On Fri, May 15, 2026 at 6:53 AM Christian Brauner <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> On Tue, May 12, 2026 at 11:10:44AM +0200, Albert Esteve wrote:
> > On embedded platforms a central process often allocates dma-buf
> > memory on behalf of client applications. Without a way to
> > attribute the charge to the requesting client's cgroup, the
> > cost lands on the allocator, making per-cgroup memory limits
> > ineffective for the actual consumers.
> >
> > Add charge_pid_fd to struct dma_heap_allocation_data. When set to
>
> Please be aware that pidfds come in two flavors:
>
> thread-group pidfds and thread-specific pidfds. Make sure that your API
> doesn't implicitly depend on this distinction not existing.
Hi Christian,
Memcg is not a controller that supports "thread mode" so all threads
in a group should belong to the same memcg.
Checking the flags from pidfd_get_pid would be the best way for an
explicit check of the pidfd type?
> > a valid pidfd, DMA_HEAP_IOCTL_ALLOC resolves the target task's
> > memcg and charges the buffer there via mem_cgroup_charge_dmabuf()
> > inside dma_heap_buffer_alloc(). Without charge_pid_fd, and with
> > the mem_accounting module parameter enabled, the buffer is charged
> > to the allocator's own cgroup.
> >
> > Additionally, commit 3c227be90659 ("dma-buf: system_heap: account for
> > system heap allocation in memcg") adds __GFP_ACCOUNT to system-heap
> > page allocations. Keeping __GFP_ACCOUNT would charge the same pages
> > twice (once to kmem, once to MEMCG_DMABUF), thus remove it and route
> > all accounting through a single MEMCG_DMABUF path.
> >
> > Usage examples:
> >
> > 1. Central allocator charging to a client at allocation time.
> > The allocator knows the client's PID (e.g., from binder's
> > sender_pid) and uses pidfd to attribute the charge:
> >
> > pid_t client_pid = txn->sender_pid;
> > int pidfd = pidfd_open(client_pid, 0);
> >
> > struct dma_heap_allocation_data alloc = {
> > .len = buffer_size,
> > .fd_flags = O_RDWR | O_CLOEXEC,
> > .charge_pid_fd = pidfd,
> > };
> > ioctl(heap_fd, DMA_HEAP_IOCTL_ALLOC, &alloc);
> > close(pidfd);
> > /* alloc.fd is now charged to client's cgroup */
> >
> > 2. Default allocation (no pidfd, mem_accounting=1).
> > When charge_pid_fd is not set and the mem_accounting module
> > parameter is enabled, the buffer is charged to the allocator's
> > own cgroup:
> >
> > struct dma_heap_allocation_data alloc = {
> > .len = buffer_size,
> > .fd_flags = O_RDWR | O_CLOEXEC,
> > };
> > ioctl(heap_fd, DMA_HEAP_IOCTL_ALLOC, &alloc);
> > /* charged to current process's cgroup */
> >
> > Current limitations:
> >
> > - Single-owner model: a dma-buf carries one memcg charge regardless of
> > how many processes share it. Means only the first owner (and exporter)
> > of the shared buffer bears the charge.
> > - Only memcg accounting supported. While this makes sense for system
> > heap buffers, other heaps (e.g., CMA heaps) will require selectively
> > charging also for the dmem controller.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Albert Esteve <[email protected]>
> > ---
> > Documentation/admin-guide/cgroup-v2.rst | 5 ++--
> > drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c | 16 ++++---------
> > drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c | 42
> > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
> > drivers/dma-buf/heaps/system_heap.c | 2 --
> > include/uapi/linux/dma-heap.h | 6 +++++
> > 5 files changed, 53 insertions(+), 18 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/cgroup-v2.rst
> > b/Documentation/admin-guide/cgroup-v2.rst
> > index 8bdbc2e866430..824d269531eb1 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/cgroup-v2.rst
> > +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/cgroup-v2.rst
> > @@ -1636,8 +1636,9 @@ The following nested keys are defined.
> > structures.
> >
> > dmabuf (npn)
> > - Amount of memory used for exported DMA buffers allocated by
> > the cgroup.
