The new defer option for (m)THPs allows for a more conservative
approach to (m)THPs. Document its usage in the transhuge admin-guide.

Signed-off-by: Nico Pache <npache@redhat.com>
---
 Documentation/admin-guide/mm/transhuge.rst | 31 ++++++++++++++++------
 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/transhuge.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/transhuge.rst
index f0d4e78cedaa..d3f072bdd932 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/transhuge.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/transhuge.rst
@@ -88,8 +88,9 @@ In certain cases when hugepages are enabled system wide, application
 may end up allocating more memory resources. An application may mmap a
 large region but only touch 1 byte of it, in that case a 2M page might
 be allocated instead of a 4k page for no good. This is why it's
-possible to disable hugepages system-wide and to only have them inside
-MADV_HUGEPAGE madvise regions.
+possible to disable hugepages system-wide, only have them inside
+MADV_HUGEPAGE madvise regions, or defer them away from the page fault
+handler to khugepaged.
 
 Embedded systems should enable hugepages only inside madvise regions
 to eliminate any risk of wasting any precious byte of memory and to
@@ -99,6 +100,15 @@ Applications that gets a lot of benefit from hugepages and that don't
 risk to lose memory by using hugepages, should use
 madvise(MADV_HUGEPAGE) on their critical mmapped regions.
 
+Applications that would like to benefit from THPs but would still like a
+more memory conservative approach can choose 'defer'. This avoids
+inserting THPs at the page fault handler unless they are MADV_HUGEPAGE.
+Khugepaged will then scan the mappings for potential collapses into (m)THP
+pages. Admins using this the 'defer' setting should consider
+tweaking khugepaged/max_ptes_none. The current default of 511 may
+aggressively collapse your PTEs into PMDs. Lower this value to conserve
+more memory (ie. max_ptes_none=64).
+
 .. _thp_sysfs:
 
 sysfs
@@ -109,11 +119,14 @@ Global THP controls
 
 Transparent Hugepage Support for anonymous memory can be entirely disabled
 (mostly for debugging purposes) or only enabled inside MADV_HUGEPAGE
-regions (to avoid the risk of consuming more memory resources) or enabled
-system wide. This can be achieved per-supported-THP-size with one of::
+regions (to avoid the risk of consuming more memory resources), defered to
+khugepaged, or enabled system wide.
+
+This can be achieved per-supported-THP-size with one of::
 
 	echo always >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/hugepages-<size>kB/enabled
 	echo madvise >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/hugepages-<size>kB/enabled
+	echo defer >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/hugepages-<size>kB/enabled
 	echo never >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/hugepages-<size>kB/enabled
 
 where <size> is the hugepage size being addressed, the available sizes
@@ -136,6 +149,7 @@ The top-level setting (for use with "inherit") can be set by issuing
 one of the following commands::
 
 	echo always >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled
+	echo defer >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled
 	echo madvise >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled
 	echo never >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled
 
@@ -281,7 +295,8 @@ of small pages into one large page::
 A higher value leads to use additional memory for programs.
 A lower value leads to gain less thp performance. Value of
 max_ptes_none can waste cpu time very little, you can
-ignore it.
+ignore it. Consider lowering this value when using
+``transparent_hugepage=defer``
 
 ``max_ptes_swap`` specifies how many pages can be brought in from
 swap when collapsing a group of pages into a transparent huge page::
@@ -306,14 +321,14 @@ Boot parameters
 
 You can change the sysfs boot time default for the top-level "enabled"
 control by passing the parameter ``transparent_hugepage=always`` or
-``transparent_hugepage=madvise`` or ``transparent_hugepage=never`` to the
-kernel command line.
+``transparent_hugepage=madvise`` or ``transparent_hugepage=defer`` or
+``transparent_hugepage=never`` to the kernel command line.
 
 Alternatively, each supported anonymous THP size can be controlled by
 passing ``thp_anon=<size>[KMG],<size>[KMG]:<state>;<size>[KMG]-<size>[KMG]:<state>``,
 where ``<size>`` is the THP size (must be a power of 2 of PAGE_SIZE and
 supported anonymous THP)  and ``<state>`` is one of ``always``, ``madvise``,
-``never`` or ``inherit``.
+``defer``, ``never`` or ``inherit``.
 
