[PATCH] printk, vt, fbcon: Remove console_conditional_schedule()
From: Sebastian Andrzej Siewior <bigeasy@linutronix.de>
Date: 2026-01-26 18:08:39
Also in:
dri-devel, linux-rt-devel, linux-serial, lkml
Subsystem:
console subsystem, framebuffer console, framebuffer core, framebuffer layer, printk, the rest, tty layer and serial drivers · Maintainers:
Greg Kroah-Hartman, Helge Deller, Thomas Zimmermann, Simona Vetter, Petr Mladek, Linus Torvalds, Jiri Slaby
do_con_write(), fbcon_redraw.*() invoke console_conditional_schedule()
which is a conditional scheduling point based on printk's internal
variables console_may_schedule. It may only be used if the console lock
is acquired for instance via console_lock() or console_trylock().
Prinkt sets the internal variable to 1 (and allows to schedule)
if the console lock has been acquired via console_lock(). The trylock
does not allow it.
The console_conditional_schedule() invocation in do_con_write() is
invoked shortly before console_unlock().
The console_conditional_schedule() invocation in fbcon_redraw.*()
original from fbcon_scroll() / vt's con_scroll() which originate from a
line feed.
In console_unlock() the variable is set to 0 (forbids to schedule) and
it tries to schedule while making progress printing. This is brand new
compared to when console_conditional_schedule() was added in v2.4.9.11.
In v2.6.38-rc3, console_unlock() (started its existence) iterated over
all consoles and flushed them with disabled interrupts. A scheduling
attempt here was not possible, it relied that a long print scheduled
before console_unlock().
Since commit 8d91f8b15361d ("printk: do cond_resched() between lines
while outputting to consoles"), which appeared in v4.5-rc1,
console_unlock() attempts to schedule if it was allowed to schedule
while during console_lock(). Each record is idealy one line so after
every line feed.
This console_conditional_schedule() is also only relevant on
PREEMPT_NONE and PREEMPT_VOLUNTARY builds. In other configurations
cond_resched() becomes a nop and has no impact.
I'm bringing this all up just proof that it is not required anymore. It
becomes a problem on a PREEMPT_RT build with debug code enabled because
that might_sleep() in cond_resched() remains and triggers a warnings.
This is due to
legacy_kthread_func-> console_flush_one_record -> vt_console_print-> lf
-> con_scroll -> fbcon_scroll
and vt_console_print() acquires a spinlock_t which does not allow a
voluntary schedule. There is no need to fb_scroll() to schedule since
console_flush_one_record() attempts to schedule after each line.
!PREEMPT_RT is not affected because the legacy printing thread is only
enabled on PREEMPT_RT builds.
Therefore I suggest to remove console_conditional_schedule().
Cc: Simona Vetter <simona@ffwll.ch>
Cc: Helge Deller <deller@gmx.de>
Cc: linux-fbdev@vger.kernel.org
Cc: dri-devel@lists.freedesktop.org
Fixes: 5f53ca3ff83b4 ("printk: Implement legacy printer kthread for PREEMPT_RT")
Signed-off-by: Sebastian Andrzej Siewior <bigeasy@linutronix.de>
---
A follow-up to
https://lore.kernel.org/all/20260114145955.d924Z-zu@linutronix.de/ (local)
drivers/tty/vt/vt.c | 1 -
drivers/video/fbdev/core/fbcon.c | 6 ------
include/linux/console.h | 1 -
kernel/printk/printk.c | 16 ----------------
4 files changed, 24 deletions(-)
diff --git a/drivers/tty/vt/vt.c b/drivers/tty/vt/vt.c
index 59b4b5e126ba1..53daf7614b1af 100644
--- a/drivers/tty/vt/vt.c
+++ b/drivers/tty/vt/vt.c@@ -3236,7 +3236,6 @@ static int do_con_write(struct tty_struct *tty, const u8 *buf, int count) goto rescan_last_byte; } con_flush(vc, &draw); - console_conditional_schedule(); notify_update(vc); return n;
diff --git a/drivers/video/fbdev/core/fbcon.c b/drivers/video/fbdev/core/fbcon.c
index 7be9e865325d9..36dd9d4a46ae0 100644
--- a/drivers/video/fbdev/core/fbcon.c
+++ b/drivers/video/fbdev/core/fbcon.c@@ -1607,12 +1607,10 @@ static void fbcon_redraw_move(struct vc_data *vc, struct fbcon_display *p, start = s; } } - console_conditional_schedule(); s++; } while (s < le); if (s > start) fbcon_putcs(vc, start, s - start, dy, x); - console_conditional_schedule(); dy++; } }
@@ -1648,14 +1646,12 @@ static void fbcon_redraw_blit(struct vc_data *vc, struct fb_info *info, } scr_writew(c, d); - console_conditional_schedule(); s++; d++; } while (s < le); if (s > start) par->bitops->bmove(vc, info, line + ycount, x, line, x, 1, s - start); - console_conditional_schedule(); if (ycount > 0) line++; else {
@@ -1703,13 +1699,11 @@ static void fbcon_redraw(struct vc_data *vc, int line, int count, int offset) } } scr_writew(c, d); - console_conditional_schedule(); s++; d++; } while (s < le); if (s > start) fbcon_putcs(vc, start, s - start, line, x); - console_conditional_schedule(); if (offset > 0) line++; else {
diff --git a/include/linux/console.h b/include/linux/console.h
index fc9f5c5c1b04c..ec506d3501965 100644
--- a/include/linux/console.h
+++ b/include/linux/console.h@@ -697,7 +697,6 @@ extern int unregister_console(struct console *); extern void console_lock(void); extern int console_trylock(void); extern void console_unlock(void); -extern void console_conditional_schedule(void); extern void console_unblank(void); extern void console_flush_on_panic(enum con_flush_mode mode); extern struct tty_driver *console_device(int *);
diff --git a/kernel/printk/printk.c b/kernel/printk/printk.c
index 1d765ad242b82..9296bf41aa49d 100644
--- a/kernel/printk/printk.c
+++ b/kernel/printk/printk.c@@ -3362,22 +3362,6 @@ void console_unlock(void) } EXPORT_SYMBOL(console_unlock); -/** - * console_conditional_schedule - yield the CPU if required - * - * If the console code is currently allowed to sleep, and - * if this CPU should yield the CPU to another task, do - * so here. - * - * Must be called within console_lock();. - */ -void __sched console_conditional_schedule(void) -{ - if (console_may_schedule) - cond_resched(); -} -EXPORT_SYMBOL(console_conditional_schedule); - void console_unblank(void) { bool found_unblank = false;
--
2.51.0