[PATCH] sched/topology: Provide arch_llc_mask for cache aware scheduling

Venkat Reported a boot kernel panic next-20260522. Git bisect pointed to
b5ea300a17e3 ("sched/cache: Make LLC id continuous")

Stacktrace points to llc_mask being null.

NIP [c000000000e58504] _find_first_bit+0x44/0x130
LR [c000000000e58500] _find_first_bit+0x40/0x130
Call Trace:
build_sched_domains+0xad8/0xe50
sched_init_smp+0xa8/0x164
kernel_init_freeable+0x250/0x370
ret_from_kernel_user_thread+0x14/0x1c

On powerpc, cpu_coregroup_mask is available only when the underlying
hardware support coregroup. In shared LPAR, QEMU guest or power9 etc
coregroup isn't supported. In such cases llc_mask was being referenced
when it was null leading to panic.

On powerpc, LLC is at SMT core level. So assumption that coregroup(MC)
domain point to LLC is wrong. Provide a way for archs to say where its
LLC is if it not at MC domain. 

Based on tip/master at 5c89783224e9 ("Merge branch into tip/master: 'x86/tdx'")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org

Fixes: b5ea300a17e3 ("sched/cache: Make LLC id continuous")
Reported-by: Venkat Rao Bagalkote <redacted>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/all/51154de7-3700-4cb4-82f2-1b3a8fa427f7@linux.ibm.com/
Reviewed-by: Chen Yu <yu.c.chen@intel.com>
Tested-by: Venkat Rao Bagalkote <redacted> 
Tested-by: Ritesh Harjani (IBM) <ritesh.list@gmail.com>
Co-developed-by: Chen, Yu C <yu.c.chen@intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Shrikanth Hegde <sshegde@linux.ibm.com>
---
 arch/powerpc/include/asm/topology.h |  6 ++++++
 kernel/sched/topology.c             | 13 +++++++++++--
 2 files changed, 17 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/powerpc/include/asm/topology.h b/arch/powerpc/include/asm/topology.h
index 66ed5fe1b718..e3de0f3d8b86 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/include/asm/topology.h
+++ b/arch/powerpc/include/asm/topology.h

@@ -135,6 +135,12 @@ struct cpumask *cpu_coregroup_mask(int cpu);
 const struct cpumask *cpu_die_mask(int cpu);
 int cpu_die_id(int cpu);
 
+/* Points to where the LLC is. On power9 this will point at CACHE
+ * domain, On others it will point to SMT domain. In all cases
+ * cpu_l2_cache_mask points to where LLC is
+ */
+#define arch_llc_mask(cpu)     cpu_l2_cache_mask(cpu)
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_PPC64
 #include <asm/smp.h>
 

diff --git a/kernel/sched/topology.c b/kernel/sched/topology.c
index df2ceb54c970..622e2e01974c 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/topology.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/topology.c

@@ -2063,12 +2063,21 @@ const struct cpumask *tl_mc_mask(struct sched_domain_topology_level *tl, int cpu
 	return cpu_coregroup_mask(cpu);
 }
 
-#define llc_mask(cpu) cpu_coregroup_mask(cpu)
+/*
+ * Majority of architectures have LLC at MC domain level with exception
+ * such as powerpc. Provide a way for arch to specify where its LLC is
+ * if it falls in exception category
+ */
+# ifndef arch_llc_mask
+#define arch_llc_mask(cpu) cpu_coregroup_mask(cpu)
+# endif
 
 #else
-#define llc_mask(cpu) cpumask_of(cpu)
+#define arch_llc_mask(cpu) cpumask_of(cpu)
 #endif
 
+#define llc_mask(cpu) arch_llc_mask(cpu)
+
 const struct cpumask *tl_pkg_mask(struct sched_domain_topology_level *tl, int cpu)
 {
 	return cpu_node_mask(cpu);

-- 
2.47.3

On Fri, May 29, 2026 at 01:27:12PM +0530, Shrikanth Hegde wrote:

Venkat Reported a boot kernel panic next-20260522. Git bisect pointed to
b5ea300a17e3 ("sched/cache: Make LLC id continuous")

Stacktrace points to llc_mask being null.

NIP [c000000000e58504] _find_first_bit+0x44/0x130
LR [c000000000e58500] _find_first_bit+0x40/0x130
Call Trace:
build_sched_domains+0xad8/0xe50
sched_init_smp+0xa8/0x164
kernel_init_freeable+0x250/0x370
ret_from_kernel_user_thread+0x14/0x1c

On powerpc, cpu_coregroup_mask is available only when the underlying
hardware support coregroup. In shared LPAR, QEMU guest or power9 etc
coregroup isn't supported. In such cases llc_mask was being referenced
when it was null leading to panic.

On powerpc, LLC is at SMT core level. So assumption that coregroup(MC)
domain point to LLC is wrong. Provide a way for archs to say where its
LLC is if it not at MC domain. 

Based on tip/master at 5c89783224e9 ("Merge branch into tip/master: 'x86/tdx'")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org

This seems unwarranted, the patch breaking stuff is in tip:sched/core.

Fixes: b5ea300a17e3 ("sched/cache: Make LLC id continuous")
Reported-by: Venkat Rao Bagalkote <redacted>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/all/51154de7-3700-4cb4-82f2-1b3a8fa427f7@linux.ibm.com/
Reviewed-by: Chen Yu <yu.c.chen@intel.com>
Tested-by: Venkat Rao Bagalkote <redacted> 
Tested-by: Ritesh Harjani (IBM) <ritesh.list@gmail.com>
Co-developed-by: Chen, Yu C <yu.c.chen@intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Shrikanth Hegde <sshegde@linux.ibm.com>

Thanks all! I'll stick this in tip:sched/core to go along with the
patches that broke stuff.

* Shrikanth Hegde [off-list ref] [2026-05-29 13:27:12]:

Nit: Regular comment style could have been better.

Instead of having another define, could we have modified current users of
llc_mask() to arch_llc_mask()? Again its not a problem, but why have 2
defines since both point to the same thing.

 const struct cpumask *tl_pkg_mask(struct sched_domain_topology_level *tl, int cpu)
 {
 	return cpu_node_mask(cpu);
-- 
2.47.3

Otherwise, looks good to me.

Reviewed-by: Srikar Dronamraju <redacted>

-- 
Thanks and Regards
Srikar Dronamraju