Some platforms require panic handling to execute on a specific CPU for
crash dump to work reliably. This can be due to firmware limitations,
interrupt routing constraints, or platform-specific requirements where
only a single CPU is able to safely enter the crash kernel.

Add support for redirecting panic execution to a designated CPU via a
kernel command-line parameter. When the parameter is provided, the CPU
that initially triggers panic forwards the panic context to the target
CPU, which then proceeds with the normal panic and kexec flow.

If the specified CPU is invalid, offline, or a panic is already in
progress on another CPU, the redirection is skipped and panic continues
on the current CPU.

Changes since v2:
 - Make panic redirection warnings generic and platform-agnostic

Reported-by: kernel test robot <lkp@intel.com>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/oe-kbuild-all/202601041820.6M8cIq2e-lkp@intel.com/
Signed-off-by: Pnina Feder <pnina.feder@mobileye.com>
---
 kernel/panic.c | 93 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 93 insertions(+)

diff --git a/kernel/panic.c b/kernel/panic.c
index 0d52210a9e2b..6239bcdc2463 100644
--- a/kernel/panic.c
+++ b/kernel/panic.c
@@ -300,6 +300,92 @@ void __weak crash_smp_send_stop(void)
 
 atomic_t panic_cpu = ATOMIC_INIT(PANIC_CPU_INVALID);
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_SMP
+/* CPU to redirect panic to, -1 means feature is disabled */
+static int panic_force_cpu = -1;
+
+static int __init panic_force_cpu_setup(char *str)
+{
+	int cpu;
+
+	if (!str)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	if (kstrtoint(str, 0, &cpu) || cpu < 0) {
+		pr_warn("panic_force_cpu: invalid value '%s'\n", str);
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+
+	panic_force_cpu = cpu;
+	pr_info("panic_force_cpu: panic will execute on CPU %d\n", cpu);
+	return 0;
+}
+early_param("panic_force_cpu", panic_force_cpu_setup);
+
+static void do_panic_on_target_cpu(void *info)
+{
+	panic("%s", (char *)info);
+}
+
+/**
+ * panic_force_target_cpu - Redirect panic to a specific CPU for crash kernel
+ * @fmt: panic message format string
+ * @args: arguments for format string
+ *
+ * Some platforms require panic handling to occur on a specific CPU
+ * for the crash kernel to function correctly. This function redirects
+ * panic handling to the CPU specified via the panic_redirect_cpu= boot parameter.
+ *
+ * Returns true if panic should proceed on current CPU.
+ * Returns false (never returns) if panic was redirected.
+ */
+__printf(1, 0)
+static bool panic_force_target_cpu(const char *fmt, va_list args)
+{
+	static char panic_redirect_msg[1024];
+	int cpu = raw_smp_processor_id();
+	int target_cpu = panic_force_cpu;
+
+	/* Feature not enabled via boot parameter */
+	if (target_cpu < 0)
+		return true;
+
+	/* Already on target CPU - proceed normally */
+	if (cpu == target_cpu)
+		return true;
+
+	/* Target CPU is offline, can't redirect */
+	if (!cpu_online(target_cpu)) {
+		pr_warn("panic: target CPU %d is offline, proceeding on CPU %d.\n"
+			"Crash kernel interrupts may be unavailable.\n", target_cpu, cpu);
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	/* Another panic already in progress */
+	if (panic_in_progress()) {
+		pr_warn("panic: Another panic in progress on CPU %d, cannot redirect to CPU %d.\n"
+			"Crash kernel interrupts may be unavailable.\n",
+			atomic_read(&panic_cpu), target_cpu);
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	pr_info("panic: Redirecting from CPU %d to CPU %d for crash kernel\n",
+		cpu, target_cpu);
+
+	vsnprintf(panic_redirect_msg, sizeof(panic_redirect_msg), fmt, args);
+
+	smp_call_function_single(target_cpu, do_panic_on_target_cpu, panic_redirect_msg, false);
+
+	return false;
+}
+#else
+__printf(1, 0)
+static inline bool panic_force_target_cpu(const char *fmt, va_list args)
+{
+	return true;
+}
+#endif /* CONFIG_SMP */
+
 bool panic_try_start(void)
 {
 	int old_cpu, this_cpu;
@@ -451,6 +537,13 @@ void vpanic(const char *fmt, va_list args)
 	local_irq_disable();
 	preempt_disable_notrace();
 
+	/*
+	 * Redirect panic to target CPU if configured via panic_force_cpu=.
+	 * Returns false and never returns if panic was redirected.
+	 */
+	if (!panic_force_target_cpu(fmt, args))
+		panic_smp_self_stop();
+
 	/*
 	 * It's possible to come here directly from a panic-assertion and
 	 * not have preempt disabled. Some functions called from here want
-- 
2.43.0

Adding more people into Cc. I doubt that smp_call_function_single()
is reliable in panic().

