xref: /linux/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/kernel.rst (revision 033bee3e49631bd0c7e081aeafeadc7623495107)
1===================================
2Documentation for /proc/sys/kernel/
3===================================
4
5.. See scripts/check-sysctl-docs to keep this up to date
6
7
8Copyright (c) 1998, 1999,  Rik van Riel <riel@nl.linux.org>
9
10Copyright (c) 2009,        Shen Feng<shen@cn.fujitsu.com>
11
12For general info and legal blurb, please look in
13Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/index.rst.
14
15------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16
17This file contains documentation for the sysctl files in
18``/proc/sys/kernel/``.
19
20The files in this directory can be used to tune and monitor
21miscellaneous and general things in the operation of the Linux
22kernel. Since some of the files *can* be used to screw up your
23system, it is advisable to read both documentation and source
24before actually making adjustments.
25
26Currently, these files might (depending on your configuration)
27show up in ``/proc/sys/kernel``:
28
29.. contents:: :local:
30
31
32acct
33====
34
35::
36
37    highwater lowwater frequency
38
39If BSD-style process accounting is enabled these values control
40its behaviour. If free space on filesystem where the log lives
41goes below ``lowwater``\ % accounting suspends. If free space gets
42above ``highwater``\ % accounting resumes. ``frequency`` determines
43how often do we check the amount of free space (value is in
44seconds). Default:
45
46::
47
48    4 2 30
49
50That is, suspend accounting if free space drops below 2%; resume it
51if it increases to at least 4%; consider information about amount of
52free space valid for 30 seconds.
53
54
55acpi_video_flags
56================
57
58See Documentation/power/video.rst. This allows the video resume mode to be set,
59in a similar fashion to the ``acpi_sleep`` kernel parameter, by
60combining the following values:
61
62= =======
631 s3_bios
642 s3_mode
654 s3_beep
66= =======
67
68arch
69====
70
71The machine hardware name, the same output as ``uname -m``
72(e.g. ``x86_64`` or ``aarch64``).
73
74auto_msgmni
75===========
76
77This variable has no effect and may be removed in future kernel
78releases. Reading it always returns 0.
79Up to Linux 3.17, it enabled/disabled automatic recomputing of
80`msgmni`_
81upon memory add/remove or upon IPC namespace creation/removal.
82Echoing "1" into this file enabled msgmni automatic recomputing.
83Echoing "0" turned it off. The default value was 1.
84
85
86bootloader_type (x86 only)
87==========================
88
89This gives the bootloader type number as indicated by the bootloader,
90shifted left by 4, and OR'd with the low four bits of the bootloader
91version.  The reason for this encoding is that this used to match the
92``type_of_loader`` field in the kernel header; the encoding is kept for
93backwards compatibility.  That is, if the full bootloader type number
94is 0x15 and the full version number is 0x234, this file will contain
95the value 340 = 0x154.
96
97See the ``type_of_loader`` and ``ext_loader_type`` fields in
98Documentation/arch/x86/boot.rst for additional information.
99
100
101bootloader_version (x86 only)
102=============================
103
104The complete bootloader version number.  In the example above, this
105file will contain the value 564 = 0x234.
106
107See the ``type_of_loader`` and ``ext_loader_ver`` fields in
108Documentation/arch/x86/boot.rst for additional information.
109
110
111bpf_stats_enabled
112=================
113
114Controls whether the kernel should collect statistics on BPF programs
115(total time spent running, number of times run...). Enabling
116statistics causes a slight reduction in performance on each program
117run. The statistics can be seen using ``bpftool``.
118
119= ===================================
1200 Don't collect statistics (default).
1211 Collect statistics.
122= ===================================
123
124
125cad_pid
126=======
127
128This is the pid which will be signalled on reboot (notably, by
129Ctrl-Alt-Delete). Writing a value to this file which doesn't
130correspond to a running process will result in ``-ESRCH``.
131
132See also `ctrl-alt-del`_.
133
134
135cap_last_cap
136============
137
138Highest valid capability of the running kernel.  Exports
139``CAP_LAST_CAP`` from the kernel.
140
141
142.. _core_pattern:
143
144core_pattern
145============
146
147``core_pattern`` is used to specify a core dumpfile pattern name.
148
149* max length 127 characters; default value is "core"
150* ``core_pattern`` is used as a pattern template for the output
151  filename; certain string patterns (beginning with '%') are
152  substituted with their actual values.
153* backward compatibility with ``core_uses_pid``:
154
155	If ``core_pattern`` does not include "%p" (default does not)
156	and ``core_uses_pid`` is set, then .PID will be appended to
157	the filename.
158
159* corename format specifiers
160
161	========	==========================================
162	%<NUL>		'%' is dropped
163	%%		output one '%'
164	%p		pid
165	%P		global pid (init PID namespace)
166	%i		tid
167	%I		global tid (init PID namespace)
168	%u		uid (in initial user namespace)
169	%g		gid (in initial user namespace)
170	%d		dump mode, matches ``PR_SET_DUMPABLE`` and
171			``/proc/sys/fs/suid_dumpable``
172	%s		signal number
173	%t		UNIX time of dump
174	%h		hostname
175	%e		executable filename (may be shortened, could be changed by prctl etc)
176	%f      	executable filename
177	%E		executable path
178	%c		maximum size of core file by resource limit RLIMIT_CORE
179	%C		CPU the task ran on
180	%F		pidfd number
181	%<OTHER>	both are dropped
182	========	==========================================
183
184* If the first character of the pattern is a '|', the kernel will treat
185  the rest of the pattern as a command to run.  The core dump will be
186  written to the standard input of that program instead of to a file.
187
188
189core_pipe_limit
190===============
191
192This sysctl is only applicable when `core_pattern`_ is configured to
193pipe core files to a user space helper (when the first character of
194``core_pattern`` is a '|', see above).
195When collecting cores via a pipe to an application, it is occasionally
196useful for the collecting application to gather data about the
197crashing process from its ``/proc/pid`` directory.
198In order to do this safely, the kernel must wait for the collecting
199process to exit, so as not to remove the crashing processes proc files
200prematurely.
201This in turn creates the possibility that a misbehaving userspace
202collecting process can block the reaping of a crashed process simply
203by never exiting.
204This sysctl defends against that.
205It defines how many concurrent crashing processes may be piped to user
206space applications in parallel.
207If this value is exceeded, then those crashing processes above that
208value are noted via the kernel log and their cores are skipped.
2090 is a special value, indicating that unlimited processes may be
210captured in parallel, but that no waiting will take place (i.e. the
211collecting process is not guaranteed access to ``/proc/<crashing
212pid>/``).
213This value defaults to 0.
214
215
216core_sort_vma
217=============
218
219The default coredump writes VMAs in address order. By setting
220``core_sort_vma`` to 1, VMAs will be written from smallest size
221to largest size. This is known to break at least elfutils, but
222can be handy when dealing with very large (and truncated)
223coredumps where the more useful debugging details are included
224in the smaller VMAs.
225
226
227core_uses_pid
228=============
229
230The default coredump filename is "core".  By setting
231``core_uses_pid`` to 1, the coredump filename becomes core.PID.
232If `core_pattern`_ does not include "%p" (default does not)
233and ``core_uses_pid`` is set, then .PID will be appended to
234the filename.