> > - Stays with the allocating cgroup regardless of how the buffer
> > is shared.
> > + Amount of memory used for exported DMA buffers allocated by
> > or on
> > + behalf of the cgroup. Stays with the allocating cgroup
> > regardless
> > + of how the buffer is shared.
> >
> > workingset_refault_anon
> > Number of refaults of previously evicted anonymous pages.
> > diff --git a/drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c b/drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c
> > index ce02377f48908..23fb758b78297 100644
> > --- a/drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c
> > +++ b/drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c
> > @@ -181,8 +181,11 @@ static void dma_buf_release(struct dentry *dentry)
> > */
> > BUG_ON(dmabuf->cb_in.active || dmabuf->cb_out.active);
> >
> > - mem_cgroup_uncharge_dmabuf(dmabuf->memcg, PAGE_ALIGN(dmabuf->size) /
> > PAGE_SIZE);
> > - mem_cgroup_put(dmabuf->memcg);
> > + if (dmabuf->memcg) {
> > + mem_cgroup_uncharge_dmabuf(dmabuf->memcg,
> > + PAGE_ALIGN(dmabuf->size) /
> > PAGE_SIZE);
> > + mem_cgroup_put(dmabuf->memcg);
> > + }
> >
> > dmabuf->ops->release(dmabuf);
> >
> > @@ -764,13 +767,6 @@ struct dma_buf *dma_buf_export(const struct
> > dma_buf_export_info *exp_info)
> > dmabuf->resv = resv;
> > }
> >
> > - dmabuf->memcg = get_mem_cgroup_from_mm(current->mm);
> > - if (!mem_cgroup_charge_dmabuf(dmabuf->memcg, PAGE_ALIGN(dmabuf->size)
> > / PAGE_SIZE,
> > - GFP_KERNEL)) {
> > - ret = -ENOMEM;
> > - goto err_memcg;
> > - }
> > -
> > file->private_data = dmabuf;
> > file->f_path.dentry->d_fsdata = dmabuf;
> > dmabuf->file = file;
> > @@ -781,8 +777,6 @@ struct dma_buf *dma_buf_export(const struct
> > dma_buf_export_info *exp_info)
> >
> > return dmabuf;
> >
> > -err_memcg:
> > - mem_cgroup_put(dmabuf->memcg);
> > err_file:
> > fput(file);
> > err_module:
> > diff --git a/drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c b/drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c
> > index ac5f8685a6494..ff6e259afcdc0 100644
> > --- a/drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c
> > +++ b/drivers/dma-buf/dma-heap.c
> > @@ -7,13 +7,17 @@
> > */
> >
> > #include <linux/cdev.h>
> > +#include <linux/cgroup.h>
> > #include <linux/device.h>
> > #include <linux/dma-buf.h>
> > #include <linux/dma-heap.h>
> > +#include <linux/memcontrol.h>
> > +#include <linux/sched/mm.h>
> > #include <linux/err.h>
> > #include <linux/export.h>
> > #include <linux/list.h>
> > #include <linux/nospec.h>
> > +#include <linux/pidfd.h>
> > #include <linux/syscalls.h>
> > #include <linux/uaccess.h>
> > #include <linux/xarray.h>
> > @@ -55,10 +59,12 @@ MODULE_PARM_DESC(mem_accounting,
> > "Enable cgroup-based memory accounting for dma-buf heap
> > allocations (default=false).");
> >
> > static int dma_heap_buffer_alloc(struct dma_heap *heap, size_t len,
> > - u32 fd_flags,
> > - u64 heap_flags)
> > + u32 fd_flags, u64 heap_flags,
> > + struct mem_cgroup *charge_to)
> > {
> > struct dma_buf *dmabuf;
> > + unsigned int nr_pages;
> > + struct mem_cgroup *memcg = charge_to;
> > int fd;
> >
> > /*
> > @@ -73,6 +79,22 @@ static int dma_heap_buffer_alloc(struct dma_heap *heap,
> > size_t len,