On Mon 2026-01-05 10:18:08, Pnina Feder wrote:
> Some platforms require panic handling to execute on a specific CPU for
> crash dump to work reliably. This can be due to firmware limitations,
> interrupt routing constraints, or platform-specific requirements where
> only a single CPU is able to safely enter the crash kernel.
> 
> Add support for redirecting panic execution to a designated CPU via a
> kernel command-line parameter. When the parameter is provided, the CPU
> that initially triggers panic forwards the panic context to the target
> CPU, which then proceeds with the normal panic and kexec flow.
> 
> If the specified CPU is invalid, offline, or a panic is already in
> progress on another CPU, the redirection is skipped and panic continues
> on the current CPU.
> 
> Changes since v2:
>  - Make panic redirection warnings generic and platform-agnostic
> 
> Reported-by: kernel test robot <lkp@intel.com>
> Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/oe-kbuild-all/202601041820.6M8cIq2e-lkp@intel.com/
> Signed-off-by: Pnina Feder <pnina.feder@mobileye.com>
> ---
>  kernel/panic.c | 93 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  1 file changed, 93 insertions(+)
> 
> diff --git a/kernel/panic.c b/kernel/panic.c
> index 0d52210a9e2b..6239bcdc2463 100644
> --- a/kernel/panic.c
> +++ b/kernel/panic.c
> @@ -300,6 +300,92 @@ void __weak crash_smp_send_stop(void)
>  
>  atomic_t panic_cpu = ATOMIC_INIT(PANIC_CPU_INVALID);
>  
> +#ifdef CONFIG_SMP
> +/* CPU to redirect panic to, -1 means feature is disabled */
> +static int panic_force_cpu = -1;
> +
> +static int __init panic_force_cpu_setup(char *str)
> +{
> +	int cpu;
> +
> +	if (!str)
> +		return -EINVAL;
> +
> +	if (kstrtoint(str, 0, &cpu) || cpu < 0) {
> +		pr_warn("panic_force_cpu: invalid value '%s'\n", str);
> +		return -EINVAL;
> +	}
> +
> +	panic_force_cpu = cpu;
> +	pr_info("panic_force_cpu: panic will execute on CPU %d\n", cpu);
> +	return 0;
> +}
> +early_param("panic_force_cpu", panic_force_cpu_setup);
> +
> +static void do_panic_on_target_cpu(void *info)
> +{
> +	panic("%s", (char *)info);
> +}
> +
> +/**
> + * panic_force_target_cpu - Redirect panic to a specific CPU for crash kernel
> + * @fmt: panic message format string
> + * @args: arguments for format string
> + *
> + * Some platforms require panic handling to occur on a specific CPU
> + * for the crash kernel to function correctly. This function redirects
> + * panic handling to the CPU specified via the panic_redirect_cpu= boot parameter.
> + *
> + * Returns true if panic should proceed on current CPU.
> + * Returns false (never returns) if panic was redirected.
> + */
> +__printf(1, 0)
> +static bool panic_force_target_cpu(const char *fmt, va_list args)
> +{
> +	static char panic_redirect_msg[1024];
> +	int cpu = raw_smp_processor_id();
> +	int target_cpu = panic_force_cpu;
> +
> +	/* Feature not enabled via boot parameter */
> +	if (target_cpu < 0)
> +		return true;
> +
> +	/* Already on target CPU - proceed normally */
> +	if (cpu == target_cpu)
> +		return true;
> +
> +	/* Target CPU is offline, can't redirect */
> +	if (!cpu_online(target_cpu)) {
> +		pr_warn("panic: target CPU %d is offline, proceeding on CPU %d.\n"
> +			"Crash kernel interrupts may be unavailable.\n", target_cpu, cpu);
> +		return true;
> +	}
> +
> +	/* Another panic already in progress */
> +	if (panic_in_progress()) {
> +		pr_warn("panic: Another panic in progress on CPU %d, cannot redirect to CPU %d.\n"

IMHO, this message does not add much value and should be omitted.
vpanic() does not print any message when panic_try_start() fails.