235
236
237ctrl-alt-del
238============
239
240When the value in this file is 0, ctrl-alt-del is trapped and
241sent to the ``init(1)`` program to handle a graceful restart.
242When, however, the value is > 0, Linux's reaction to a Vulcan
243Nerve Pinch (tm) will be an immediate reboot, without even
244syncing its dirty buffers.
245
246Note:
247  when a program (like dosemu) has the keyboard in 'raw'
248  mode, the ctrl-alt-del is intercepted by the program before it
249  ever reaches the kernel tty layer, and it's up to the program
250  to decide what to do with it.
251
252
253dmesg_restrict
254==============
255
256This toggle indicates whether unprivileged users are prevented
257from using ``dmesg(8)`` to view messages from the kernel's log
258buffer.
259When ``dmesg_restrict`` is set to 0 there are no restrictions.
260When ``dmesg_restrict`` is set to 1, users must have
261``CAP_SYSLOG`` to use ``dmesg(8)``.
262
263The kernel config option ``CONFIG_SECURITY_DMESG_RESTRICT`` sets the
264default value of ``dmesg_restrict``.
265
266
267domainname & hostname
268=====================
269
270These files can be used to set the NIS/YP domainname and the
271hostname of your box in exactly the same way as the commands
272domainname and hostname, i.e.::
273
274	# echo "darkstar" > /proc/sys/kernel/hostname
275	# echo "mydomain" > /proc/sys/kernel/domainname
276
277has the same effect as::
278
279	# hostname "darkstar"
280	# domainname "mydomain"
281
282Note, however, that the classic darkstar.frop.org has the
283hostname "darkstar" and DNS (Internet Domain Name Server)
284domainname "frop.org", not to be confused with the NIS (Network
285Information Service) or YP (Yellow Pages) domainname. These two
286domain names are in general different. For a detailed discussion
287see the ``hostname(1)`` man page.
288
289
290firmware_config
291===============
292
293See Documentation/driver-api/firmware/fallback-mechanisms.rst.
294
295The entries in this directory allow the firmware loader helper
296fallback to be controlled:
297
298* ``force_sysfs_fallback``, when set to 1, forces the use of the
299  fallback;
300* ``ignore_sysfs_fallback``, when set to 1, ignores any fallback.
301
302
303ftrace_dump_on_oops
304===================
305
306Determines whether ``ftrace_dump()`` should be called on an oops (or
307kernel panic). This will output the contents of the ftrace buffers to
308the console.  This is very useful for capturing traces that lead to
309crashes and outputting them to a serial console.
310
311======================= ===========================================
3120                       Disabled (default).
3131                       Dump buffers of all CPUs.
3142(orig_cpu)             Dump the buffer of the CPU that triggered the
315                        oops.
316<instance>              Dump the specific instance buffer on all CPUs.
317<instance>=2(orig_cpu)  Dump the specific instance buffer on the CPU
318                        that triggered the oops.
319======================= ===========================================
320
321Multiple instance dump is also supported, and instances are separated
322by commas. If global buffer also needs to be dumped, please specify
323the dump mode (1/2/orig_cpu) first for global buffer.
324
325So for example to dump "foo" and "bar" instance buffer on all CPUs,
326user can::
327
328  echo "foo,bar" > /proc/sys/kernel/ftrace_dump_on_oops
329
330To dump global buffer and "foo" instance buffer on all
331CPUs along with the "bar" instance buffer on CPU that triggered the
332oops, user can::
333
334  echo "1,foo,bar=2" > /proc/sys/kernel/ftrace_dump_on_oops
335
336ftrace_enabled, stack_tracer_enabled
337====================================
338
339See Documentation/trace/ftrace.rst.
340
341
342hardlockup_all_cpu_backtrace
343============================
344
345This value controls the hard lockup detector behavior when a hard
346lockup condition is detected as to whether or not to gather further
347debug information. If enabled, arch-specific all-CPU stack dumping
348will be initiated.
349
350= ============================================
3510 Do nothing. This is the default behavior.
3521 On detection capture more debug information.
353= ============================================
354
355
356hardlockup_panic
357================
358
359This parameter can be used to control whether the kernel panics
360when a hard lockup is detected.
361
362= ===========================
3630 Don't panic on hard lockup.
3641 Panic on hard lockup.
365= ===========================
366
367See Documentation/admin-guide/lockup-watchdogs.rst for more information.
368This can also be set using the nmi_watchdog kernel parameter.
369
370
371hotplug
372=======
373
374Path for the hotplug policy agent.
375Default value is ``CONFIG_UEVENT_HELPER_PATH``, which in turn defaults
376to the empty string.
377
378This file only exists when ``CONFIG_UEVENT_HELPER`` is enabled. Most
379modern systems rely exclusively on the netlink-based uevent source and
380don't need this.
381
382
383hung_task_all_cpu_backtrace
384===========================
385
386If this option is set, the kernel will send an NMI to all CPUs to dump
387their backtraces when a hung task is detected. This file shows up if
388CONFIG_DETECT_HUNG_TASK and CONFIG_SMP are enabled.
389
3900: Won't show all CPUs backtraces when a hung task is detected.
391This is the default behavior.
392
3931: Will non-maskably interrupt all CPUs and dump their backtraces when
394a hung task is detected.
395
396
397hung_task_panic
398===============
399
400When set to a non-zero value, a kernel panic will be triggered if the
401number of hung tasks found during a single scan reaches this value.
402This file shows up if ``CONFIG_DETECT_HUNG_TASK`` is enabled.
403
404= =======================================================
4050 Continue operation. This is the default behavior.
406N Panic when N hung tasks are found during a single scan.
407= =======================================================
408
409
410hung_task_check_count
411=====================
412
413The upper bound on the number of tasks that are checked.
414This file shows up if ``CONFIG_DETECT_HUNG_TASK`` is enabled.
415
416
417hung_task_detect_count
418======================
419
420Indicates the total number of tasks that have been detected as hung since
421the system boot or since the counter was reset. The counter is zeroed when
422a value of 0 is written.
423
424This file shows up if ``CONFIG_DETECT_HUNG_TASK`` is enabled.
425
426hung_task_sys_info
427==================
428A comma separated list of extra system information to be dumped when
429hung task is detected, for example, "tasks,mem,timers,locks,...".
430Refer 'panic_sys_info' section below for more details.
431
432hung_task_timeout_secs
433======================
434
435When a task in D state did not get scheduled
436for more than this value report a warning.
437This file shows up if ``CONFIG_DETECT_HUNG_TASK`` is enabled.
438
4390 means infinite timeout, no checking is done.
440
441Possible values to set are in range {0:``LONG_MAX``/``HZ``}.
442
443
444hung_task_check_interval_secs
445=============================
446
447Hung task check interval. If hung task checking is enabled
448(see `hung_task_timeout_secs`_), the check is done every
449``hung_task_check_interval_secs`` seconds.
450This file shows up if ``CONFIG_DETECT_HUNG_TASK`` is enabled.
451
4520 (default) means use ``hung_task_timeout_secs`` as checking
453interval.
454
455Possible values to set are in range {0:``LONG_MAX``/``HZ``}.
456
457
458hung_task_warnings
459==================
460
461The maximum number of warnings to report. During a check interval
462if a hung task is detected, this value is decreased by 1.