> > if (IS_ERR(dmabuf))
> > return PTR_ERR(dmabuf);
> >
> > + nr_pages = len / PAGE_SIZE;
> > +
> > + if (memcg)
> > + css_get(&memcg->css);
> > + else if (mem_accounting)
> > + memcg = get_mem_cgroup_from_mm(current->mm);
> > +
> > + if (memcg) {
> > + if (!mem_cgroup_charge_dmabuf(memcg, nr_pages, GFP_KERNEL)) {
> > + mem_cgroup_put(memcg);
> > + dma_buf_put(dmabuf);
> > + return -ENOMEM;
> > + }
> > + dmabuf->memcg = memcg;
> > + }
> > +
> > fd = dma_buf_fd(dmabuf, fd_flags);
> > if (fd < 0) {
> > dma_buf_put(dmabuf);
> > @@ -102,6 +124,9 @@ static long dma_heap_ioctl_allocate(struct file *file,
> > void *data)
> > {
> > struct dma_heap_allocation_data *heap_allocation = data;
> > struct dma_heap *heap = file->private_data;
> > + struct mem_cgroup *memcg = NULL;
> > + struct task_struct *task;
> > + unsigned int pidfd_flags;
> > int fd;
> >
> > if (heap_allocation->fd)
> > @@ -113,9 +138,20 @@ static long dma_heap_ioctl_allocate(struct file *file,
> > void *data)
> > if (heap_allocation->heap_flags & ~DMA_HEAP_VALID_HEAP_FLAGS)
> > return -EINVAL;
> >
> > + if (heap_allocation->charge_pid_fd) {
> > + task = pidfd_get_task(heap_allocation->charge_pid_fd,
> > &pidfd_flags);
>
> Will always get a thread-group leader pidfd and will fail if this is a
> thread-specific pidfd. pidfd_open(1234, PIDFD_THREAD) can be used to
> open a thread-specific pidfd.
>
> > + if (IS_ERR(task))
> > + return PTR_ERR(task);
> > +
> > + memcg = get_mem_cgroup_from_mm(task->mm);
> > + put_task_struct(task);
> > + }
> > +
> > fd = dma_heap_buffer_alloc(heap, heap_allocation->len,
> > heap_allocation->fd_flags,
> > - heap_allocation->heap_flags);
> > + heap_allocation->heap_flags,
> > + memcg);
> > + mem_cgroup_put(memcg);
> > if (fd < 0)
> > return fd;
> >
> > diff --git a/drivers/dma-buf/heaps/system_heap.c
> > b/drivers/dma-buf/heaps/system_heap.c
> > index 03c2b87cb1112..95d7688167b93 100644
> > --- a/drivers/dma-buf/heaps/system_heap.c
> > +++ b/drivers/dma-buf/heaps/system_heap.c
> > @@ -385,8 +385,6 @@ static struct page *alloc_largest_available(unsigned
> > long size,
> > if (max_order < orders[i])
> > continue;
> > flags = order_flags[i];
> > - if (mem_accounting)
> > - flags |= __GFP_ACCOUNT;
> > page = alloc_pages(flags, orders[i]);
> > if (!page)
> > continue;
> > diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/dma-heap.h b/include/uapi/linux/dma-heap.h
> > index a4cf716a49fa6..e02b0f8cbc6a1 100644
> > --- a/include/uapi/linux/dma-heap.h
> > +++ b/include/uapi/linux/dma-heap.h
> > @@ -29,6 +29,10 @@
> > * handle to the allocated dma-buf
> > * @fd_flags: file descriptor flags used when allocating
> > * @heap_flags: flags passed to heap
> > + * @charge_pid_fd: optional pidfd of the process whose cgroup should be
> > + * charged for this allocation; 0 means charge the
> > calling
> > + * process's cgroup
> > + * @__padding: reserved, must be zero
> > *
> > * Provided by userspace as an argument to the ioctl
> > */
> > @@ -37,6 +41,8 @@ struct dma_heap_allocation_data {
> > __u32 fd;
> > __u32 fd_flags;
> > __u64 heap_flags;
> > + __u32 charge_pid_fd;
> > + __u32 __padding;
> > };
> >
> > #define DMA_HEAP_IOC_MAGIC 'H'
> >
> > --
> > 2.53.0
> >
