Intel P-State offers two interface to set performance limits:
- Intel P-State sysfs
/sys/devices/system/cpu/intel_pstate/max_perf_pct
/sys/devices/system/cpu/intel_pstate/min_perf_pct
- cpufreq
/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq
/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq
In the current implementation both of the above methods, change limits
to every CPU in the system. Moreover the limits placed using cpufreq
policy interface also presented in the Intel P-State sysfs via modified
max_perf_pct and min_per_pct during sysfs reads. This allows to check
percent of reduced/increased performance, irrespective of method used to
limit.
There are some new generations of processors, where it is possible to
have limits placed on individual CPU cores. Using cpufreq interface it
is possible to set limits on each CPU. But the current processing will
use last limits placed on all CPUs. So the per core limit feature of
CPUs can't be used.
This change brings in capability to set P-States limits for each CPU,
with some limitations. In this case what should be the read of
max_perf_pct and min_perf_pct? It can be most restrictive limits placed
on any CPU or max possible performance on any given CPU on which no
limits are placed. In either case someone will have issue.
So the consensus is, we can't have both sysfs controls present when user
wants to use limit per core limits.
- By default per-core-control feature is not enabled. So no one will
notice any difference.
- The way to enable is by kernel command line
intel_pstate=per_cpu_perf_limits
- When the per-core-controls are enabled there is no display of for both
read and write on
/sys/devices/system/cpu/intel_pstate/max_perf_pct
/sys/devices/system/cpu/intel_pstate/min_perf_pct
- User can change limits using
/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq
/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq
/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor
- User can still observe turbo percent and number of P-States from
/sys/devices/system/cpu/intel_pstate/turbo_pct
/sys/devices/system/cpu/intel_pstate/num_pstates
- User can read write system wide turbo status
/sys/devices/system/cpu/no_turbo
While changing this BUG_ON is changed to WARN_ON, as they are not fatal
errors for the system.
Signed-off-by: Srinivas Pandruvada <srinivas.pandruvada@linux.intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Rafael J. Wysocki <rafael.j.wysocki@intel.com>