[PATCH 2/2] selftests: timers: measure the CPU timers on the clock they count
From: Eva Kurchatova
Date: Wed Sep 16 2026 - 21:53:13 EST
Commit b00385b8d081 ("selftests/posix_timers: Use CLOCK_THREAD_CPUTIME_ID
for ITIMER_PROF measurements") gave ITIMER_PROF the clock it counts, as
measuring a CPU timer against the wall says nothing on a machine where
the task does not have a CPU to itself. The other CPU timers are still
measured against CLOCK_REALTIME and fail the same way. With four busy
loops on the two CPUs of a test machine:
not ok 2 ITIMER_VIRTUAL
not ok 5 timer_create() per CLOCK_THREAD_CPUTIME_ID
not ok 6 timer_create() per CLOCK_PROCESS_CPUTIME_ID
ITIMER_VIRTUAL counts the time the task spends in userspace, so take
CLOCK_THREAD_CPUTIME_ID for it as well; the loop it runs stays in
userspace, so what that clock adds for system time is far inside the
half a second the check allows. check_timer_create() arms its timer on
the clock it is given, so measure on that one.
The test then passes whole on that machine, 19 of 19, busy or idle.
Signed-off-by: Eva Kurchatova <eva.kurchatova@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
tools/testing/selftests/timers/posix_timers.c | 7 ++++---
1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/timers/posix_timers.c b/tools/testing/selftests/timers/posix_timers.c
index a92d4b957747..52b7289e1450 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/timers/posix_timers.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/timers/posix_timers.c
@@ -113,9 +113,10 @@ static void check_itimer(int which, const char *name)
done = 0;
- if (which == ITIMER_VIRTUAL)
+ if (which == ITIMER_VIRTUAL) {
+ clock_id = CLOCK_THREAD_CPUTIME_ID;
signal(SIGVTALRM, sig_handler);
- else if (which == ITIMER_PROF) {
+ } else if (which == ITIMER_PROF) {
clock_id = CLOCK_THREAD_CPUTIME_ID;
signal(SIGPROF, sig_handler);
}
@@ -148,7 +149,7 @@ static void check_timer_create(int which)
struct itimerspec val = {
.it_value.tv_sec = DELAY,
};
- int clock_id = CLOCK_REALTIME;
+ int clock_id = which;
timer_t id;
done = 0;
--
2.55.0