xref: /linux/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/kernel.rst (revision e00d0eb8e3e7cb0ce97f40225a3642d3f8118d02)
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, the internal warning budget is decreased by 1.
463When this budget reaches 0, no more detailed warnings will be reported. The
464warning budget is reset to the configured limit when no hung task is found.
465This file shows up if ``CONFIG_DETECT_HUNG_TASK`` is enabled.
466
467-1: report an infinite number of warnings.
468
469
470hyperv_record_panic_msg
471=======================
472
473Controls whether the panic kmsg data should be reported to Hyper-V.
474
475= =========================================================
4760 Do not report panic kmsg data.
4771 Report the panic kmsg data. This is the default behavior.
478= =========================================================
479
480
481ignore-unaligned-usertrap
482=========================
483
484On architectures where unaligned accesses cause traps, and where this
485feature is supported (``CONFIG_SYSCTL_ARCH_UNALIGN_NO_WARN``;
486currently, ``arc``, ``parisc`` and ``loongarch``), controls whether all
487unaligned traps are logged.
488
489= =============================================================
4900 Log all unaligned accesses.
4911 Only warn the first time a process traps. This is the default
492  setting.
493= =============================================================
494
495See also `unaligned-trap`_.
496
497io_uring_disabled
498=================
499
500Prevents all processes from creating new io_uring instances. Enabling this
501shrinks the kernel's attack surface.
502
503= ======================================================================
5040 All processes can create io_uring instances as normal. This is the
505  default setting.
5061 io_uring creation is disabled (io_uring_setup() will fail with
507  -EPERM) for unprivileged processes not in the io_uring_group group.
508  Existing io_uring instances can still be used.  See the
509  documentation for io_uring_group for more information.
5102 io_uring creation is disabled for all processes. io_uring_setup()
511  always fails with -EPERM. Existing io_uring instances can still be
512  used.
513= ======================================================================
514
515
516io_uring_group
517==============
518
519When io_uring_disabled is set to 1, a process must either be
520privileged (CAP_SYS_ADMIN) or be in the io_uring_group group in order
521to create an io_uring instance.  If io_uring_group is set to -1 (the
522default), only processes with the CAP_SYS_ADMIN capability may create
523io_uring instances.
524
525
526kernel_sys_info
527===============
528A comma separated list of extra system information to be dumped when
529soft/hard lockup is detected, for example, "tasks,mem,timers,locks,...".
530Refer 'panic_sys_info' section below for more details.
531
532It serves as the default kernel control knob, which will take effect
533when a kernel module calls sys_info() with parameter==0.
534
535kexec_load_disabled
536===================
537
538A toggle indicating if the syscalls ``kexec_load`` and
539``kexec_file_load`` have been disabled.
540This value defaults to 0 (false: ``kexec_*load`` enabled), but can be
541set to 1 (true: ``kexec_*load`` disabled).
542Once true, kexec can no longer be used, and the toggle cannot be set
543back to false.
544This allows a kexec image to be loaded before disabling the syscall,
545allowing a system to set up (and later use) an image without it being
546altered.
547Generally used together with the `modules_disabled`_ sysctl.
548
549kexec_load_limit_panic
550======================
551
552This parameter specifies a limit to the number of times the syscalls
553``kexec_load`` and ``kexec_file_load`` can be called with a crash
554image. It can only be set with a more restrictive value than the
555current one.
556
557== ======================================================
558-1 Unlimited calls to kexec. This is the default setting.
559N  Number of calls left.
560== ======================================================
561
562kexec_load_limit_reboot
563=======================
564
565Similar functionality as ``kexec_load_limit_panic``, but for a normal
566image.
567
568kptr_restrict
569=============
570
571This toggle indicates whether restrictions are placed on
572exposing kernel addresses via ``/proc`` and other interfaces.
573
574When ``kptr_restrict`` is set to 0 (the default) the address is hashed
575before printing.
576(This is the equivalent to %p.)
577
578When ``kptr_restrict`` is set to 1, kernel pointers printed using the
579%pK format specifier will be replaced with 0s unless the user has
580``CAP_SYSLOG`` and effective user and group ids are equal to the real
581ids.
582This is because %pK checks are done at read() time rather than open()
583time, so if permissions are elevated between the open() and the read()
584(e.g via a setuid binary) then %pK will not leak kernel pointers to
585unprivileged users.
586Note, this is a temporary solution only.
587The correct long-term solution is to do the permission checks at
588open() time.
589Consider removing world read permissions from files that use %pK, and
590using `dmesg_restrict`_ to protect against uses of %pK in ``dmesg(8)``
591if leaking kernel pointer values to unprivileged users is a concern.
592
593When ``kptr_restrict`` is set to 2, kernel pointers printed using
594%pK will be replaced with 0s regardless of privileges.
595
596For disabling these security restrictions early at boot time (and once
597for all), use the ``hash_pointers`` boot parameter instead.
598
599softlockup_sys_info & hardlockup_sys_info
600=========================================
601A comma separated list of extra system information to be dumped when
602soft/hard lockup is detected, for example, "tasks,mem,timers,locks,...".
603Refer 'panic_sys_info' section below for more details.
604
605modprobe
606========
607
608The full path to the usermode helper for autoloading kernel modules,
609by default ``CONFIG_MODPROBE_PATH``, which in turn defaults to
610"/sbin/modprobe".  This binary is executed when the kernel requests a
611module.  For example, if userspace passes an unknown filesystem type
612to mount(), then the kernel will automatically request the
613corresponding filesystem module by executing this usermode helper.
614This usermode helper should insert the needed module into the kernel.
