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diff --git a/Documentation/scheduler/sched-rt-group.txt b/Documentation/scheduler/sched-rt-group.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..71b54d549 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/scheduler/sched-rt-group.txt @@ -0,0 +1,183 @@ + Real-Time group scheduling + -------------------------- + +CONTENTS +======== + +0. WARNING +1. Overview + 1.1 The problem + 1.2 The solution +2. The interface + 2.1 System-wide settings + 2.2 Default behaviour + 2.3 Basis for grouping tasks +3. Future plans + + +0. WARNING +========== + + Fiddling with these settings can result in an unstable system, the knobs are + root only and assumes root knows what he is doing. + +Most notable: + + * very small values in sched_rt_period_us can result in an unstable + system when the period is smaller than either the available hrtimer + resolution, or the time it takes to handle the budget refresh itself. + + * very small values in sched_rt_runtime_us can result in an unstable + system when the runtime is so small the system has difficulty making + forward progress (NOTE: the migration thread and kstopmachine both + are real-time processes). + +1. Overview +=========== + + +1.1 The problem +--------------- + +Realtime scheduling is all about determinism, a group has to be able to rely on +the amount of bandwidth (eg. CPU time) being constant. In order to schedule +multiple groups of realtime tasks, each group must be assigned a fixed portion +of the CPU time available. Without a minimum guarantee a realtime group can +obviously fall short. A fuzzy upper limit is of no use since it cannot be +relied upon. Which leaves us with just the single fixed portion. + +1.2 The solution +---------------- + +CPU time is divided by means of specifying how much time can be spent running +in a given period. We allocate this "run time" for each realtime group which +the other realtime groups will not be permitted to use. + +Any time not allocated to a realtime group will be used to run normal priority +tasks (SCHED_OTHER). Any allocated run time not used will also be picked up by +SCHED_OTHER. + +Let's consider an example: a frame fixed realtime renderer must deliver 25 +frames a second, which yields a period of 0.04s per frame. Now say it will also +have to play some music and respond to input, leaving it with around 80% CPU +time dedicated for the graphics. We can then give this group a run time of 0.8 +* 0.04s = 0.032s. + +This way the graphics group will have a 0.04s period with a 0.032s run time +limit. Now if the audio thread needs to refill the DMA buffer every 0.005s, but +needs only about 3% CPU time to do so, it can do with a 0.03 * 0.005s = +0.00015s. So this group can be scheduled with a period of 0.005s and a run time +of 0.00015s. + +The remaining CPU time will be used for user input and other tasks. Because +realtime tasks have explicitly allocated the CPU time they need to perform +their tasks, buffer underruns in the graphics or audio can be eliminated. + +NOTE: the above example is not fully implemented yet. We still +lack an EDF scheduler to make non-uniform periods usable. + + +2. The Interface +================ + + +2.1 System wide settings +------------------------ + +The system wide settings are configured under the /proc virtual file system: + +/proc/sys/kernel/sched_rt_period_us: + The scheduling period that is equivalent to 100% CPU bandwidth + +/proc/sys/kernel/sched_rt_runtime_us: + A global limit on how much time realtime scheduling may use. Even without + CONFIG_RT_GROUP_SCHED enabled, this will limit time reserved to realtime + processes. With CONFIG_RT_GROUP_SCHED it signifies the total bandwidth + available to all realtime groups. + + * Time is specified in us because the interface is s32. This gives an + operating range from 1us to about 35 minutes. + * sched_rt_period_us takes values from 1 to INT_MAX. + * sched_rt_runtime_us takes values from -1 to (INT_MAX - 1). + * A run time of -1 specifies runtime == period, ie. no limit. + + +2.2 Default behaviour +--------------------- + +The default values for sched_rt_period_us (1000000 or 1s) and +sched_rt_runtime_us (950000 or 0.95s). This gives 0.05s to be used by +SCHED_OTHER (non-RT tasks). These defaults were chosen so that a run-away +realtime tasks will not lock up the machine but leave a little time to recover +it. By setting runtime to -1 you'd get the old behaviour back. + +By default all bandwidth is assigned to the root group and new groups get the +period from /proc/sys/kernel/sched_rt_period_us and a run time of 0. If you +want to assign bandwidth to another group, reduce the root group's bandwidth +and assign some or all of the difference to another group. + +Realtime group scheduling means you have to assign a portion of total CPU +bandwidth to the group before it will accept realtime tasks. Therefore you will +not be able to run realtime tasks as any user other than root until you have +done that, even if the user has the rights to run processes with realtime +priority! + + +2.3 Basis for grouping tasks +---------------------------- + +Enabling CONFIG_RT_GROUP_SCHED lets you explicitly allocate real +CPU bandwidth to task groups. + +This uses the cgroup virtual file system and "<cgroup>/cpu.rt_runtime_us" +to control the CPU time reserved for each control group. + +For more information on working with control groups, you should read +Documentation/cgroups/cgroups.txt as well. + +Group settings are checked against the following limits in order to keep the +configuration schedulable: + + \Sum_{i} runtime_{i} / global_period <= global_runtime / global_period + +For now, this can be simplified to just the following (but see Future plans): + + \Sum_{i} runtime_{i} <= global_runtime + + +3. Future plans +=============== + +There is work in progress to make the scheduling period for each group +("<cgroup>/cpu.rt_period_us") configurable as well. + +The constraint on the period is that a subgroup must have a smaller or +equal period to its parent. But realistically its not very useful _yet_ +as its prone to starvation without deadline scheduling. + +Consider two sibling groups A and B; both have 50% bandwidth, but A's +period is twice the length of B's. + +* group A: period=100000us, runtime=10000us + - this runs for 0.01s once every 0.1s + +* group B: period= 50000us, runtime=10000us + - this runs for 0.01s twice every 0.1s (or once every 0.05 sec). + +This means that currently a while (1) loop in A will run for the full period of +B and can starve B's tasks (assuming they are of lower priority) for a whole +period. + +The next project will be SCHED_EDF (Earliest Deadline First scheduling) to bring +full deadline scheduling to the linux kernel. Deadline scheduling the above +groups and treating end of the period as a deadline will ensure that they both +get their allocated time. + +Implementing SCHED_EDF might take a while to complete. Priority Inheritance is +the biggest challenge as the current linux PI infrastructure is geared towards +the limited static priority levels 0-99. With deadline scheduling you need to +do deadline inheritance (since priority is inversely proportional to the +deadline delta (deadline - now)). + +This means the whole PI machinery will have to be reworked - and that is one of +the most complex pieces of code we have. |