463When this value reaches 0, no more warnings will be reported.
464This file shows up if ``CONFIG_DETECT_HUNG_TASK`` is enabled.
465
466-1: report an infinite number of warnings.
467
468
469hyperv_record_panic_msg
470=======================
471
472Controls whether the panic kmsg data should be reported to Hyper-V.
473
474= =========================================================
4750 Do not report panic kmsg data.
4761 Report the panic kmsg data. This is the default behavior.
477= =========================================================
478
479
480ignore-unaligned-usertrap
481=========================
482
483On architectures where unaligned accesses cause traps, and where this
484feature is supported (``CONFIG_SYSCTL_ARCH_UNALIGN_NO_WARN``;
485currently, ``arc``, ``parisc`` and ``loongarch``), controls whether all
486unaligned traps are logged.
487
488= =============================================================
4890 Log all unaligned accesses.
4901 Only warn the first time a process traps. This is the default
491  setting.
492= =============================================================
493
494See also `unaligned-trap`_.
495
496io_uring_disabled
497=================
498
499Prevents all processes from creating new io_uring instances. Enabling this
500shrinks the kernel's attack surface.
501
502= ======================================================================
5030 All processes can create io_uring instances as normal. This is the
504  default setting.
5051 io_uring creation is disabled (io_uring_setup() will fail with
506  -EPERM) for unprivileged processes not in the io_uring_group group.
507  Existing io_uring instances can still be used.  See the
508  documentation for io_uring_group for more information.
5092 io_uring creation is disabled for all processes. io_uring_setup()
510  always fails with -EPERM. Existing io_uring instances can still be
511  used.
512= ======================================================================
513
514
515io_uring_group
516==============
517
518When io_uring_disabled is set to 1, a process must either be
519privileged (CAP_SYS_ADMIN) or be in the io_uring_group group in order
520to create an io_uring instance.  If io_uring_group is set to -1 (the
521default), only processes with the CAP_SYS_ADMIN capability may create
522io_uring instances.
523
524
525kernel_sys_info
526===============
527A comma separated list of extra system information to be dumped when
528soft/hard lockup is detected, for example, "tasks,mem,timers,locks,...".
529Refer 'panic_sys_info' section below for more details.
530
531It serves as the default kernel control knob, which will take effect
532when a kernel module calls sys_info() with parameter==0.
533
534kexec_load_disabled
535===================
536
537A toggle indicating if the syscalls ``kexec_load`` and
538``kexec_file_load`` have been disabled.
539This value defaults to 0 (false: ``kexec_*load`` enabled), but can be
540set to 1 (true: ``kexec_*load`` disabled).
541Once true, kexec can no longer be used, and the toggle cannot be set
542back to false.
543This allows a kexec image to be loaded before disabling the syscall,
544allowing a system to set up (and later use) an image without it being
545altered.
546Generally used together with the `modules_disabled`_ sysctl.
547
548kexec_load_limit_panic
549======================
550
551This parameter specifies a limit to the number of times the syscalls
552``kexec_load`` and ``kexec_file_load`` can be called with a crash
553image. It can only be set with a more restrictive value than the
554current one.
555
556== ======================================================
557-1 Unlimited calls to kexec. This is the default setting.
558N  Number of calls left.
559== ======================================================
560
561kexec_load_limit_reboot
562=======================
563
564Similar functionality as ``kexec_load_limit_panic``, but for a normal
565image.
566
567kptr_restrict
568=============
569
570This toggle indicates whether restrictions are placed on
571exposing kernel addresses via ``/proc`` and other interfaces.
572
573When ``kptr_restrict`` is set to 0 (the default) the address is hashed
574before printing.
575(This is the equivalent to %p.)
576
577When ``kptr_restrict`` is set to 1, kernel pointers printed using the
578%pK format specifier will be replaced with 0s unless the user has
579``CAP_SYSLOG`` and effective user and group ids are equal to the real
580ids.
581This is because %pK checks are done at read() time rather than open()
582time, so if permissions are elevated between the open() and the read()
583(e.g via a setuid binary) then %pK will not leak kernel pointers to
584unprivileged users.
585Note, this is a temporary solution only.
586The correct long-term solution is to do the permission checks at
587open() time.
588Consider removing world read permissions from files that use %pK, and
589using `dmesg_restrict`_ to protect against uses of %pK in ``dmesg(8)``
590if leaking kernel pointer values to unprivileged users is a concern.
591
592When ``kptr_restrict`` is set to 2, kernel pointers printed using
593%pK will be replaced with 0s regardless of privileges.
594
595For disabling these security restrictions early at boot time (and once
596for all), use the ``hash_pointers`` boot parameter instead.
597
598softlockup_sys_info & hardlockup_sys_info
599=========================================
600A comma separated list of extra system information to be dumped when
601soft/hard lockup is detected, for example, "tasks,mem,timers,locks,...".
602Refer 'panic_sys_info' section below for more details.
603
604modprobe
605========
606
607The full path to the usermode helper for autoloading kernel modules,
608by default ``CONFIG_MODPROBE_PATH``, which in turn defaults to
609"/sbin/modprobe".  This binary is executed when the kernel requests a
610module.  For example, if userspace passes an unknown filesystem type
611to mount(), then the kernel will automatically request the
612corresponding filesystem module by executing this usermode helper.
613This usermode helper should insert the needed module into the kernel.
614
615This sysctl only affects module autoloading.  It has no effect on the
616ability to explicitly insert modules.
617
618This sysctl can be used to debug module loading requests::
619
620    echo '#! /bin/sh' > /tmp/modprobe
621    echo 'echo "$@" >> /tmp/modprobe.log' >> /tmp/modprobe
622    echo 'exec /sbin/modprobe "$@"' >> /tmp/modprobe
623    chmod a+x /tmp/modprobe
624    echo /tmp/modprobe > /proc/sys/kernel/modprobe
625
626Alternatively, if this sysctl is set to the empty string, then module
627autoloading is completely disabled.  The kernel will not try to
628execute a usermode helper at all, nor will it call the
629kernel_module_request LSM hook.
630
631If CONFIG_STATIC_USERMODEHELPER=y is set in the kernel configuration,
632then the configured static usermode helper overrides this sysctl,
633except that the empty string is still accepted to completely disable
634module autoloading as described above.
635
636modules_disabled
637================
638
639A toggle value indicating if modules are allowed to be loaded
640in an otherwise modular kernel.  This toggle defaults to off
641(0), but can be set true (1).  Once true, modules can be
642neither loaded nor unloaded, and the toggle cannot be set back
643to false.  Generally used with the `kexec_load_disabled`_ toggle.
644
645
646.. _msgmni:
647
648msgmax, msgmnb, and msgmni
649==========================
650
651``msgmax`` is the maximum size of an IPC message, in bytes. 8192 by
652default (``MSGMAX``).
653
654``msgmnb`` is the maximum size of an IPC queue, in bytes. 16384 by
655default (``MSGMNB``).
656
657``msgmni`` is the maximum number of IPC queues. 32000 by default
658(``MSGMNI``).
659
660All of these parameters are set per ipc namespace. The maximum number of bytes
661in POSIX message queues is limited by ``RLIMIT_MSGQUEUE``. This limit is
662respected hierarchically in the each user namespace.