615
616This sysctl only affects module autoloading.  It has no effect on the
617ability to explicitly insert modules.
618
619This sysctl can be used to debug module loading requests::
620
621    echo '#! /bin/sh' > /tmp/modprobe
622    echo 'echo "$@" >> /tmp/modprobe.log' >> /tmp/modprobe
623    echo 'exec /sbin/modprobe "$@"' >> /tmp/modprobe
624    chmod a+x /tmp/modprobe
625    echo /tmp/modprobe > /proc/sys/kernel/modprobe
626
627Alternatively, if this sysctl is set to the empty string, then module
628autoloading is completely disabled.  The kernel will not try to
629execute a usermode helper at all, nor will it call the
630kernel_module_request LSM hook.
631
632If CONFIG_STATIC_USERMODEHELPER=y is set in the kernel configuration,
633then the configured static usermode helper overrides this sysctl,
634except that the empty string is still accepted to completely disable
635module autoloading as described above.
636
637modules_disabled
638================
639
640A toggle value indicating if modules are allowed to be loaded
641in an otherwise modular kernel.  This toggle defaults to off
642(0), but can be set true (1).  Once true, modules can be
643neither loaded nor unloaded, and the toggle cannot be set back
644to false.  Generally used with the `kexec_load_disabled`_ toggle.
645
646
647.. _msgmni:
648
649msgmax, msgmnb, and msgmni
650==========================
651
652``msgmax`` is the maximum size of an IPC message, in bytes. 8192 by
653default (``MSGMAX``).
654
655``msgmnb`` is the maximum size of an IPC queue, in bytes. 16384 by
656default (``MSGMNB``).
657
658``msgmni`` is the maximum number of IPC queues. 32000 by default
659(``MSGMNI``).
660
661All of these parameters are set per ipc namespace. The maximum number of bytes
662in POSIX message queues is limited by ``RLIMIT_MSGQUEUE``. This limit is
663respected hierarchically in the each user namespace.
664
665msg_next_id, sem_next_id, and shm_next_id (System V IPC)
666========================================================
667
668These three toggles allows to specify desired id for next allocated IPC
669object: message, semaphore or shared memory respectively.
670
671By default they are equal to -1, which means generic allocation logic.
672Possible values to set are in range {0:``INT_MAX``}.
673
674Notes:
675  1) kernel doesn't guarantee, that new object will have desired id. So,
676     it's up to userspace, how to handle an object with "wrong" id.
677  2) Toggle with non-default value will be set back to -1 by kernel after
678     successful IPC object allocation. If an IPC object allocation syscall
679     fails, it is undefined if the value remains unmodified or is reset to -1.
680
681
682ngroups_max
683===========
684
685Maximum number of supplementary groups, _i.e._ the maximum size which
686``setgroups`` will accept. Exports ``NGROUPS_MAX`` from the kernel.
687
688
689
690nmi_watchdog
691============
692
693This parameter can be used to control the NMI watchdog
694(i.e. the hard lockup detector) on x86 systems.
695
696= =================================
6970 Disable the hard lockup detector.
6981 Enable the hard lockup detector.
699= =================================
700
701The hard lockup detector monitors each CPU for its ability to respond to
702timer interrupts. The mechanism utilizes CPU performance counter registers
703that are programmed to generate Non-Maskable Interrupts (NMIs) periodically
704while a CPU is busy. Hence, the alternative name 'NMI watchdog'.
705
706The NMI watchdog is disabled by default if the kernel is running as a guest
707in a KVM virtual machine. This default can be overridden by adding::
708
709   nmi_watchdog=1
710
711to the guest kernel command line (see
712Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst).
713
714
715nmi_wd_lpm_factor (PPC only)
716============================
717
718Factor to apply to the NMI watchdog timeout (only when ``nmi_watchdog`` is
719set to 1). This factor represents the percentage added to
720``watchdog_thresh`` when calculating the NMI watchdog timeout during an
721LPM. The soft lockup timeout is not impacted.
722
723A value of 0 means no change. The default value is 200 meaning the NMI
724watchdog is set to 30s (based on ``watchdog_thresh`` equal to 10).
725
726
727numa_balancing
728==============
729
730Enables/disables and configures automatic page fault based NUMA memory
731balancing.  Memory is moved automatically to nodes that access it often.
732The value to set can be the result of ORing the following:
733
734= =================================
7350 NUMA_BALANCING_DISABLED
7361 NUMA_BALANCING_NORMAL
7372 NUMA_BALANCING_MEMORY_TIERING
738= =================================
739
740Or NUMA_BALANCING_NORMAL to optimize page placement among different
741NUMA nodes to reduce remote accessing.  On NUMA machines, there is a
742performance penalty if remote memory is accessed by a CPU. When this
743feature is enabled the kernel samples what task thread is accessing
744memory by periodically unmapping pages and later trapping a page
745fault. At the time of the page fault, it is determined if the data
746being accessed should be migrated to a local memory node.
747
748The unmapping of pages and trapping faults incur additional overhead that
749ideally is offset by improved memory locality but there is no universal
750guarantee. If the target workload is already bound to NUMA nodes then this
751feature should be disabled.
752
753Or NUMA_BALANCING_MEMORY_TIERING to optimize page placement among
754different types of memory (represented as different NUMA nodes) to
755place the hot pages in the fast memory.  This is implemented based on
756unmapping and page fault too.
757
758numa_balancing_promote_rate_limit_MBps
759======================================
760
761Too high promotion/demotion throughput between different memory types
762may hurt application latency.  This can be used to rate limit the
763promotion throughput.  The per-node max promotion throughput in MB/s
764will be limited to be no more than the set value.