> +			"Crash kernel interrupts may be unavailable.\n",

I am confused by this message.

> +			atomic_read(&panic_cpu), target_cpu);
> +		return true;
> +	}
> +
> +	pr_info("panic: Redirecting from CPU %d to CPU %d for crash kernel\n",
> +		cpu, target_cpu);
> +
> +	vsnprintf(panic_redirect_msg, sizeof(panic_redirect_msg), fmt, args);

The "redirect" in "panic_redirect_msg" is confusing. It has nothing
to do with redirection. It is just a buffer for the formatted panic
message. I would call it "buf" or "panic_msg".

> +	smp_call_function_single(target_cpu, do_panic_on_target_cpu, panic_redirect_msg, false);

I doubt that this is safe and reliable in panic() context.
For a start, panic() might be called in NMI and this function takes csd_lock().

panic() code should avoid locks. Or is should use trylock and
handle a failure gracefully.

BTW: The commit message says that this is needed for crash-dump
     to work reliably. So, it does not make sense to do this
     when crash-dump is not configured.

     Maybe, crash-dump should get fixed instead?
     What are the exact problems with the crash-dump, please?

> +
> +	return false;
> +}
> +#else
> +__printf(1, 0)
> +static inline bool panic_force_target_cpu(const char *fmt, va_list args)
> +{
> +	return true;
> +}
> +#endif /* CONFIG_SMP */
> +
>  bool panic_try_start(void)
>  {
>  	int old_cpu, this_cpu;
> @@ -451,6 +537,13 @@ void vpanic(const char *fmt, va_list args)
>  	local_irq_disable();
>  	preempt_disable_notrace();
>  
> +	/*
> +	 * Redirect panic to target CPU if configured via panic_force_cpu=.
> +	 * Returns false and never returns if panic was redirected.
> +	 */
> +	if (!panic_force_target_cpu(fmt, args))
> +		panic_smp_self_stop();
> +
>  	/*
>  	 * It's possible to come here directly from a panic-assertion and
>  	 * not have preempt disabled. Some functions called from here want

Best Regards,
Petr

Some platforms require panic handling to execute on a specific CPU for
crash dump to work reliably. This can be due to firmware limitations,
interrupt routing constraints, or platform-specific requirements where
only a single CPU is able to safely enter the crash kernel.

Add the panic_force_cpu= kernel command-line parameter to redirect panic
execution to a designated CPU. When the parameter is provided, the CPU
that initially triggers panic forwards the panic context to the target
CPU via IPI, which then proceeds with the normal panic and kexec flow.

If the specified CPU is invalid, offline, or a panic is already in
progress on another CPU, the redirection is skipped and panic continues
on the current CPU.

Changes since v3:
 - Dump original CPU's stack before redirecting to preserve debug info
 - Add Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt entry
 - Use smp_call_function_single_async() to avoid blocking in csd_lock()
 - Add CONFIG_CRASH_DUMP dependency
 - Reuse vpanic()'s static buffer instead of separate allocation
 - Remove verbose warning messages

Signed-off-by: Pnina Feder <pnina.feder@mobileye.com>
---
 .../admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt         |  13 +++
 kernel/panic.c                                | 104 ++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 117 insertions(+)

diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
index a8d0afde7f85..561ce09a6ae1 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
@@ -4753,6 +4753,19 @@ Kernel parameters
 	panic_on_warn=1	panic() instead of WARN().  Useful to cause kdump
 			on a WARN().
 