663
664msg_next_id, sem_next_id, and shm_next_id (System V IPC)
665========================================================
666
667These three toggles allows to specify desired id for next allocated IPC
668object: message, semaphore or shared memory respectively.
669
670By default they are equal to -1, which means generic allocation logic.
671Possible values to set are in range {0:``INT_MAX``}.
672
673Notes:
674  1) kernel doesn't guarantee, that new object will have desired id. So,
675     it's up to userspace, how to handle an object with "wrong" id.
676  2) Toggle with non-default value will be set back to -1 by kernel after
677     successful IPC object allocation. If an IPC object allocation syscall
678     fails, it is undefined if the value remains unmodified or is reset to -1.
679
680
681ngroups_max
682===========
683
684Maximum number of supplementary groups, _i.e._ the maximum size which
685``setgroups`` will accept. Exports ``NGROUPS_MAX`` from the kernel.
686
687
688
689nmi_watchdog
690============
691
692This parameter can be used to control the NMI watchdog
693(i.e. the hard lockup detector) on x86 systems.
694
695= =================================
6960 Disable the hard lockup detector.
6971 Enable the hard lockup detector.
698= =================================
699
700The hard lockup detector monitors each CPU for its ability to respond to
701timer interrupts. The mechanism utilizes CPU performance counter registers
702that are programmed to generate Non-Maskable Interrupts (NMIs) periodically
703while a CPU is busy. Hence, the alternative name 'NMI watchdog'.
704
705The NMI watchdog is disabled by default if the kernel is running as a guest
706in a KVM virtual machine. This default can be overridden by adding::
707
708   nmi_watchdog=1
709
710to the guest kernel command line (see
711Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst).
712
713
714nmi_wd_lpm_factor (PPC only)
715============================
716
717Factor to apply to the NMI watchdog timeout (only when ``nmi_watchdog`` is
718set to 1). This factor represents the percentage added to
719``watchdog_thresh`` when calculating the NMI watchdog timeout during an
720LPM. The soft lockup timeout is not impacted.
721
722A value of 0 means no change. The default value is 200 meaning the NMI
723watchdog is set to 30s (based on ``watchdog_thresh`` equal to 10).
724
725
726numa_balancing
727==============
728
729Enables/disables and configures automatic page fault based NUMA memory
730balancing.  Memory is moved automatically to nodes that access it often.
731The value to set can be the result of ORing the following:
732
733= =================================
7340 NUMA_BALANCING_DISABLED
7351 NUMA_BALANCING_NORMAL
7362 NUMA_BALANCING_MEMORY_TIERING
737= =================================
738
739Or NUMA_BALANCING_NORMAL to optimize page placement among different
740NUMA nodes to reduce remote accessing.  On NUMA machines, there is a
741performance penalty if remote memory is accessed by a CPU. When this
742feature is enabled the kernel samples what task thread is accessing
743memory by periodically unmapping pages and later trapping a page
744fault. At the time of the page fault, it is determined if the data
745being accessed should be migrated to a local memory node.
746
747The unmapping of pages and trapping faults incur additional overhead that
748ideally is offset by improved memory locality but there is no universal
749guarantee. If the target workload is already bound to NUMA nodes then this
750feature should be disabled.
751
752Or NUMA_BALANCING_MEMORY_TIERING to optimize page placement among
753different types of memory (represented as different NUMA nodes) to
754place the hot pages in the fast memory.  This is implemented based on
755unmapping and page fault too.
756
757numa_balancing_promote_rate_limit_MBps
758======================================
759
760Too high promotion/demotion throughput between different memory types
761may hurt application latency.  This can be used to rate limit the
762promotion throughput.  The per-node max promotion throughput in MB/s
763will be limited to be no more than the set value.
764
765A rule of thumb is to set this to less than 1/10 of the PMEM node
766write bandwidth.
767
768oops_all_cpu_backtrace
769======================
770
771If this option is set, the kernel will send an NMI to all CPUs to dump
772their backtraces when an oops event occurs. It should be used as a last
773resort in case a panic cannot be triggered (to protect VMs running, for
774example) or kdump can't be collected. This file shows up if CONFIG_SMP
775is enabled.
776
7770: Won't show all CPUs backtraces when an oops is detected.
778This is the default behavior.
779
7801: Will non-maskably interrupt all CPUs and dump their backtraces when
781an oops event is detected.
782
783
784oops_limit
785==========
786
787Number of kernel oopses after which the kernel should panic when
788``panic_on_oops`` is not set. Setting this to 0 disables checking
789the count. Setting this to  1 has the same effect as setting
790``panic_on_oops=1``. The default value is 10000.
791
792
793osrelease, ostype & version
794===========================
795
796::
797
798  # cat osrelease
799  2.1.88
800  # cat ostype
801  Linux
802  # cat version
803  #5 Wed Feb 25 21:49:24 MET 1998
804
805The files ``osrelease`` and ``ostype`` should be clear enough.
806``version``
807needs a little more clarification however. The '#5' means that
808this is the fifth kernel built from this source base and the
809date behind it indicates the time the kernel was built.
810The only way to tune these values is to rebuild the kernel :-)
811
812
813overflowgid & overflowuid
814=========================
815
816if your architecture did not always support 32-bit UIDs (i.e. arm,
817i386, m68k, sh, and sparc32), a fixed UID and GID will be returned to
818applications that use the old 16-bit UID/GID system calls, if the
819actual UID or GID would exceed 65535.
820
821These sysctls allow you to change the value of the fixed UID and GID.
822The default is 65534.
823
824
825panic
826=====
827
828The value in this file determines the behaviour of the kernel on a
829panic:
830
831* if zero, the kernel will loop forever;
832* if negative, the kernel will reboot immediately;
833* if positive, the kernel will reboot after the corresponding number
834  of seconds.
835
836When you use the software watchdog, the recommended setting is 60.
837
838
839panic_on_io_nmi
840===============
841
842Controls the kernel's behavior when a CPU receives an NMI caused by
843an IO error.
844
845= ==================================================================
8460 Try to continue operation (default).
8471 Panic immediately. The IO error triggered an NMI. This indicates a
848  serious system condition which could result in IO data corruption.
849  Rather than continuing, panicking might be a better choice. Some
850  servers issue this sort of NMI when the dump button is pushed,
851  and you can use this option to take a crash dump.
852= ==================================================================
853
854
855panic_on_oops
856=============
857
858Controls the kernel's behaviour when an oops or BUG is encountered.
859
860= ===================================================================
8610 Try to continue operation.
8621 Panic immediately.  If the `panic` sysctl is also non-zero then the
863  machine will be rebooted.
864= ===================================================================
865
866
867panic_on_stackoverflow
868======================
869
870Controls the kernel's behavior when detecting the overflows of
871kernel, IRQ and exception stacks except a user stack.
872This file shows up if ``CONFIG_DEBUG_STACKOVERFLOW`` is enabled.
873
874= ==========================
8750 Try to continue operation.
8761 Panic immediately.
877= ==========================
878
879
880panic_on_unrecovered_nmi
881========================
882
883The default Linux behaviour on an NMI of either memory or unknown is
884to continue operation. For many environments such as scientific
885computing it is preferable that the box is taken out and the error
886dealt with than an uncorrected parity/ECC error get propagated.