765
766A rule of thumb is to set this to less than 1/10 of the PMEM node
767write bandwidth.
768
769oops_all_cpu_backtrace
770======================
771
772If this option is set, the kernel will send an NMI to all CPUs to dump
773their backtraces when an oops event occurs. It should be used as a last
774resort in case a panic cannot be triggered (to protect VMs running, for
775example) or kdump can't be collected. This file shows up if CONFIG_SMP
776is enabled.
777
7780: Won't show all CPUs backtraces when an oops is detected.
779This is the default behavior.
780
7811: Will non-maskably interrupt all CPUs and dump their backtraces when
782an oops event is detected.
783
784
785oops_limit
786==========
787
788Number of kernel oopses after which the kernel should panic when
789``panic_on_oops`` is not set. Setting this to 0 disables checking
790the count. Setting this to  1 has the same effect as setting
791``panic_on_oops=1``. The default value is 10000.
792
793
794osrelease, ostype & version
795===========================
796
797::
798
799  # cat osrelease
800  2.1.88
801  # cat ostype
802  Linux
803  # cat version
804  #5 Wed Feb 25 21:49:24 MET 1998
805
806The files ``osrelease`` and ``ostype`` should be clear enough.
807``version``
808needs a little more clarification however. The '#5' means that
809this is the fifth kernel built from this source base and the
810date behind it indicates the time the kernel was built.
811The only way to tune these values is to rebuild the kernel :-)
812
813
814overflowgid & overflowuid
815=========================
816
817if your architecture did not always support 32-bit UIDs (i.e. arm,
818i386, m68k, sh, and sparc32), a fixed UID and GID will be returned to
819applications that use the old 16-bit UID/GID system calls, if the
820actual UID or GID would exceed 65535.
821
822These sysctls allow you to change the value of the fixed UID and GID.
823The default is 65534.
824
825
826panic
827=====
828
829The value in this file determines the behaviour of the kernel on a
830panic:
831
832* if zero, the kernel will loop forever;
833* if negative, the kernel will reboot immediately;
834* if positive, the kernel will reboot after the corresponding number
835  of seconds.
836
837When you use the software watchdog, the recommended setting is 60.
838
839
840panic_on_io_nmi
841===============
842
843Controls the kernel's behavior when a CPU receives an NMI caused by
844an IO error.
845
846= ==================================================================
8470 Try to continue operation (default).
8481 Panic immediately. The IO error triggered an NMI. This indicates a
849  serious system condition which could result in IO data corruption.
850  Rather than continuing, panicking might be a better choice. Some
851  servers issue this sort of NMI when the dump button is pushed,
852  and you can use this option to take a crash dump.
853= ==================================================================
854
855
856panic_on_oops
857=============
858
859Controls the kernel's behaviour when an oops or BUG is encountered.
860
861= ===================================================================
8620 Try to continue operation.
8631 Panic immediately.  If the `panic` sysctl is also non-zero then the
864  machine will be rebooted.
865= ===================================================================
866
867
868panic_on_stackoverflow
869======================
870
871Controls the kernel's behavior when detecting the overflows of
872kernel, IRQ and exception stacks except a user stack.
873This file shows up if ``CONFIG_DEBUG_STACKOVERFLOW`` is enabled.
874
875= ==========================
8760 Try to continue operation.
8771 Panic immediately.
878= ==========================
879
880
881panic_on_unrecovered_nmi
882========================
883
884The default Linux behaviour on an NMI of either memory or unknown is
885to continue operation. For many environments such as scientific
886computing it is preferable that the box is taken out and the error
887dealt with than an uncorrected parity/ECC error get propagated.
888
889A small number of systems do generate NMIs for bizarre random reasons
890such as power management so the default is off. That sysctl works like
891the existing panic controls already in that directory.
892
893
894panic_on_warn
895=============
896
897Calls panic() in the WARN() path when set to 1.  This is useful to avoid
898a kernel rebuild when attempting to kdump at the location of a WARN().
899
900= ================================================
9010 Only WARN(), default behaviour.
9021 Call panic() after printing out WARN() location.
903= ================================================
904
905
906panic_print
907===========
908
909Bitmask for printing system info when panic happens. User can chose
910combination of the following bits:
911
912=====  ============================================
913bit 0  print all tasks info
914bit 1  print system memory info
915bit 2  print timer info
916bit 3  print locks info if ``CONFIG_LOCKDEP`` is on
917bit 4  print ftrace buffer
918bit 5  replay all kernel messages on consoles at the end of panic
919bit 6  print all CPUs backtrace (if available in the arch)
920bit 7  print only tasks in uninterruptible (blocked) state
921=====  ============================================
922
923So for example to print tasks and memory info on panic, user can::
924
925  echo 3 > /proc/sys/kernel/panic_print
926
927
928panic_sys_info
929==============
930
931A comma separated list of extra information to be dumped on panic,
932for example, "tasks,mem,timers,...".  It is a human readable alternative
933to 'panic_print'. Possible values are:
934
935=============   ===================================================
936tasks           print all tasks info
937mem             print system memory info
938timers          print timers info
939locks           print locks info if CONFIG_LOCKDEP is on
940ftrace          print ftrace buffer
941all_bt          print all CPUs backtrace (if available in the arch)
942blocked_tasks   print only tasks in uninterruptible (blocked) state
943=============   ===================================================
944
945
946panic_on_rcu_stall
947==================
948
949When set to 1, calls panic() after RCU stall detection messages. This
950is useful to define the root cause of RCU stalls using a vmcore.
