Polyakov's OOM Killer Tamer
Evgeniy Polyakov has released a patch to the kernel's out-of-memory (OOM) killer function, which was designed to prevent a system freeze in an OOM condition by sacrificing one or more processes. The patch "tames" the function by defining the specific process to kill.
As the Hungarian HUP UNIX portal announces, kernel contributor Polyakov distributed a mail message with the subject "Linux killed Kenny", which has raised some eyebrows. His patch is in response to the kernel's OOM killer function, a remedy familiar to some seasoned Linux users who have had to resort to "Ctrl+Alt+SysRq,R,E,I,S,U,B" to restart their system after experiencing a freeze due to an OOM error.
Since version 2.6, the kernel has used a "badness" scoring algorithm to find the best candidate process or processes to sacrifice in case of an OOM error. However, Polyakov claims that this OOM killer often goes "quite berserk" by nixing processes that the user didn't really want to nix, such as Firefox instead of OpenOffice or KWin instead of Java.
Polyakov thought it best to make the process to kill user-specifiable. The code has the hypothetical "Kenny" as the default "victim" process, but he changed it later in the program to an empty variable. The patch installer should substitute the actual process name by calling:
echo Java > /proc/sys/vm/oom_victim
The solution is not without its critics. Alan Cox, for example, responded in the thread that the kernel already has the /proc/self/oom_adj interface that "does the job far better." The complete thread starts here.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
ESET Discovers New Linux Malware
WolfsBane is an all-in-one malware that has hit the Linux operating system and includes a dropper, a launcher, and a backdoor.
-
New Linux Kernel Patch Allows Forcing a CPU Mitigation
Even when CPU mitigations can consume precious CPU cycles, it might not be a bad idea to allow users to enable them, even if your machine isn't vulnerable.
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 Released
Notify your friends, loved ones, and colleagues that the latest version of RHEL is available with plenty of enhancements.
-
Linux Sees Massive Performance Increase from a Single Line of Code
With one line of code, Intel was able to increase the performance of the Linux kernel by 4,000 percent.
-
Fedora KDE Approved as an Official Spin
If you prefer the Plasma desktop environment and the Fedora distribution, you're in luck because there's now an official spin that is listed on the same level as the Fedora Workstation edition.
-
New Steam Client Ups the Ante for Linux
The latest release from Steam has some pretty cool tricks up its sleeve.
-
Gnome OS Transitioning Toward a General-Purpose Distro
If you're looking for the perfectly vanilla take on the Gnome desktop, Gnome OS might be for you.
-
Fedora 41 Released with New Features
If you're a Fedora fan or just looking for a Linux distribution to help you migrate from Windows, Fedora 41 might be just the ticket.
-
AlmaLinux OS Kitten 10 Gives Power Users a Sneak Preview
If you're looking to kick the tires of AlmaLinux's upstream version, the developers have a purrfect solution.
-
Gnome 47.1 Released with a Few Fixes
The latest release of the Gnome desktop is all about fixing a few nagging issues and not about bringing new features into the mix.