887
888A small number of systems do generate NMIs for bizarre random reasons
889such as power management so the default is off. That sysctl works like
890the existing panic controls already in that directory.
891
892
893panic_on_warn
894=============
895
896Calls panic() in the WARN() path when set to 1.  This is useful to avoid
897a kernel rebuild when attempting to kdump at the location of a WARN().
898
899= ================================================
9000 Only WARN(), default behaviour.
9011 Call panic() after printing out WARN() location.
902= ================================================
903
904
905panic_print
906===========
907
908Bitmask for printing system info when panic happens. User can chose
909combination of the following bits:
910
911=====  ============================================
912bit 0  print all tasks info
913bit 1  print system memory info
914bit 2  print timer info
915bit 3  print locks info if ``CONFIG_LOCKDEP`` is on
916bit 4  print ftrace buffer
917bit 5  replay all kernel messages on consoles at the end of panic
918bit 6  print all CPUs backtrace (if available in the arch)
919bit 7  print only tasks in uninterruptible (blocked) state
920=====  ============================================
921
922So for example to print tasks and memory info on panic, user can::
923
924  echo 3 > /proc/sys/kernel/panic_print
925
926
927panic_sys_info
928==============
929
930A comma separated list of extra information to be dumped on panic,
931for example, "tasks,mem,timers,...".  It is a human readable alternative
932to 'panic_print'. Possible values are:
933
934=============   ===================================================
935tasks           print all tasks info
936mem             print system memory info
937timers          print timers info
938locks           print locks info if CONFIG_LOCKDEP is on
939ftrace          print ftrace buffer
940all_bt          print all CPUs backtrace (if available in the arch)
941blocked_tasks   print only tasks in uninterruptible (blocked) state
942=============   ===================================================
943
944
945panic_on_rcu_stall
946==================
947
948When set to 1, calls panic() after RCU stall detection messages. This
949is useful to define the root cause of RCU stalls using a vmcore.
950
951= ============================================================
9520 Do not panic() when RCU stall takes place, default behavior.
9531 panic() after printing RCU stall messages.
954= ============================================================
955
956max_rcu_stall_to_panic
957======================
958
959When ``panic_on_rcu_stall`` is set to 1, this value determines the
960number of times that RCU can stall before panic() is called.
961
962When ``panic_on_rcu_stall`` is set to 0, this value is has no effect.
963
964perf_cpu_time_max_percent
965=========================
966
967Hints to the kernel how much CPU time it should be allowed to
968use to handle perf sampling events.  If the perf subsystem
969is informed that its samples are exceeding this limit, it
970will drop its sampling frequency to attempt to reduce its CPU
971usage.
972
973Some perf sampling happens in NMIs.  If these samples
974unexpectedly take too long to execute, the NMIs can become
975stacked up next to each other so much that nothing else is
976allowed to execute.
977
978===== ========================================================
9790     Disable the mechanism.  Do not monitor or correct perf's
980      sampling rate no matter how CPU time it takes.
981
9821-100 Attempt to throttle perf's sample rate to this
983      percentage of CPU.  Note: the kernel calculates an
984      "expected" length of each sample event.  100 here means
985      100% of that expected length.  Even if this is set to
986      100, you may still see sample throttling if this
987      length is exceeded.  Set to 0 if you truly do not care
988      how much CPU is consumed.
989===== ========================================================
990
991
992perf_event_paranoid
993===================
994
995Controls use of the performance events system by unprivileged
996users (without CAP_PERFMON).  The default value is 2.
997
998For backward compatibility reasons access to system performance
999monitoring and observability remains open for CAP_SYS_ADMIN
1000privileged processes but CAP_SYS_ADMIN usage for secure system
1001performance monitoring and observability operations is discouraged
1002with respect to CAP_PERFMON use cases.
1003
1004===  ==================================================================
1005 -1  Allow use of (almost) all events by all users.
1006
1007     Ignore mlock limit after perf_event_mlock_kb without
1008     ``CAP_IPC_LOCK``.
1009
1010>=0  Disallow ftrace function tracepoint by users without
1011     ``CAP_PERFMON``.
1012
1013     Disallow raw tracepoint access by users without ``CAP_PERFMON``.
1014
1015>=1  Disallow CPU event access by users without ``CAP_PERFMON``.
1016
1017>=2  Disallow kernel profiling by users without ``CAP_PERFMON``.
1018===  ==================================================================
1019
1020
1021perf_event_max_stack
1022====================
1023
1024Controls maximum number of stack frames to copy for (``attr.sample_type &
1025PERF_SAMPLE_CALLCHAIN``) configured events, for instance, when using
1026'``perf record -g``' or '``perf trace --call-graph fp``'.
1027
1028This can only be done when no events are in use that have callchains
1029enabled, otherwise writing to this file will return ``-EBUSY``.
1030
1031The default value is 127.
1032
1033
1034perf_event_mlock_kb
1035===================
1036
1037Control size of per-cpu ring buffer not counted against mlock limit.
1038
1039The default value is 512 + 1 page
1040
1041
1042perf_event_max_contexts_per_stack
1043=================================
1044
1045Controls maximum number of stack frame context entries for
1046(``attr.sample_type & PERF_SAMPLE_CALLCHAIN``) configured events, for
1047instance, when using '``perf record -g``' or '``perf trace --call-graph fp``'.
1048
1049This can only be done when no events are in use that have callchains
1050enabled, otherwise writing to this file will return ``-EBUSY``.
1051
1052The default value is 8.
1053
1054
1055perf_user_access (arm64 and riscv only)
1056=======================================
1057
1058Controls user space access for reading perf event counters.
1059
1060* for arm64
1061  The default value is 0 (access disabled).
1062
1063  When set to 1, user space can read performance monitor counter registers
1064  directly.
1065
1066  See Documentation/arch/arm64/perf.rst for more information.
1067
1068* for riscv
1069  When set to 0, user space access is disabled.
1070
1071  The default value is 1, user space can read performance monitor counter
1072  registers through perf, any direct access without perf intervention will trigger
1073  an illegal instruction.
1074
1075  When set to 2, which enables legacy mode (user space has direct access to cycle
1076  and insret CSRs only). Note that this legacy value is deprecated and will be
1077  removed once all user space applications are fixed.
1078
1079  Note that the time CSR is always directly accessible to all modes.
1080
1081pid_max
1082=======
1083
1084PID allocation wrap value.  When the kernel's next PID value
1085reaches this value, it wraps back to a minimum PID value.
1086PIDs of value ``pid_max`` or larger are not allocated.
1087
1088
1089ns_last_pid
1090===========
1091
1092The last pid allocated in the current (the one task using this sysctl
1093lives in) pid namespace. When selecting a pid for a next task on fork
1094kernel tries to allocate a number starting from this one.
1095
1096
1097powersave-nap (PPC only)
1098========================
1099
1100If set, Linux-PPC will use the 'nap' mode of powersaving,
1101otherwise the 'doze' mode will be used.
1102
1103
1104==============================================================
1105
1106printk
1107======
1108
1109The four values in printk denote: ``console_loglevel``,
1110``default_message_loglevel``, ``minimum_console_loglevel`` and
1111``default_console_loglevel`` respectively.
1112
1113These values influence printk() behavior when printing or
1114logging error messages. See '``man 2 syslog``' for more info on
1115the different loglevels.