951
952= ============================================================
9530 Do not panic() when RCU stall takes place, default behavior.
9541 panic() after printing RCU stall messages.
955= ============================================================
956
957max_rcu_stall_to_panic
958======================
959
960When ``panic_on_rcu_stall`` is set to 1, this value determines the
961number of times that RCU can stall before panic() is called.
962
963When ``panic_on_rcu_stall`` is set to 0, this value is has no effect.
964
965perf_cpu_time_max_percent
966=========================
967
968Hints to the kernel how much CPU time it should be allowed to
969use to handle perf sampling events.  If the perf subsystem
970is informed that its samples are exceeding this limit, it
971will drop its sampling frequency to attempt to reduce its CPU
972usage.
973
974Some perf sampling happens in NMIs.  If these samples
975unexpectedly take too long to execute, the NMIs can become
976stacked up next to each other so much that nothing else is
977allowed to execute.
978
979===== ========================================================
9800     Disable the mechanism.  Do not monitor or correct perf's
981      sampling rate no matter how CPU time it takes.
982
9831-100 Attempt to throttle perf's sample rate to this
984      percentage of CPU.  Note: the kernel calculates an
985      "expected" length of each sample event.  100 here means
986      100% of that expected length.  Even if this is set to
987      100, you may still see sample throttling if this
988      length is exceeded.  Set to 0 if you truly do not care
989      how much CPU is consumed.
990===== ========================================================
991
992
993perf_event_paranoid
994===================
995
996Controls use of the performance events system by unprivileged
997users (without CAP_PERFMON).  The default value is 2.
998
999For backward compatibility reasons access to system performance
1000monitoring and observability remains open for CAP_SYS_ADMIN
1001privileged processes but CAP_SYS_ADMIN usage for secure system
1002performance monitoring and observability operations is discouraged
1003with respect to CAP_PERFMON use cases.
1004
1005===  ==================================================================
1006 -1  Allow use of (almost) all events by all users.
1007
1008     Ignore mlock limit after perf_event_mlock_kb without
1009     ``CAP_IPC_LOCK``.
1010
1011>=0  Disallow ftrace function tracepoint by users without
1012     ``CAP_PERFMON``.
1013
1014     Disallow raw tracepoint access by users without ``CAP_PERFMON``.
1015
1016>=1  Disallow CPU event access by users without ``CAP_PERFMON``.
1017
1018>=2  Disallow kernel profiling by users without ``CAP_PERFMON``.
1019===  ==================================================================
1020
1021
1022perf_event_max_stack
1023====================
1024
1025Controls maximum number of stack frames to copy for (``attr.sample_type &
1026PERF_SAMPLE_CALLCHAIN``) configured events, for instance, when using
1027'``perf record -g``' or '``perf trace --call-graph fp``'.
1028
1029This can only be done when no events are in use that have callchains
1030enabled, otherwise writing to this file will return ``-EBUSY``.
1031
1032The default value is 127.
1033
1034
1035perf_event_mlock_kb
1036===================
1037
1038Control size of per-cpu ring buffer not counted against mlock limit.
1039
1040The default value is 512 + 1 page
1041
1042
1043perf_event_max_contexts_per_stack
1044=================================
1045
1046Controls maximum number of stack frame context entries for
1047(``attr.sample_type & PERF_SAMPLE_CALLCHAIN``) configured events, for
1048instance, when using '``perf record -g``' or '``perf trace --call-graph fp``'.
1049
1050This can only be done when no events are in use that have callchains
1051enabled, otherwise writing to this file will return ``-EBUSY``.
1052
1053The default value is 8.
1054
1055
1056perf_user_access (arm64 and riscv only)
1057=======================================
1058
1059Controls user space access for reading perf event counters.
1060
1061* for arm64
1062  The default value is 0 (access disabled).
1063
1064  When set to 1, user space can read performance monitor counter registers
1065  directly.
1066
1067  See Documentation/arch/arm64/perf.rst for more information.
1068
1069* for riscv
1070  When set to 0, user space access is disabled.
1071
1072  The default value is 1, user space can read performance monitor counter
1073  registers through perf, any direct access without perf intervention will trigger
1074  an illegal instruction.
1075
1076  When set to 2, which enables legacy mode (user space has direct access to cycle
1077  and insret CSRs only). Note that this legacy value is deprecated and will be
1078  removed once all user space applications are fixed.
1079
1080  Note that the time CSR is always directly accessible to all modes.
1081
1082pid_max
1083=======
1084
1085PID allocation wrap value.  When the kernel's next PID value
1086reaches this value, it wraps back to a minimum PID value.
1087PIDs of value ``pid_max`` or larger are not allocated.
1088
1089
1090ns_last_pid
1091===========
1092
1093The last pid allocated in the current (the one task using this sysctl
1094lives in) pid namespace. When selecting a pid for a next task on fork
1095kernel tries to allocate a number starting from this one.
1096
1097
1098powersave-nap (PPC only)
1099========================
1100
1101If set, Linux-PPC will use the 'nap' mode of powersaving,
1102otherwise the 'doze' mode will be used.
1103
1104
1105==============================================================
1106
1107printk
1108======
1109
1110The four values in printk denote: ``console_loglevel``,
1111``default_message_loglevel``, ``minimum_console_loglevel`` and
1112``default_console_loglevel`` respectively.
1113
1114These values influence printk() behavior when printing or
1115logging error messages. See '``man 2 syslog``' for more info on
1116the different loglevels.