+	panic_force_cpu=
+			[KNL,SMP] Force panic handling to execute on a specific CPU.
+			Format: <cpu number>
+			Some platforms require panic handling to occur on a
+			specific CPU for the crash kernel to function correctly.
+			This can be due to firmware limitations, interrupt routing
+			constraints, or platform-specific requirements where only
+			a particular CPU can safely enter the crash kernel.
+			When set, panic() will redirect execution to the specified
+			CPU before proceeding with the normal panic and kexec flow.
+			If the target CPU is offline or unavailable, panic proceeds
+			on the current CPU.
+
 	panic_print=	Bitmask for printing system info when panic happens.
 			User can chose combination of the following bits:
 			bit 0: print all tasks info
diff --git a/kernel/panic.c b/kernel/panic.c
index 0d52210a9e2b..414ef60d2306 100644
--- a/kernel/panic.c
+++ b/kernel/panic.c
@@ -300,6 +300,103 @@ void __weak crash_smp_send_stop(void)
 
 atomic_t panic_cpu = ATOMIC_INIT(PANIC_CPU_INVALID);
 
+#if defined(CONFIG_SMP) && defined(CONFIG_CRASH_DUMP)
+/* CPU to redirect panic to, or -1 if disabled */
+static int panic_force_cpu = -1;
+static call_single_data_t panic_csd;
+
+static int __init panic_force_cpu_setup(char *str)
+{
+	int cpu;
+
+	if (!str)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	if (kstrtoint(str, 0, &cpu) || cpu < 0) {
+		pr_warn("panic_force_cpu: invalid value '%s'\n", str);
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+
+	panic_force_cpu = cpu;
+	return 0;
+}
+early_param("panic_force_cpu", panic_force_cpu_setup);
+
+static void do_panic_on_target_cpu(void *info)
+{
+	panic("%s", (char *)info);
+}
+
+/**
+ * panic_force_target_cpu - Redirect panic to a specific CPU for crash kernel
+ * @fmt: panic message format string
+ * @args: arguments for format string
+ *
+ * Some platforms require panic handling to occur on a specific CPU
+ * for the crash kernel to function correctly. This function redirects
+ * panic handling to the CPU specified via the panic_redirect_cpu= boot parameter.
+ *
+ * Returns true if panic should proceed on current CPU.
+ * Returns false (never returns) if panic was redirected.
+ */
+__printf(3, 0)
+static bool panic_force_target_cpu(char *buf, int buf_size, const char *fmt, va_list args)
+{
+	int cpu = raw_smp_processor_id();
+	int target_cpu = panic_force_cpu;
+
+	/* Feature not enabled via boot parameter */
+	if (target_cpu < 0)
+		return true;
+
+	/* Already on target CPU - proceed normally */
+	if (cpu == target_cpu)
+		return true;
+
+	/* Target CPU is offline, can't redirect */
+	if (!cpu_online(target_cpu))
+		return true;
+
+	/* Another panic already in progress */
+	if (panic_in_progress())
+		return true;
+
+	vsnprintf(buf, buf_size, fmt, args);
+
+	console_verbose();
+	bust_spinlocks(1);
+
+	pr_emerg("panic: Redirecting from CPU %d to CPU %d for crash kernel\n",
+		cpu, target_cpu);
+
+	/* Dump original CPU's stack before redirecting */
+	if (test_taint(TAINT_DIE) || oops_in_progress > 1) {
+		panic_this_cpu_backtrace_printed = true;
+	} else if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_DEBUG_BUGVERBOSE)) {
+		dump_stack();
+		panic_this_cpu_backtrace_printed = true;
+	}
+
+	printk_legacy_allow_panic_sync();
+	console_flush_on_panic(CONSOLE_FLUSH_PENDING);
+
+	panic_csd.func = do_panic_on_target_cpu;
+	panic_csd.info = buf;
+
+	/* Use smp_call_function_single_async() to avoid blocking in csd_lock(). */
+	if (smp_call_function_single_async(target_cpu, &panic_csd) != 0)
+		return true;
+
+	return false;
+}
+#else
+__printf(3, 0)
+static inline bool panic_force_target_cpu(char *buf, int buf_size, const char *fmt, va_list args)
+{
+	return true;
+}
+#endif /* CONFIG_SMP && CONFIG CRASH_DUMP */
+
 bool panic_try_start(void)
 {
 	int old_cpu, this_cpu;
@@ -451,6 +548,13 @@ void vpanic(const char *fmt, va_list args)
 	local_irq_disable();
 	preempt_disable_notrace();
 
+	/*
+	 * Redirect panic to target CPU if configured via panic_force_cpu=.
+	 * Returns false and never returns if panic was redirected.
+	 */
+	if (!panic_force_target_cpu(buf, sizeof(buf), fmt, args))
+		panic_smp_self_stop();
+
 	/*
 	 * It's possible to come here directly from a panic-assertion and
 	 * not have preempt disabled. Some functions called from here want
-- 
2.43.0