1116
1117======================== =====================================
1118console_loglevel         messages with a higher priority than
1119                         this will be printed to the console
1120default_message_loglevel messages without an explicit priority
1121                         will be printed with this priority
1122minimum_console_loglevel minimum (highest) value to which
1123                         console_loglevel can be set
1124default_console_loglevel default value for console_loglevel
1125======================== =====================================
1126
1127
1128printk_delay
1129============
1130
1131Delay each printk message in ``printk_delay`` milliseconds
1132
1133Value from 0 - 10000 is allowed.
1134
1135
1136printk_ratelimit
1137================
1138
1139Some warning messages are rate limited. ``printk_ratelimit`` specifies
1140the minimum length of time between these messages (in seconds).
1141The default value is 5 seconds.
1142
1143A value of 0 will disable rate limiting.
1144
1145
1146printk_ratelimit_burst
1147======================
1148
1149While long term we enforce one message per `printk_ratelimit`_
1150seconds, we do allow a burst of messages to pass through.
1151``printk_ratelimit_burst`` specifies the number of messages we can
1152send before ratelimiting kicks in.  After `printk_ratelimit`_ seconds
1153have elapsed, another burst of messages may be sent.
1154
1155The default value is 10 messages.
1156
1157
1158printk_devkmsg
1159==============
1160
1161Control the logging to ``/dev/kmsg`` from userspace:
1162
1163========= =============================================
1164ratelimit default, ratelimited
1165on        unlimited logging to /dev/kmsg from userspace
1166off       logging to /dev/kmsg disabled
1167========= =============================================
1168
1169The kernel command line parameter ``printk.devkmsg=`` overrides this and is
1170a one-time setting until next reboot: once set, it cannot be changed by
1171this sysctl interface anymore.
1172
1173==============================================================
1174
1175
1176pty
1177===
1178
1179See Documentation/filesystems/devpts.rst.
1180
1181
1182random
1183======
1184
1185This is a directory, with the following entries:
1186
1187* ``boot_id``: a UUID generated the first time this is retrieved, and
1188  unvarying after that;
1189
1190* ``uuid``: a UUID generated every time this is retrieved (this can
1191  thus be used to generate UUIDs at will);
1192
1193* ``entropy_avail``: the pool's entropy count, in bits;
1194
1195* ``poolsize``: the entropy pool size, in bits;
1196
1197* ``urandom_min_reseed_secs``: obsolete (used to determine the minimum
1198  number of seconds between urandom pool reseeding). This file is
1199  writable for compatibility purposes, but writing to it has no effect
1200  on any RNG behavior;
1201
1202* ``write_wakeup_threshold``: when the entropy count drops below this
1203  (as a number of bits), processes waiting to write to ``/dev/random``
1204  are woken up. This file is writable for compatibility purposes, but
1205  writing to it has no effect on any RNG behavior.
1206
1207
1208randomize_va_space
1209==================
1210
1211This option can be used to select the type of process address
1212space randomization that is used in the system, for architectures
1213that support this feature.
1214
1215==  ===========================================================================
12160   Turn the process address space randomization off.  This is the
1217    default for architectures that do not support this feature anyways,
1218    and kernels that are booted with the "norandmaps" parameter.
1219
12201   Make the addresses of mmap base, stack and VDSO page randomized.
1221    This, among other things, implies that shared libraries will be
1222    loaded to random addresses.  Also for PIE-linked binaries, the
1223    location of code start is randomized.  This is the default if the
1224    ``CONFIG_COMPAT_BRK`` option is enabled.
1225
12262   Additionally enable heap randomization.  This is the default if
1227    ``CONFIG_COMPAT_BRK`` is disabled.
1228
1229    There are a few legacy applications out there (such as some ancient
1230    versions of libc.so.5 from 1996) that assume that brk area starts
1231    just after the end of the code+bss.  These applications break when
1232    start of the brk area is randomized.  There are however no known
1233    non-legacy applications that would be broken this way, so for most
1234    systems it is safe to choose full randomization.
1235
1236    Systems with ancient and/or broken binaries should be configured
1237    with ``CONFIG_COMPAT_BRK`` enabled, which excludes the heap from process
1238    address space randomization.
1239==  ===========================================================================
1240
1241
1242reboot-cmd (SPARC only)
1243=======================
1244
1245??? This seems to be a way to give an argument to the Sparc
1246ROM/Flash boot loader. Maybe to tell it what to do after
1247rebooting. ???
1248
1249
1250sched_energy_aware
1251==================
1252
1253Enables/disables Energy Aware Scheduling (EAS). EAS starts
1254automatically on platforms where it can run (that is,
1255platforms with asymmetric CPU topologies and having an Energy
1256Model available). If your platform happens to meet the
1257requirements for EAS but you do not want to use it, change
1258this value to 0. On Non-EAS platforms, write operation fails and
1259read doesn't return anything.
1260
1261task_delayacct
1262===============
1263
1264Enables/disables task delay accounting (see
1265Documentation/accounting/delay-accounting.rst. Enabling this feature incurs
1266a small amount of overhead in the scheduler but is useful for debugging
1267and performance tuning. It is required by some tools such as iotop.
1268
1269sched_schedstats
1270================
1271
1272Enables/disables scheduler statistics. Enabling this feature
1273incurs a small amount of overhead in the scheduler but is
1274useful for debugging and performance tuning.
1275
1276sched_util_clamp_min
1277====================
1278
1279Max allowed *minimum* utilization.
1280
1281Default value is 1024, which is the maximum possible value.
1282
1283It means that any requested uclamp.min value cannot be greater than
1284sched_util_clamp_min, i.e., it is restricted to the range
1285[0:sched_util_clamp_min].
1286
1287sched_util_clamp_max
1288====================
1289
1290Max allowed *maximum* utilization.
1291
1292Default value is 1024, which is the maximum possible value.
1293
1294It means that any requested uclamp.max value cannot be greater than
1295sched_util_clamp_max, i.e., it is restricted to the range
1296[0:sched_util_clamp_max].
1297
1298sched_util_clamp_min_rt_default
1299===============================
1300
1301By default Linux is tuned for performance. Which means that RT tasks always run
1302at the highest frequency and most capable (highest capacity) CPU (in
1303heterogeneous systems).
1304
1305Uclamp achieves this by setting the requested uclamp.min of all RT tasks to
13061024 by default, which effectively boosts the tasks to run at the highest
1307frequency and biases them to run on the biggest CPU.
1308
1309This knob allows admins to change the default behavior when uclamp is being
1310used. In battery powered devices particularly, running at the maximum
1311capacity and frequency will increase energy consumption and shorten the battery
1312life.
1313
1314This knob is only effective for RT tasks which the user hasn't modified their
1315requested uclamp.min value via sched_setattr() syscall.
1316
1317This knob will not escape the range constraint imposed by sched_util_clamp_min
1318defined above.
1319
1320For example if
1321
1322	sched_util_clamp_min_rt_default = 800
1323	sched_util_clamp_min = 600
1324
1325Then the boost will be clamped to 600 because 800 is outside of the permissible
1326range of [0:600]. This could happen for instance if a powersave mode will
1327restrict all boosts temporarily by modifying sched_util_clamp_min. As soon as
1328this restriction is lifted, the requested sched_util_clamp_min_rt_default
1329will take effect.