1117
1118======================== =====================================
1119console_loglevel         messages with a higher priority than
1120                         this will be printed to the console
1121default_message_loglevel messages without an explicit priority
1122                         will be printed with this priority
1123minimum_console_loglevel minimum (highest) value to which
1124                         console_loglevel can be set
1125default_console_loglevel default value for console_loglevel
1126======================== =====================================
1127
1128
1129printk_delay
1130============
1131
1132Delay each printk message in ``printk_delay`` milliseconds
1133
1134Value from 0 - 10000 is allowed.
1135
1136
1137printk_ratelimit
1138================
1139
1140Some warning messages are rate limited. ``printk_ratelimit`` specifies
1141the minimum length of time between these messages (in seconds).
1142The default value is 5 seconds.
1143
1144A value of 0 will disable rate limiting.
1145
1146
1147printk_ratelimit_burst
1148======================
1149
1150While long term we enforce one message per `printk_ratelimit`_
1151seconds, we do allow a burst of messages to pass through.
1152``printk_ratelimit_burst`` specifies the number of messages we can
1153send before ratelimiting kicks in.  After `printk_ratelimit`_ seconds
1154have elapsed, another burst of messages may be sent.
1155
1156The default value is 10 messages.
1157
1158
1159printk_devkmsg
1160==============
1161
1162Control the logging to ``/dev/kmsg`` from userspace:
1163
1164========= =============================================
1165ratelimit default, ratelimited
1166on        unlimited logging to /dev/kmsg from userspace
1167off       logging to /dev/kmsg disabled
1168========= =============================================
1169
1170The kernel command line parameter ``printk.devkmsg=`` overrides this and is
1171a one-time setting until next reboot: once set, it cannot be changed by
1172this sysctl interface anymore.
1173
1174==============================================================
1175
1176
1177pty
1178===
1179
1180See Documentation/filesystems/devpts.rst.
1181
1182
1183random
1184======
1185
1186This is a directory, with the following entries:
1187
1188* ``boot_id``: a UUID generated the first time this is retrieved, and
1189  unvarying after that;
1190
1191* ``uuid``: a UUID generated every time this is retrieved (this can
1192  thus be used to generate UUIDs at will);
1193
1194* ``entropy_avail``: the pool's entropy count, in bits;
1195
1196* ``poolsize``: the entropy pool size, in bits;
1197
1198* ``urandom_min_reseed_secs``: obsolete (used to determine the minimum
1199  number of seconds between urandom pool reseeding). This file is
1200  writable for compatibility purposes, but writing to it has no effect
1201  on any RNG behavior;
1202
1203* ``write_wakeup_threshold``: when the entropy count drops below this
1204  (as a number of bits), processes waiting to write to ``/dev/random``
1205  are woken up. This file is writable for compatibility purposes, but
1206  writing to it has no effect on any RNG behavior.
1207
1208
1209randomize_va_space
1210==================
1211
1212This option can be used to select the type of process address
1213space randomization that is used in the system, for architectures
1214that support this feature.
1215
1216==  ===========================================================================
12170   Turn the process address space randomization off.  This is the
1218    default for architectures that do not support this feature anyways,
1219    and kernels that are booted with the "norandmaps" parameter.
1220
12211   Make the addresses of mmap base, stack and VDSO page randomized.
1222    This, among other things, implies that shared libraries will be
1223    loaded to random addresses.  Also for PIE-linked binaries, the
1224    location of code start is randomized.  This is the default if the
1225    ``CONFIG_COMPAT_BRK`` option is enabled.
1226
12272   Additionally enable heap randomization.  This is the default if
1228    ``CONFIG_COMPAT_BRK`` is disabled.
1229
1230    There are a few legacy applications out there (such as some ancient
1231    versions of libc.so.5 from 1996) that assume that brk area starts
1232    just after the end of the code+bss.  These applications break when
1233    start of the brk area is randomized.  There are however no known
1234    non-legacy applications that would be broken this way, so for most
1235    systems it is safe to choose full randomization.
1236
1237    Systems with ancient and/or broken binaries should be configured
1238    with ``CONFIG_COMPAT_BRK`` enabled, which excludes the heap from process
1239    address space randomization.
1240==  ===========================================================================
1241
1242
1243reboot-cmd (SPARC only)
1244=======================
1245
1246??? This seems to be a way to give an argument to the Sparc
1247ROM/Flash boot loader. Maybe to tell it what to do after
1248rebooting. ???
1249
1250
1251sched_energy_aware
1252==================
1253
1254Enables/disables Energy Aware Scheduling (EAS). EAS starts
1255automatically on platforms where it can run (that is,
1256platforms with asymmetric CPU topologies and having an Energy
1257Model available). If your platform happens to meet the
1258requirements for EAS but you do not want to use it, change
1259this value to 0. On Non-EAS platforms, write operation fails and
1260read doesn't return anything.
1261
1262task_delayacct
1263===============
1264
1265Enables/disables task delay accounting (see
1266Documentation/accounting/delay-accounting.rst. Enabling this feature incurs
1267a small amount of overhead in the scheduler but is useful for debugging
1268and performance tuning. It is required by some tools such as iotop.
1269
1270sched_schedstats
1271================
1272
1273Enables/disables scheduler statistics. Enabling this feature
1274incurs a small amount of overhead in the scheduler but is
1275useful for debugging and performance tuning.
1276
1277sched_util_clamp_min
1278====================
1279
1280Max allowed *minimum* utilization.
1281
1282Default value is 1024, which is the maximum possible value.
1283
1284It means that any requested uclamp.min value cannot be greater than
1285sched_util_clamp_min, i.e., it is restricted to the range
1286[0:sched_util_clamp_min].
