quite a big change?
> >>
> >> That is what READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS does, creating THPs after page faults, right?
> >> This patchset changes the condition from all FSes to FSes with large folio
> >> support.
> >
> > No, READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS operates differently.
> >
> > It explicitly _only_ is allowed for MADV_COLLAPSE and only if the file is
> > mounted read-only.
> >
> > So due to:
> >
> > if (((in_pf || smaps)) && vma->vm_ops->huge_fault)
> > return orders;
> >
> > if (((!in_pf || smaps)) && file_thp_enabled(vma))
> > return orders;
> >
> > | PF | MADV_COLLAPSE | khugepaged |
> > |-----------|---------------|------------|
> > large folio fs | ✓ | x | x |
> > READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS | x | ✓ | ✓ |
> >
> > After this change:
> >
> > | PF | MADV_COLLAPSE | khugepaged |
> > |-----------|---------------|------------|
> > large folio fs | ✓ | ✓ | ? |
> >
> > (I hope we're not enabling khugepaged for large folio fs - which shouldn't
> > be necessary anyway as we try to give them folios on page fault and they
> > use thp-friendly get_unused_area etc. :)
> >
> > We shouldn't be doing this.
> >
> > It should remain:
> >
> > | PF | MADV_COLLAPSE | khugepaged |
> > |-----------|---------------|------------|
> > large folio fs | ✓ | x | x |
> >
> > If we're going to remove it, we should first _just remove it_, not
> > simultaneously increase the scope of what all the MADV_COLLAPSE code is
> > doing without any confidence in any of it working properly.
> >
> > And it makes the whole series misleading - you're actually _enabling_ a
> > feature not (only) _removing_ one.
>
> That is what my RFC patch does, but David and willy told me to do this. :)
> IIUC, with READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS, FSes with large folio support will
> get THP via MADV_COLLAPSE or khugepaged. So removing the code like I
> did in RFC would cause regressions.

OK I think we're dealing with a union of the two states here.

READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS is separate from large folio support, as checked by
file_thp_enabled():

static inline bool file_thp_enabled(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
{
struct inode *inode;

if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS))
return false;

if (!vma->vm_file)
return false;

inode = file_inode(vma->vm_file);

if (IS_ANON_FILE(inode))
return false;

return !inode_is_open_for_write(inode) && S_ISREG(inode->i_mode);
}

So actually:

| PF | MADV_COLLAPSE | khugepaged |
|-----------|---------------|------------|
large folio fs | ✓ | x | x |
READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS | x | ✓ | ✓ |
both! | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |

(Where it's impllied it's a read-only mapping obviously for the later two
cases.)

Now without READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS you're going to:

| PF | MADV_COLLAPSE | khugepaged |
|-----------|---------------|------------|
large folio fs | ✓ | x | x |
large folio + r/o | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |

And intentionally leaving behind the 'not large folio fs, r/o' case because
those file systems need to implement large folio support.

I guess we'll regress those users but we don't care?

I do think all this needs to be spelled out in the commit message though as it's
subtle.

Turns out this PitA config option is going to kick and scream a bit first before
it goes...

>
> I guess I need to rename the series to avoid confusion. How about?
>
> Remove read-only THP support for FSes without large folio support.

Yup that'd be better :)

Cheers, Lorenzo

>
> [1] https://lore.kernel.org/all/7382046f-7c58-4a3e-ab34-b2704355b7d5@kernel.org/
>
> >
> > So let's focus as David suggested on one thing at a time, incrementally.
> >
> > And let's please try and sort some of this confusing mess out in the code
> > if at all possible...
> >
> >>
> >> Will add a helper, mapping_support_pmd_folio(), for
> >> mapping_max_folio_order(inode->i_mapping) < PMD_ORDER.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> So yeah probably no to this patch as is :) we should just drop
> >>> file_thp_enabled()?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>
> >>>> return !inode_is_open_for_write(inode) && S_ISREG(inode->i_mode);
> >>>> }
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> 2.43.0
> >>>>
> >>
> >>
> >> Best Regards,
> >> Yan, Zi
> >
> > Cheers, Lorenzo
>
>
> Best Regards,
> Yan, Zi