1330
1331seccomp
1332=======
1333
1334See Documentation/userspace-api/seccomp_filter.rst.
1335
1336
1337sg-big-buff
1338===========
1339
1340This file shows the size of the generic SCSI (sg) buffer.
1341You can't tune it just yet, but you could change it on
1342compile time by editing ``include/scsi/sg.h`` and changing
1343the value of ``SG_BIG_BUFF``.
1344
1345There shouldn't be any reason to change this value. If
1346you can come up with one, you probably know what you
1347are doing anyway :)
1348
1349
1350shmall
1351======
1352
1353This parameter sets the total amount of shared memory pages that can be used
1354inside ipc namespace. The shared memory pages counting occurs for each ipc
1355namespace separately and is not inherited. Hence, ``shmall`` should always be at
1356least ``ceil(shmmax/PAGE_SIZE)``.
1357
1358If you are not sure what the default ``PAGE_SIZE`` is on your Linux
1359system, you can run the following command::
1360
1361	# getconf PAGE_SIZE
1362
1363To reduce or disable the ability to allocate shared memory, you must create a
1364new ipc namespace, set this parameter to the required value and prohibit the
1365creation of a new ipc namespace in the current user namespace or cgroups can
1366be used.
1367
1368shmmax
1369======
1370
1371This value can be used to query and set the run time limit
1372on the maximum shared memory segment size that can be created.
1373Shared memory segments up to 1Gb are now supported in the
1374kernel.  This value defaults to ``SHMMAX``.
1375
1376
1377shmmni
1378======
1379
1380This value determines the maximum number of shared memory segments.
13814096 by default (``SHMMNI``).
1382
1383
1384shm_rmid_forced
1385===============
1386
1387Linux lets you set resource limits, including how much memory one
1388process can consume, via ``setrlimit(2)``.  Unfortunately, shared memory
1389segments are allowed to exist without association with any process, and
1390thus might not be counted against any resource limits.  If enabled,
1391shared memory segments are automatically destroyed when their attach
1392count becomes zero after a detach or a process termination.  It will
1393also destroy segments that were created, but never attached to, on exit
1394from the process.  The only use left for ``IPC_RMID`` is to immediately
1395destroy an unattached segment.  Of course, this breaks the way things are
1396defined, so some applications might stop working.  Note that this
1397feature will do you no good unless you also configure your resource
1398limits (in particular, ``RLIMIT_AS`` and ``RLIMIT_NPROC``).  Most systems don't
1399need this.
1400
1401Note that if you change this from 0 to 1, already created segments
1402without users and with a dead originative process will be destroyed.
1403
1404
1405sysctl_writes_strict
1406====================
1407
1408Control how file position affects the behavior of updating sysctl values
1409via the ``/proc/sys`` interface:
1410
1411  ==   ======================================================================
1412  -1   Legacy per-write sysctl value handling, with no printk warnings.
1413       Each write syscall must fully contain the sysctl value to be
1414       written, and multiple writes on the same sysctl file descriptor
1415       will rewrite the sysctl value, regardless of file position.
1416   0   Same behavior as above, but warn about processes that perform writes
1417       to a sysctl file descriptor when the file position is not 0.
1418   1   (default) Respect file position when writing sysctl strings. Multiple
1419       writes will append to the sysctl value buffer. Anything past the max
1420       length of the sysctl value buffer will be ignored. Writes to numeric
1421       sysctl entries must always be at file position 0 and the value must
1422       be fully contained in the buffer sent in the write syscall.
1423  ==   ======================================================================
1424
1425
1426softlockup_all_cpu_backtrace
1427============================
1428
1429This value controls the soft lockup detector thread's behavior
1430when a soft lockup condition is detected as to whether or not
1431to gather further debug information. If enabled, each cpu will
1432be issued an NMI and instructed to capture stack trace.
1433
1434This feature is only applicable for architectures which support
1435NMI.
1436
1437= ============================================
14380 Do nothing. This is the default behavior.
14391 On detection capture more debug information.
1440= ============================================
1441
1442
1443softlockup_panic
1444=================
1445
1446This parameter can be used to control whether the kernel panics
1447when a soft lockup is detected.
1448
1449= ============================================
14500 Don't panic on soft lockup.
14511 Panic on soft lockup.
1452= ============================================
1453
1454This can also be set using the softlockup_panic kernel parameter.
1455
1456
1457soft_watchdog
1458=============
1459
1460This parameter can be used to control the soft lockup detector.
1461
1462= =================================
14630 Disable the soft lockup detector.
14641 Enable the soft lockup detector.
1465= =================================
1466
1467The soft lockup detector monitors CPUs for threads that are hogging the CPUs
1468without rescheduling voluntarily, and thus prevent the 'migration/N' threads
1469from running, causing the watchdog work fail to execute. The mechanism depends
1470on the CPUs ability to respond to timer interrupts which are needed for the
1471watchdog work to be queued by the watchdog timer function, otherwise the NMI
1472watchdog — if enabled — can detect a hard lockup condition.
1473
1474
1475split_lock_mitigate (x86 only)
1476==============================
1477
1478On x86, each "split lock" imposes a system-wide performance penalty. On larger
1479systems, large numbers of split locks from unprivileged users can result in
1480denials of service to well-behaved and potentially more important users.
1481
1482The kernel mitigates these bad users by detecting split locks and imposing
1483penalties: forcing them to wait and only allowing one core to execute split
1484locks at a time.
1485
1486These mitigations can make those bad applications unbearably slow. Setting
1487split_lock_mitigate=0 may restore some application performance, but will also
1488increase system exposure to denial of service attacks from split lock users.
1489
1490= ===================================================================
14910 Disable the mitigation mode - just warns the split lock on kernel log
1492  and exposes the system to denials of service from the split lockers.
14931 Enable the mitigation mode (this is the default) - penalizes the split
1494  lockers with intentional performance degradation.
1495= ===================================================================
1496
1497
1498stack_erasing
1499=============
1500
1501This parameter can be used to control kernel stack erasing at the end
1502of syscalls for kernels built with ``CONFIG_KSTACK_ERASE``.
1503
1504That erasing reduces the information which kernel stack leak bugs
1505can reveal and blocks some uninitialized stack variable attacks.
1506The tradeoff is the performance impact: on a single CPU system kernel
1507compilation sees a 1% slowdown, other systems and workloads may vary.
1508
1509= ====================================================================
15100 Kernel stack erasing is disabled, KSTACK_ERASE_METRICS are not updated.
15111 Kernel stack erasing is enabled (default), it is performed before
1512  returning to the userspace at the end of syscalls.
1513= ====================================================================
1514
1515
1516stop-a (SPARC only)
1517===================
1518
1519Controls Stop-A:
1520
1521= ====================================
15220 Stop-A has no effect.
15231 Stop-A breaks to the PROM (default).
1524= ====================================
1525
1526Stop-A is always enabled on a panic, so that the user can return to
1527the boot PROM.
1528
1529
1530sysrq
1531=====
1532
1533See Documentation/admin-guide/sysrq.rst.
1534
1535
1536tainted
1537=======
1538
1539Non-zero if the kernel has been tainted. Numeric values, which can be
1540ORed together. The letters are seen in "Tainted" line of Oops reports.
