CPU_EQUAL - Linux
Overview
CPU_EQUAL enables the alignment of the memory page size and CPU cache line size, optimizing memory access performance for specific workloads. This command is particularly valuable in high-performance computing (HPC) environments and applications that heavily rely on memory bandwidth.
Syntax
CPU_EQUAL [--enable] [--disable] [--status]
Options/Flags
- –enable: Activates alignment of page size and cache line size.
- –disable: Deactivates alignment, reverting to the default system configuration.
- –status: Displays the current alignment status.
Examples
Enable alignment:
CPU_EQUAL --enable
Disable alignment:
CPU_EQUAL --disable
Check status:
CPU_EQUAL --status
Common Issues
- Alignment may fail if the page size is not a multiple of the cache line size. To resolve this, adjust the page size using the
hugepages
kernel module. - Some workloads may not benefit from alignment. Monitoring performance before and after enabling alignment is recommended.
Integration
CPU_EQUAL can be integrated into system scripts to automate alignment adjustments:
if CPU_EQUAL --status | grep "Enabled"; then
echo "Alignment already enabled"
else
CPU_EQUAL --enable
fi
Related Commands
- taskset: Binds processes to specific CPUs or cores.
- numactl: Controls memory allocation on NUMA (Non-Uniform Memory Access) systems.
- HugeTLB: Provides access to large pages for improved memory bandwidth.