 For example, the following will set 16K, 32K, 64K THP to ``always``,
 set 128K, 512K to ``inherit``, set 256K to ``madvise`` and 1M, 2M
-- 
2.48.1

On 4/14/25 3:24 PM, Nico Pache wrote:
> The new defer option for (m)THPs allows for a more conservative
> approach to (m)THPs. Document its usage in the transhuge admin-guide.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Nico Pache <npache@redhat.com>
> ---
>  Documentation/admin-guide/mm/transhuge.rst | 31 ++++++++++++++++------
>  1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/transhuge.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/transhuge.rst
> index f0d4e78cedaa..d3f072bdd932 100644
> --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/transhuge.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/mm/transhuge.rst
> @@ -88,8 +88,9 @@ In certain cases when hugepages are enabled system wide, application
>  may end up allocating more memory resources. An application may mmap a
>  large region but only touch 1 byte of it, in that case a 2M page might
>  be allocated instead of a 4k page for no good. This is why it's
> -possible to disable hugepages system-wide and to only have them inside
> -MADV_HUGEPAGE madvise regions.
> +possible to disable hugepages system-wide, only have them inside
> +MADV_HUGEPAGE madvise regions, or defer them away from the page fault
> +handler to khugepaged.
>  
>  Embedded systems should enable hugepages only inside madvise regions
>  to eliminate any risk of wasting any precious byte of memory and to
> @@ -99,6 +100,15 @@ Applications that gets a lot of benefit from hugepages and that don't
>  risk to lose memory by using hugepages, should use
>  madvise(MADV_HUGEPAGE) on their critical mmapped regions.
>  
> +Applications that would like to benefit from THPs but would still like a
> +more memory conservative approach can choose 'defer'. This avoids
> +inserting THPs at the page fault handler unless they are MADV_HUGEPAGE.
> +Khugepaged will then scan the mappings for potential collapses into (m)THP
> +pages. Admins using this the 'defer' setting should consider
> +tweaking khugepaged/max_ptes_none. The current default of 511 may
> +aggressively collapse your PTEs into PMDs. Lower this value to conserve
> +more memory (ie. max_ptes_none=64).

                i.e.,

> +
>  .. _thp_sysfs:
>  
>  sysfs
> @@ -109,11 +119,14 @@ Global THP controls
>  
>  Transparent Hugepage Support for anonymous memory can be entirely disabled
>  (mostly for debugging purposes) or only enabled inside MADV_HUGEPAGE
> -regions (to avoid the risk of consuming more memory resources) or enabled
> -system wide. This can be achieved per-supported-THP-size with one of::
> +regions (to avoid the risk of consuming more memory resources), defered to

                                                                   deferred

> +khugepaged, or enabled system wide.
> +
> +This can be achieved per-supported-THP-size with one of::
>  
>  	echo always >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/hugepages-<size>kB/enabled
>  	echo madvise >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/hugepages-<size>kB/enabled
> +	echo defer >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/hugepages-<size>kB/enabled
>  	echo never >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/hugepages-<size>kB/enabled
>  
>  where <size> is the hugepage size being addressed, the available sizes
> @@ -136,6 +149,7 @@ The top-level setting (for use with "inherit") can be set by issuing
>  one of the following commands::
>  
>  	echo always >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled
> +	echo defer >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled
>  	echo madvise >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled
>  	echo never >/sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled
>  
> @@ -281,7 +295,8 @@ of small pages into one large page::
>  A higher value leads to use additional memory for programs.
>  A lower value leads to gain less thp performance. Value of
>  max_ptes_none can waste cpu time very little, you can
> -ignore it.
> +ignore it. Consider lowering this value when using
> +``transparent_hugepage=defer``
>  
>  ``max_ptes_swap`` specifies how many pages can be brought in from
>  swap when collapsing a group of pages into a transparent huge page::
> @@ -306,14 +321,14 @@ Boot parameters
>  
>  You can change the sysfs boot time default for the top-level "enabled"
>  control by passing the parameter ``transparent_hugepage=always`` or
> -``transparent_hugepage=madvise`` or ``transparent_hugepage=never`` to the
> -kernel command line.
> +``transparent_hugepage=madvise`` or ``transparent_hugepage=defer`` or
> +``transparent_hugepage=never`` to the kernel command line.
>  
>  Alternatively, each supported anonymous THP size can be controlled by
>  passing ``thp_anon=<size>[KMG],<size>[KMG]:<state>;<size>[KMG]-<size>[KMG]:<state>``,
>  where ``<size>`` is the THP size (must be a power of 2 of PAGE_SIZE and
>  supported anonymous THP)  and ``<state>`` is one of ``always``, ``madvise``,
> -``never`` or ``inherit``.
> +``defer``, ``never`` or ``inherit``.
>  
>  For example, the following will set 16K, 32K, 64K THP to ``always``,
>  set 128K, 512K to ``inherit``, set 256K to ``madvise`` and 1M, 2M

-- 
~Randy