1287
1288sched_util_clamp_max
1289====================
1290
1291Max allowed *maximum* utilization.
1292
1293Default value is 1024, which is the maximum possible value.
1294
1295It means that any requested uclamp.max value cannot be greater than
1296sched_util_clamp_max, i.e., it is restricted to the range
1297[0:sched_util_clamp_max].
1298
1299sched_util_clamp_min_rt_default
1300===============================
1301
1302By default Linux is tuned for performance. Which means that RT tasks always run
1303at the highest frequency and most capable (highest capacity) CPU (in
1304heterogeneous systems).
1305
1306Uclamp achieves this by setting the requested uclamp.min of all RT tasks to
13071024 by default, which effectively boosts the tasks to run at the highest
1308frequency and biases them to run on the biggest CPU.
1309
1310This knob allows admins to change the default behavior when uclamp is being
1311used. In battery powered devices particularly, running at the maximum
1312capacity and frequency will increase energy consumption and shorten the battery
1313life.
1314
1315This knob is only effective for RT tasks which the user hasn't modified their
1316requested uclamp.min value via sched_setattr() syscall.
1317
1318This knob will not escape the range constraint imposed by sched_util_clamp_min
1319defined above.
1320
1321For example if
1322
1323	sched_util_clamp_min_rt_default = 800
1324	sched_util_clamp_min = 600
1325
1326Then the boost will be clamped to 600 because 800 is outside of the permissible
1327range of [0:600]. This could happen for instance if a powersave mode will
1328restrict all boosts temporarily by modifying sched_util_clamp_min. As soon as
1329this restriction is lifted, the requested sched_util_clamp_min_rt_default
1330will take effect.
1331
1332seccomp
1333=======
1334
1335See Documentation/userspace-api/seccomp_filter.rst.
1336
1337
1338shmall
1339======
1340
1341This parameter sets the total amount of shared memory pages that can be used
1342inside ipc namespace. The shared memory pages counting occurs for each ipc
1343namespace separately and is not inherited. Hence, ``shmall`` should always be at
1344least ``ceil(shmmax/PAGE_SIZE)``.
1345
1346If you are not sure what the default ``PAGE_SIZE`` is on your Linux
1347system, you can run the following command::
1348
1349	# getconf PAGE_SIZE
1350
1351To reduce or disable the ability to allocate shared memory, you must create a
1352new ipc namespace, set this parameter to the required value and prohibit the
1353creation of a new ipc namespace in the current user namespace or cgroups can
1354be used.
1355
1356shmmax
1357======
1358
1359This value can be used to query and set the run time limit
1360on the maximum shared memory segment size that can be created.
1361Shared memory segments up to 1Gb are now supported in the
1362kernel.  This value defaults to ``SHMMAX``.
1363
1364
1365shmmni
1366======
1367
1368This value determines the maximum number of shared memory segments.
13694096 by default (``SHMMNI``).
1370
1371
1372shm_rmid_forced
1373===============
1374
1375Linux lets you set resource limits, including how much memory one
1376process can consume, via ``setrlimit(2)``.  Unfortunately, shared memory
1377segments are allowed to exist without association with any process, and
1378thus might not be counted against any resource limits.  If enabled,
1379shared memory segments are automatically destroyed when their attach
1380count becomes zero after a detach or a process termination.  It will
1381also destroy segments that were created, but never attached to, on exit
1382from the process.  The only use left for ``IPC_RMID`` is to immediately
1383destroy an unattached segment.  Of course, this breaks the way things are
1384defined, so some applications might stop working.  Note that this
1385feature will do you no good unless you also configure your resource
1386limits (in particular, ``RLIMIT_AS`` and ``RLIMIT_NPROC``).  Most systems don't
1387need this.
1388
1389Note that if you change this from 0 to 1, already created segments
1390without users and with a dead originative process will be destroyed.
1391
1392
1393syscall_user_dispatch
1394=====================
1395
1396Controls whether userspace may arm Syscall User Dispatch via
1397``prctl(PR_SET_SYSCALL_USER_DISPATCH, ...)`` or the
1398``PTRACE_SET_SYSCALL_USER_DISPATCH_CONFIG`` ptrace request:
1399
1400  ==  ===================================================================
1401  0   Arming syscall user dispatch is denied with ``-EPERM``.  Tasks that
1402      already armed it keep it, and disabling it is always permitted.
1403  1   (default) Arming syscall user dispatch is permitted.
1404  ==  ===================================================================
1405
1406Only present when the kernel is built with ``CONFIG_SYSCALL_USER_DISPATCH``
1407and ``CONFIG_SYSCTL``.
1408
1409
1410sysctl_writes_strict
1411====================
1412
1413Control how file position affects the behavior of updating sysctl values
1414via the ``/proc/sys`` interface:
1415
1416  ==   ======================================================================
1417  -1   Legacy per-write sysctl value handling, with no printk warnings.
1418       Each write syscall must fully contain the sysctl value to be
1419       written, and multiple writes on the same sysctl file descriptor
1420       will rewrite the sysctl value, regardless of file position.
1421   0   Same behavior as above, but warn about processes that perform writes
1422       to a sysctl file descriptor when the file position is not 0.
1423   1   (default) Respect file position when writing sysctl strings. Multiple
1424       writes will append to the sysctl value buffer. Anything past the max
1425       length of the sysctl value buffer will be ignored. Writes to numeric
1426       sysctl entries must always be at file position 0 and the value must
1427       be fully contained in the buffer sent in the write syscall.
