set_mempolicy - set default NUMA memory policy for a thread and its children
NUMA (Non-Uniform Memory Access) policy library (
libnuma,
-lnuma)
#include <numaif.h>
long set_mempolicy(int mode, const unsigned long *nodemask,
unsigned long maxnode);
set_mempolicy() sets the NUMA memory policy of the calling thread, which
consists of a policy mode and zero or more nodes, to the values specified by
the
mode,
nodemask, and
maxnode arguments.
A NUMA machine has different memory controllers with different distances to
specific CPUs. The memory policy defines from which node memory is allocated
for the thread.
This system call defines the default policy for the thread. The thread policy
governs allocation of pages in the process's address space outside of memory
ranges controlled by a more specific policy set by
mbind(2). The thread
default policy also controls allocation of any pages for memory-mapped files
mapped using the
mmap(2) call with the
MAP_PRIVATE flag and that
are only read (loaded) from by the thread and of memory-mapped files mapped
using the
mmap(2) call with the
MAP_SHARED flag, regardless of
the access type. The policy is applied only when a new page is allocated for
the thread. For anonymous memory this is when the page is first touched by the
thread.
The
mode argument must specify one of
MPOL_DEFAULT,
MPOL_BIND,
MPOL_INTERLEAVE,
MPOL_PREFERRED, or
MPOL_LOCAL (which are described in detail below). All modes except
MPOL_DEFAULT require the caller to specify the node or nodes to which
the mode applies, via the
nodemask argument.
The
mode argument may also include an optional
mode flag. The
supported
mode flags are:
-
MPOL_F_NUMA_BALANCING (since Linux 5.12)
- When mode is MPOL_BIND, enable the kernel
NUMA balancing for the task if it is supported by the kernel. If the flag
isn't supported by the kernel, or is used with mode other than
MPOL_BIND, -1 is returned and errno is set to
EINVAL.
-
MPOL_F_RELATIVE_NODES (since Linux 2.6.26)
- A nonempty nodemask specifies node IDs that are
relative to the set of node IDs allowed by the process's current
cpuset.
-
MPOL_F_STATIC_NODES (since Linux 2.6.26)
- A nonempty nodemask specifies physical node IDs.
Linux will not remap the nodemask when the process moves to a
different cpuset context, nor when the set of nodes allowed by the
process's current cpuset context changes.
nodemask points to a bit mask of node IDs that contains up to
maxnode bits. The bit mask size is rounded to the next multiple of
sizeof(unsigned long), but the kernel will use bits only up to
maxnode. A NULL value of
nodemask or a
maxnode value of
zero specifies the empty set of nodes. If the value of
maxnode is zero,
the
nodemask argument is ignored.
Where a
nodemask is required, it must contain at least one node that is
on-line, allowed by the process's current cpuset context, (unless the
MPOL_F_STATIC_NODES mode flag is specified), and contains memory. If
the
MPOL_F_STATIC_NODES is set in
mode and a required
nodemask contains no nodes that are allowed by the process's current
cpuset context, the memory policy reverts to
local allocation. This
effectively overrides the specified policy until the process's cpuset context
includes one or more of the nodes specified by
nodemask.
The
mode argument must include one of the following values:
- MPOL_DEFAULT
- This mode specifies that any nondefault thread memory
policy be removed, so that the memory policy "falls back" to the
system default policy. The system default policy is "local
allocation"—that is, allocate memory on the node of the CPU
that triggered the allocation. nodemask must be specified as NULL.
If the "local node" contains no free memory, the system will
attempt to allocate memory from a "near by" node.
- MPOL_BIND
- This mode defines a strict policy that restricts memory
allocation to the nodes specified in nodemask. If nodemask
specifies more than one node, page allocations will come from the node
with the lowest numeric node ID first, until that node contains no free
memory. Allocations will then come from the node with the next highest
node ID specified in nodemask and so forth, until none of the
specified nodes contain free memory. Pages will not be allocated from any
node not specified in the nodemask.
- MPOL_INTERLEAVE
- This mode interleaves page allocations across the nodes
specified in nodemask in numeric node ID order. This optimizes for
bandwidth instead of latency by spreading out pages and memory accesses to
those pages across multiple nodes. However, accesses to a single page will
still be limited to the memory bandwidth of a single node.
- MPOL_PREFERRED
- This mode sets the preferred node for allocation. The
kernel will try to allocate pages from this node first and fall back to
"near by" nodes if the preferred node is low on free memory. If
nodemask specifies more than one node ID, the first node in the
mask will be selected as the preferred node. If the nodemask and
maxnode arguments specify the empty set, then the policy specifies
"local allocation" (like the system default policy discussed
above).
-
MPOL_LOCAL (since Linux 3.8)
- This mode specifies "local allocation"; the
memory is allocated on the node of the CPU that triggered the allocation
(the "local node"). The nodemask and maxnode
arguments must specify the empty set. If the "local node" is low
on free memory, the kernel will try to allocate memory from other nodes.
The kernel will allocate memory from the "local node" whenever
memory for this node is available. If the "local node" is not
allowed by the process's current cpuset context, the kernel will try to
allocate memory from other nodes. The kernel will allocate memory from the
"local node" whenever it becomes allowed by the process's
current cpuset context.
The thread memory policy is preserved across an
execve(2), and is
inherited by child threads created using
fork(2) or
clone(2).
On success,
set_mempolicy() returns 0; on error, -1 is returned and
errno is set to indicate the error.
- EFAULT
- Part of all of the memory range specified by
nodemask and maxnode points outside your accessible address
space.
- EINVAL
-
mode is invalid. Or, mode is
MPOL_DEFAULT and nodemask is nonempty, or mode is
MPOL_BIND or MPOL_INTERLEAVE and nodemask is empty.
Or, maxnode specifies more than a page worth of bits. Or,
nodemask specifies one or more node IDs that are greater than the
maximum supported node ID. Or, none of the node IDs specified by
nodemask are on-line and allowed by the process's current cpuset
context, or none of the specified nodes contain memory. Or, the
mode argument specified both MPOL_F_STATIC_NODES and
MPOL_F_RELATIVE_NODES. Or, the MPOL_F_NUMA_BALANCING isn't
supported by the kernel, or is used with mode other than
MPOL_BIND.
- ENOMEM
- Insufficient kernel memory was available.
The
set_mempolicy() system call was added in Linux 2.6.7.
This system call is Linux-specific.
Memory policy is not remembered if the page is swapped out. When such a page is
paged back in, it will use the policy of the thread or memory range that is in
effect at the time the page is allocated.
For information on library support, see
numa(7).
get_mempolicy(2),
getcpu(2),
mbind(2),
mmap(2),
numa(3),
cpuset(7),
numa(7),
numactl(8)