Normally CONFIG_NO_HZ_FULL (full dynticks) feature blocks timer interrupts when a single task is running in an isolated CPU. This behavior changes when CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT_FULL is also enabled. I notice timer ticks are blocked the very first time after boot and a single task is running. However, when the task is stopped and run for the second time, the timer ticks are not blocked anymore. Disabling CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT_FULL brings back the expected behavior of CONFIG_NO_HZ_FULL even if the task is stopped and rerun many times, as long as it is the single task running. Following are the system and kernel configurations used in my tests: Kernel version: 4.18.0-rc8, branch linux-4.18.y-rt Set CONFIG_NO_HZ_FULL=y CPU isolaion is done using following kernel parameters: isolcpus=nohz,domain,1-3 nohz_full=1-3 rcu_nocbs=1-3 irqaffinity=0 Workload is run in CPU 3, with SCHED_FIFO priority 99 as follows: taskset -c 3 chrt -f 99 ./jitter Give RT process 100% time for testing purpose: echo -1 > /proc/sys/kernel/sched_rt_runtime_us Following are the list of processes in CPU 3 in the 3 cases: Case #1 with CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT_FULL=n S [cpuhp/3] S [migration/3] S [rcuc/3] S [ksoftirqd/3] I [kworker/3:0-mm_] I [kworker/3:0H] R [kworker/3:1-mm_] R ./jitter Case #2 with CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT_FULL=y (First run after boot) S [cpuhp/3] S [migration/3] S [posixcputmr/3] S [rcuc/3] S [ktimersoftd/3] S [ksoftirqd/3] I [kworker/3:0-mm_] I [kworker/3:0H] R [irq/125-nvme0q4] R [kworker/3:1-mm_] R ./jitter Case #3 with CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT_FULL=y (Second run after boot) S [cpuhp/3] S [migration/3] S [posixcputmr/3] S [rcuc/3] R [ktimersoftd/3] S [ksoftirqd/3] I [kworker/3:0-mm_] I [kworker/3:0H] S [irq/125-nvme0q4] R [kworker/3:1-mm_] R ./jitter In Case #3, /proc/interupts show timer interrupts occuring on CPU 3 while it is stopped in the other cases. ktimersoftd is in runnable state in Case #3 Case #1 with PREEMPT_RT_FULL disabled has fewer processes and looks clean. We need both PREEMPT_RT_FULL and NO_HZ_FULL for use cases where a single RT task in a core can run with bare metal performance without timer interrupts. Is this a known issue and is it being looked at by anyone? If it is an issue, I would be glad to help in any way to get these 2 very important features compatible with each other. Thanks, Ramesh