1428  ==   ======================================================================
1429
1430
1431softlockup_all_cpu_backtrace
1432============================
1433
1434This value controls the soft lockup detector thread's behavior
1435when a soft lockup condition is detected as to whether or not
1436to gather further debug information. If enabled, each cpu will
1437be issued an NMI and instructed to capture stack trace.
1438
1439This feature is only applicable for architectures which support
1440NMI.
1441
1442= ============================================
14430 Do nothing. This is the default behavior.
14441 On detection capture more debug information.
1445= ============================================
1446
1447
1448softlockup_panic
1449=================
1450
1451This parameter can be used to control whether the kernel panics
1452when a soft lockup is detected.
1453
1454= ============================================
14550 Don't panic on soft lockup.
14561 Panic on soft lockup.
1457= ============================================
1458
1459This can also be set using the softlockup_panic kernel parameter.
1460
1461
1462soft_watchdog
1463=============
1464
1465This parameter can be used to control the soft lockup detector.
1466
1467= =================================
14680 Disable the soft lockup detector.
14691 Enable the soft lockup detector.
1470= =================================
1471
1472The soft lockup detector monitors CPUs for threads that are hogging the CPUs
1473without rescheduling voluntarily, and thus prevent the 'migration/N' threads
1474from running, causing the watchdog work fail to execute. The mechanism depends
1475on the CPUs ability to respond to timer interrupts which are needed for the
1476watchdog work to be queued by the watchdog timer function, otherwise the NMI
1477watchdog — if enabled — can detect a hard lockup condition.
1478
1479
1480split_lock_mitigate (x86 only)
1481==============================
1482
1483On x86, each "split lock" imposes a system-wide performance penalty. On larger
1484systems, large numbers of split locks from unprivileged users can result in
1485denials of service to well-behaved and potentially more important users.
1486
1487The kernel mitigates these bad users by detecting split locks and imposing
1488penalties: forcing them to wait and only allowing one core to execute split
1489locks at a time.
1490
1491These mitigations can make those bad applications unbearably slow. Setting
1492split_lock_mitigate=0 may restore some application performance, but will also
1493increase system exposure to denial of service attacks from split lock users.
1494
1495= ===================================================================
14960 Disable the mitigation mode - just warns the split lock on kernel log
1497  and exposes the system to denials of service from the split lockers.
14981 Enable the mitigation mode (this is the default) - penalizes the split
1499  lockers with intentional performance degradation.
1500= ===================================================================
1501
1502
1503stack_erasing
1504=============
1505
1506This parameter can be used to control kernel stack erasing at the end
1507of syscalls for kernels built with ``CONFIG_KSTACK_ERASE``.
1508
1509That erasing reduces the information which kernel stack leak bugs
1510can reveal and blocks some uninitialized stack variable attacks.
1511The tradeoff is the performance impact: on a single CPU system kernel
1512compilation sees a 1% slowdown, other systems and workloads may vary.
1513
1514= ====================================================================
15150 Kernel stack erasing is disabled, KSTACK_ERASE_METRICS are not updated.
15161 Kernel stack erasing is enabled (default), it is performed before
1517  returning to the userspace at the end of syscalls.
1518= ====================================================================
1519
1520
1521stop-a (SPARC only)
1522===================
1523
1524Controls Stop-A:
1525
1526= ====================================
15270 Stop-A has no effect.
15281 Stop-A breaks to the PROM (default).
1529= ====================================
1530
1531Stop-A is always enabled on a panic, so that the user can return to
1532the boot PROM.
1533
1534
1535sysrq
1536=====
1537
1538See Documentation/admin-guide/sysrq.rst.
1539
1540
1541tainted
1542=======
1543
1544Non-zero if the kernel has been tainted. Numeric values, which can be
1545ORed together. The letters are seen in "Tainted" line of Oops reports.
1546
1547======  =====  ==============================================================
1548     1  `(P)`  proprietary module was loaded
1549     2  `(F)`  module was force loaded
1550     4  `(S)`  kernel running on an out of specification system
1551     8  `(R)`  module was force unloaded
1552    16  `(M)`  processor reported a Machine Check Exception (MCE)
1553    32  `(B)`  bad page referenced or some unexpected page flags
1554    64  `(U)`  taint requested by userspace application
1555   128  `(D)`  kernel died recently, i.e. there was an OOPS or BUG
1556   256  `(A)`  an ACPI table was overridden by user
1557   512  `(W)`  kernel issued warning
1558  1024  `(C)`  staging driver was loaded
1559  2048  `(I)`  workaround for bug in platform firmware applied
1560  4096  `(O)`  externally-built ("out-of-tree") module was loaded
1561  8192  `(E)`  unsigned module was loaded
1562 16384  `(L)`  soft lockup occurred
1563 32768  `(K)`  kernel has been live patched
1564 65536  `(X)`  Auxiliary taint, defined and used by for distros
1565131072  `(T)`  The kernel was built with the struct randomization plugin
1566======  =====  ==============================================================
1567
1568See Documentation/admin-guide/tainted-kernels.rst for more information.
1569
1570Note:
1571  writes to this sysctl interface will fail with ``EINVAL`` if the kernel is
1572  booted with the command line option ``panic_on_taint=<bitmask>,nousertaint``
1573  and any of the ORed together values being written to ``tainted`` match with
1574  the bitmask declared on panic_on_taint.
1575  See Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst for more details on
1576  that particular kernel command line option and its optional
1577  ``nousertaint`` switch.
1578
1579threads-max
1580===========
1581
1582This value controls the maximum number of threads that can be created
1583using ``fork()``.
1584
1585During initialization the kernel sets this value such that even if the
1586maximum number of threads is created, the thread structures occupy only
1587a part (1/8th) of the available RAM pages.
