mm/damon/core: split a fraction of regions when nr_regions exceeds max/2

Patch series "mm/damon/core: detect internal variation above
max_nr_regions/2", v3.

kdamond_split_regions() bails out early when nr_regions is already above
max_nr_regions / 2.  A large region that picks up new internal variation
after that point never gets split, so we lose visibility into its hot/cold
structure.

We hit this with damon-paddr on hugepage workloads and damon-vaddr on
processes that mmap a large anonymous range.

Example with max_nr_regions == 1500.  A target ends up with 799 small
hot/cold regions plus one big region (an earlier merge collapsed a
uniformly-accessed range into a single piece):

H:hot
C:cold

      r1     r2     r3                 r800
    HHHHHH|CCCCCC|HHHHHH|...|HHHHHH..........................|

    nr_regions = 800  >  max_nr_regions / 2 = 750

Now a cold subarea shows up inside r800:

      r1     r2     r3                 r800
    HHHHHH|CCCCCC|HHHHHH|...|HHHHHH........CCCCCC.............|

The small regions can't merge with each other (their access counts
differ), so budget never frees up.  r800 can't be split because nr_regions
> max_nr_regions / 2 returns early.  The cold subarea stays invisible.

Patch 1 keeps refining on this path: when nr_regions is above
max_nr_regions / 2 but still under the maximum, it splits a fraction of
the regions instead of returning.  The fraction shrinks as the remaining
budget shrinks, so the count approaches max_nr_regions smoothly.  A
useless split is undone by the next merge cycle.

Patch 2 adds a KUnit test for the case where nr_regions is already above
max_nr_regions / 2.

Thanks to SJ for the suggestion to drive the split fraction from the
remaining budget rather than an age-based filter.


This patch (of 2):

kdamond_split_regions() returns early when nr_regions is above
max_nr_regions / 2, leaving internal access variation inside a large
region undetected.

Such a layout is common with damon-paddr on hugepage workloads or
damon-vaddr on processes with a large anonymous mmap.

For example, with max_nr_regions == 1500, a target may end up with 799
small alternating-temperature regions plus one large region that absorbed
a uniformly-accessed range during an earlier merge:

H:hot
C:cold

      r1     r2     r3                 r800
    HHHHHH|CCCCCC|HHHHHH|...|HHHHHH..........................|

    nr_regions = 800  >  max_nr_regions / 2 = 750

If a cold subarea later emerges inside r800:

      r1     r2     r3                 r800
    HHHHHH|CCCCCC|HHHHHH|...|HHHHHH........CCCCCC.............|

The small regions cannot merge with each other (different access counts),
so the budget stays full.  r800 cannot be split because nr_regions >
max_nr_regions / 2 causes an early return.  The cold subarea is never
discovered.

When nr_regions is above max_nr_regions / 2 but still under the maximum,
split only a fraction of the regions instead of returning.  One region in
every 'max_nr_regions / budget' regions is split, where budget is the
remaining room (max_nr_regions - nr_regions), starting from a rotating
offset so different regions get picked over time.  The fraction shrinks as
the budget shrinks, so the region count keeps refining while approaching
max_nr_regions smoothly rather than overshooting it.  An unnecessary split
is reverted by the next kdamond_merge_regions().

Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20260629145630.134891-1-sj@kernel.org
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20260626085851.70754-2-jiayuan.chen@linux.dev
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20260629145630.134891-2-sj@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Jiayuan Chen <jiayuan.chen@shopee.com>
Signed-off-by: SJ Park <sj@kernel.org>
Reviewed-by: SJ Park <sj@kernel.org>
Cc: Shu Anzai <shu17az@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>

0 files changed, 0 insertions, 0 deletions