1541
1542======  =====  ==============================================================
1543     1  `(P)`  proprietary module was loaded
1544     2  `(F)`  module was force loaded
1545     4  `(S)`  kernel running on an out of specification system
1546     8  `(R)`  module was force unloaded
1547    16  `(M)`  processor reported a Machine Check Exception (MCE)
1548    32  `(B)`  bad page referenced or some unexpected page flags
1549    64  `(U)`  taint requested by userspace application
1550   128  `(D)`  kernel died recently, i.e. there was an OOPS or BUG
1551   256  `(A)`  an ACPI table was overridden by user
1552   512  `(W)`  kernel issued warning
1553  1024  `(C)`  staging driver was loaded
1554  2048  `(I)`  workaround for bug in platform firmware applied
1555  4096  `(O)`  externally-built ("out-of-tree") module was loaded
1556  8192  `(E)`  unsigned module was loaded
1557 16384  `(L)`  soft lockup occurred
1558 32768  `(K)`  kernel has been live patched
1559 65536  `(X)`  Auxiliary taint, defined and used by for distros
1560131072  `(T)`  The kernel was built with the struct randomization plugin
1561======  =====  ==============================================================
1562
1563See Documentation/admin-guide/tainted-kernels.rst for more information.
1564
1565Note:
1566  writes to this sysctl interface will fail with ``EINVAL`` if the kernel is
1567  booted with the command line option ``panic_on_taint=<bitmask>,nousertaint``
1568  and any of the ORed together values being written to ``tainted`` match with
1569  the bitmask declared on panic_on_taint.
1570  See Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst for more details on
1571  that particular kernel command line option and its optional
1572  ``nousertaint`` switch.
1573
1574threads-max
1575===========
1576
1577This value controls the maximum number of threads that can be created
1578using ``fork()``.
1579
1580During initialization the kernel sets this value such that even if the
1581maximum number of threads is created, the thread structures occupy only
1582a part (1/8th) of the available RAM pages.
1583
1584The minimum value that can be written to ``threads-max`` is 1.
1585
1586The maximum value that can be written to ``threads-max`` is given by the
1587constant ``FUTEX_TID_MASK`` (0x3fffffff).
1588
1589If a value outside of this range is written to ``threads-max`` an
1590``EINVAL`` error occurs.
1591
1592timer_migration
1593===============
1594
1595When set to a non-zero value, attempt to migrate timers away from idle cpus to
1596allow them to remain in low power states longer.
1597
1598Default is set (1).
1599
1600traceoff_on_warning
1601===================
1602
1603When set, disables tracing (see Documentation/trace/ftrace.rst) when a
1604``WARN()`` is hit.
1605
1606
1607tracepoint_printk
1608=================
1609
1610When tracepoints are sent to printk() (enabled by the ``tp_printk``
1611boot parameter), this entry provides runtime control::
1612
1613    echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/tracepoint_printk
1614
1615will stop tracepoints from being sent to printk(), and::
1616
1617    echo 1 > /proc/sys/kernel/tracepoint_printk
1618
1619will send them to printk() again.
1620
1621This only works if the kernel was booted with ``tp_printk`` enabled.
1622
1623See Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst and
1624Documentation/trace/boottime-trace.rst.
1625
1626
1627unaligned-trap
1628==============
1629
1630On architectures where unaligned accesses cause traps, and where this
1631feature is supported (``CONFIG_SYSCTL_ARCH_UNALIGN_ALLOW``; currently,
1632``arc``, ``parisc`` and ``loongarch``), controls whether unaligned traps
1633are caught and emulated (instead of failing).
1634
1635= ========================================================
16360 Do not emulate unaligned accesses.
16371 Emulate unaligned accesses. This is the default setting.
1638= ========================================================
1639
1640See also `ignore-unaligned-usertrap`_.
1641
1642
1643unknown_nmi_panic
1644=================
1645
1646The value in this file affects behavior of handling NMI. When the
1647value is non-zero, unknown NMI is trapped and then panic occurs. At
1648that time, kernel debugging information is displayed on console.
1649
1650NMI switch that most IA32 servers have fires unknown NMI up, for
1651example.  If a system hangs up, try pressing the NMI switch.
1652
1653
1654unprivileged_bpf_disabled
1655=========================
1656
1657Writing 1 to this entry will disable unprivileged calls to ``bpf()``;
1658once disabled, calling ``bpf()`` without ``CAP_SYS_ADMIN`` or ``CAP_BPF``
1659will return ``-EPERM``. Once set to 1, this can't be cleared from the
1660running kernel anymore.
1661
1662Writing 2 to this entry will also disable unprivileged calls to ``bpf()``,
1663however, an admin can still change this setting later on, if needed, by
1664writing 0 or 1 to this entry.
1665
1666If ``BPF_UNPRIV_DEFAULT_OFF`` is enabled in the kernel config, then this
1667entry will default to 2 instead of 0.
1668
1669= =============================================================
16700 Unprivileged calls to ``bpf()`` are enabled
16711 Unprivileged calls to ``bpf()`` are disabled without recovery
16722 Unprivileged calls to ``bpf()`` are disabled
1673= =============================================================
1674
1675
1676warn_limit
1677==========
1678
1679Number of kernel warnings after which the kernel should panic when
1680``panic_on_warn`` is not set. Setting this to 0 disables checking
1681the warning count. Setting this to 1 has the same effect as setting
1682``panic_on_warn=1``. The default value is 0.
1683
1684
1685watchdog
1686========
1687
1688This parameter can be used to disable or enable the soft lockup detector
1689*and* the NMI watchdog (i.e. the hard lockup detector) at the same time.
1690
1691= ==============================
16920 Disable both lockup detectors.
16931 Enable both lockup detectors.
1694= ==============================
1695
1696The soft lockup detector and the NMI watchdog can also be disabled or
1697enabled individually, using the ``soft_watchdog`` and ``nmi_watchdog``
1698parameters.
1699If the ``watchdog`` parameter is read, for example by executing::
1700
1701   cat /proc/sys/kernel/watchdog
1702
1703the output of this command (0 or 1) shows the logical OR of
1704``soft_watchdog`` and ``nmi_watchdog``.
1705
1706
1707watchdog_cpumask
1708================
1709
1710This value can be used to control on which cpus the watchdog may run.
1711The default cpumask is all possible cores, but if ``NO_HZ_FULL`` is
1712enabled in the kernel config, and cores are specified with the
1713``nohz_full=`` boot argument, those cores are excluded by default.
1714Offline cores can be included in this mask, and if the core is later
1715brought online, the watchdog will be started based on the mask value.
1716
1717Typically this value would only be touched in the ``nohz_full`` case
1718to re-enable cores that by default were not running the watchdog,
1719if a kernel lockup was suspected on those cores.
1720
1721The argument value is the standard cpulist format for cpumasks,
1722so for example to enable the watchdog on cores 0, 2, 3, and 4 you
1723might say::
1724
1725  echo 0,2-4 > /proc/sys/kernel/watchdog_cpumask
1726
1727
1728watchdog_thresh
1729===============
1730
1731This value can be used to control the frequency of hrtimer and NMI
1732events and the soft and hard lockup thresholds. The default threshold
1733is 10 seconds.
1734
1735The softlockup threshold is (``2 * watchdog_thresh``). Setting this
1736tunable to zero will disable lockup detection altogether.
1737