[PATCH v3 2/7] mm: allow shared folios to be promoted to a fast tier

From: Gregory Price

Date: Tue Sep 22 2026 - 14:34:23 EST


From: "Gregory Price (Meta)" <gourry@xxxxxxxxxx>

NUMA balancing rejects shared copy-on-write folios and executable
file folios mapped by multiple processes to avoid east-west
migration bouncing. These checks break promotion from slow memory.

Allow such folios to participate when the folio being migrated is
a low-tier folio and the destination is top-tier (south->north).
This allows promotion, but prevents east-west or north->south
migrations (north->south is handled by reclaim demotion).

Keep the existing restrictions for ordinary placement and for
migrations that are not slow-to-top-tier promotions.

Rename folio_use_access_time() to folio_in_lowtier() so the source-tier
condition is more obvious (timing is the mechanism, not the condition).
The helper retains its existing behavior.

Fixes: c574bbe91703 ("NUMA balancing: optimize page placement for memory tiering system")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Suggested-by: Zi Yan <ziy@xxxxxxxxxx>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/DLHS4KFPQ86I.1J4LN3352RI71@xxxxxxxxxx
Assisted-by: LLM
Signed-off-by: Gregory Price (Meta) <gourry@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
include/linux/mm.h | 5 +++--
kernel/sched/fair.c | 2 +-
mm/memory-tiers.c | 9 ++++++---
mm/memory.c | 2 +-
mm/mempolicy.c | 12 +++++++++---
mm/migrate.c | 14 ++++++++++----
6 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/mm.h b/include/linux/mm.h
index beab621e6f88d..225ba26c9d503 100644
--- a/include/linux/mm.h
+++ b/include/linux/mm.h
@@ -2671,7 +2671,7 @@ static inline void vma_set_access_pid_bit(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
}
}

-bool folio_use_access_time(struct folio *folio);
+bool folio_in_lowtier(struct folio *folio);
#else /* !CONFIG_NUMA_BALANCING */
static inline int folio_xchg_last_cpupid(struct folio *folio, int cpupid)
{
@@ -2725,7 +2725,8 @@ static inline bool cpupid_match_pid(struct task_struct *task, int cpupid)
static inline void vma_set_access_pid_bit(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
{
}
-static inline bool folio_use_access_time(struct folio *folio)
+
+static inline bool folio_in_lowtier(struct folio *folio)
{
return false;
}
diff --git a/kernel/sched/fair.c b/kernel/sched/fair.c
index 9f544e3df9490..dc78d24ed8bc0 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/fair.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/fair.c
@@ -2734,7 +2734,7 @@ bool should_numa_migrate_memory(struct task_struct *p, struct folio *folio,
* The pages in slow memory node should be migrated according
* to hot/cold instead of private/shared.
*/
- if (folio_use_access_time(folio)) {
+ if (folio_in_lowtier(folio)) {
struct pglist_data *pgdat;
unsigned long rate_limit;
unsigned int latency, th, def_th;
diff --git a/mm/memory-tiers.c b/mm/memory-tiers.c
index 25e121851b586..082ca74d51ae9 100644
--- a/mm/memory-tiers.c
+++ b/mm/memory-tiers.c
@@ -53,16 +53,19 @@ static const struct bus_type memory_tier_subsys = {

#ifdef CONFIG_NUMA_BALANCING
/**
- * folio_use_access_time - check if a folio reuses cpupid for page access time
+ * folio_in_lowtier - check if a folio is in a tiering-managed lower tier
* @folio: folio to check
*
* folio's _last_cpupid field is repurposed by memory tiering. In memory
* tiering mode, cpupid of slow memory folio (not toptier memory) is used to
* record page access time.
*
- * Return: the folio _last_cpupid is used to record page access time
+ * If memory tiering is disabled, then lowtier has no appreciable meaning,
+ * so we return false (the folio should not be migrated on this distinction).
+ *
+ * Return: true if memory tiering can promote the folio.
*/
-bool folio_use_access_time(struct folio *folio)
+bool folio_in_lowtier(struct folio *folio)
{
return (sysctl_numa_balancing_mode & NUMA_BALANCING_MEMORY_TIERING) &&
!node_is_toptier(folio_nid(folio));
diff --git a/mm/memory.c b/mm/memory.c
index 79fa57a381ce0..f05c469e32a2a 100644
--- a/mm/memory.c
+++ b/mm/memory.c
@@ -6240,7 +6240,7 @@ int numa_migrate_check(struct folio *folio, struct vm_fault *vmf,
* For memory tiering mode, cpupid of slow memory page is used
* to record page access time. So use default value.
*/
- if (folio_use_access_time(folio))
+ if (folio_in_lowtier(folio))
*last_cpupid = (-1 & LAST_CPUPID_MASK);
else
*last_cpupid = folio_last_cpupid(folio);
diff --git a/mm/mempolicy.c b/mm/mempolicy.c
index 1427e1b6213b6..3c3ee28f0142f 100644
--- a/mm/mempolicy.c
+++ b/mm/mempolicy.c
@@ -864,8 +864,13 @@ bool folio_can_map_prot_numa(struct folio *folio, struct vm_area_struct *vma,
if (!folio || folio_is_zone_device(folio) || folio_test_ksm(folio))
return false;

- /* Also skip shared copy-on-write folios */
- if (vma_is_cow_mapping(vma) && folio_maybe_mapped_shared(folio))
+ /*
+ * Shared copy-on-write folios are poor east-west placement candidates.
+ * When tiering is enabled, folio_in_lowtier() identifies a promotable
+ * folio on a low tier, which needs a hint fault for promotion.
+ */
+ if (vma_is_cow_mapping(vma) && folio_maybe_mapped_shared(folio) &&
+ !folio_in_lowtier(folio))
return false;

/* Folios are pinned and can't be migrated */
@@ -891,7 +896,8 @@ bool folio_can_map_prot_numa(struct folio *folio, struct vm_area_struct *vma,
*/
if (vma_is_single_threaded_private(vma) && nid == numa_node_id())
return false;
- if (folio_use_access_time(folio))
+
+ if (folio_in_lowtier(folio))
folio_xchg_access_time(folio, jiffies_to_msecs(jiffies));

return true;
diff --git a/mm/migrate.c b/mm/migrate.c
index 7bdcdb57652f8..6a08690cfe219 100644
--- a/mm/migrate.c
+++ b/mm/migrate.c
@@ -2694,14 +2694,20 @@ int migrate_misplaced_folio_prepare(struct folio *folio,

if (folio_is_file_lru(folio)) {
/*
- * Do not migrate file folios that are mapped in multiple
- * processes with execute permissions as they are probably
- * shared libraries.
+ * Limit east-east migration of file folios mapped in
+ * multiple processes with execute permissions as they
+ * are probably shared libraries (limits bouncing).
+ *
+ * If this is a low-tier folio, only migrate if the target
+ * node is toptier (this allows south->north migration while
+ * disallowing east-west migration between slow tiers).
*
* See folio_maybe_mapped_shared() on possible imprecision
* when we cannot easily detect if a folio is shared.
*/
- if ((vma->vm_flags & VM_EXEC) && folio_maybe_mapped_shared(folio))
+ if ((vma->vm_flags & VM_EXEC) &&
+ folio_maybe_mapped_shared(folio) &&
+ (!folio_in_lowtier(folio) || !node_is_toptier(node)))
return -EACCES;

/*
--
2.53.0-Meta