1588
1589The minimum value that can be written to ``threads-max`` is 1.
1590
1591The maximum value that can be written to ``threads-max`` is given by the
1592constant ``FUTEX_TID_MASK`` (0x3fffffff).
1593
1594If a value outside of this range is written to ``threads-max`` an
1595``EINVAL`` error occurs.
1596
1597timer_migration
1598===============
1599
1600When set to a non-zero value, attempt to migrate high-resolution timers from
1601nohz isolated (nohz_full) to housekeeping CPUs.
1602See Documentation/admin-guide/cpu-isolation.rst
1603and Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst.
1604
1605Default is set (1).
1606
1607traceoff_on_warning
1608===================
1609
1610When set, disables tracing (see Documentation/trace/ftrace.rst) when a
1611``WARN()`` is hit.
1612
1613
1614tracepoint_printk
1615=================
1616
1617When tracepoints are sent to printk() (enabled by the ``tp_printk``
1618boot parameter), this entry provides runtime control::
1619
1620    echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/tracepoint_printk
1621
1622will stop tracepoints from being sent to printk(), and::
1623
1624    echo 1 > /proc/sys/kernel/tracepoint_printk
1625
1626will send them to printk() again.
1627
1628This only works if the kernel was booted with ``tp_printk`` enabled.
1629
1630See Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst and
1631Documentation/trace/boottime-trace.rst.
1632
1633
1634unaligned-trap
1635==============
1636
1637On architectures where unaligned accesses cause traps, and where this
1638feature is supported (``CONFIG_SYSCTL_ARCH_UNALIGN_ALLOW``; currently,
1639``arc``, ``parisc`` and ``loongarch``), controls whether unaligned traps
1640are caught and emulated (instead of failing).
1641
1642= ========================================================
16430 Do not emulate unaligned accesses.
16441 Emulate unaligned accesses. This is the default setting.
1645= ========================================================
1646
1647See also `ignore-unaligned-usertrap`_.
1648
1649
1650unknown_nmi_panic
1651=================
1652
1653The value in this file affects behavior of handling NMI. When the
1654value is non-zero, unknown NMI is trapped and then panic occurs. At
1655that time, kernel debugging information is displayed on console.
1656
1657NMI switch that most IA32 servers have fires unknown NMI up, for
1658example.  If a system hangs up, try pressing the NMI switch.
1659
1660
1661unprivileged_bpf_disabled
1662=========================
1663
1664Writing 1 to this entry will disable unprivileged calls to ``bpf()``;
1665once disabled, calling ``bpf()`` without ``CAP_SYS_ADMIN`` or ``CAP_BPF``
1666will return ``-EPERM``. Once set to 1, this can't be cleared from the
1667running kernel anymore.
1668
1669Writing 2 to this entry will also disable unprivileged calls to ``bpf()``,
1670however, an admin can still change this setting later on, if needed, by
1671writing 0 or 1 to this entry.
1672
1673If ``BPF_UNPRIV_DEFAULT_OFF`` is enabled in the kernel config, then this
1674entry will default to 2 instead of 0.
1675
1676= =============================================================
16770 Unprivileged calls to ``bpf()`` are enabled
16781 Unprivileged calls to ``bpf()`` are disabled without recovery
16792 Unprivileged calls to ``bpf()`` are disabled
1680= =============================================================
1681
1682
1683warn_limit
1684==========
1685
1686Number of kernel warnings after which the kernel should panic when
1687``panic_on_warn`` is not set. Setting this to 0 disables checking
1688the warning count. Setting this to 1 has the same effect as setting
1689``panic_on_warn=1``. The default value is 0.
1690
1691
1692watchdog
1693========
1694
1695This parameter can be used to disable or enable the soft lockup detector
1696*and* the NMI watchdog (i.e. the hard lockup detector) at the same time.
1697
1698= ==============================
16990 Disable both lockup detectors.
17001 Enable both lockup detectors.
1701= ==============================
1702
1703The soft lockup detector and the NMI watchdog can also be disabled or
1704enabled individually, using the ``soft_watchdog`` and ``nmi_watchdog``
1705parameters.
1706If the ``watchdog`` parameter is read, for example by executing::
1707
1708   cat /proc/sys/kernel/watchdog
1709
1710the output of this command (0 or 1) shows the logical OR of
1711``soft_watchdog`` and ``nmi_watchdog``.
1712
1713
1714watchdog_cpumask
1715================
1716
1717This value can be used to control on which cpus the watchdog may run.
1718The default cpumask is all possible cores, but if ``NO_HZ_FULL`` is
1719enabled in the kernel config, and cores are specified with the
1720``nohz_full=`` boot argument, those cores are excluded by default.
1721Offline cores can be included in this mask, and if the core is later
1722brought online, the watchdog will be started based on the mask value.
1723
1724Typically this value would only be touched in the ``nohz_full`` case
1725to re-enable cores that by default were not running the watchdog,
1726if a kernel lockup was suspected on those cores.
1727
1728The argument value is the standard cpulist format for cpumasks,
1729so for example to enable the watchdog on cores 0, 2, 3, and 4 you
1730might say::
1731
1732  echo 0,2-4 > /proc/sys/kernel/watchdog_cpumask
1733
1734
1735watchdog_thresh
1736===============
1737
1738This value can be used to control the frequency of hrtimer and NMI
1739events and the soft and hard lockup thresholds. The default threshold
1740is 10 seconds.
1741
1742The softlockup threshold is (``2 * watchdog_thresh``). Setting this
1743tunable to zero will disable lockup detection altogether.
1744