Not sure what static keys selftest does in Linux Kernel config

Operating Systems & Open Source Linux
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1

I was looking through the kernel config, and noticed under "optimize very unlikely/likely branches" there's a static key selftest option. The description mentions "Boot time self-test of the branch patching code" I'm not 100% sure what it does so I'm not going to turn it on. But, I'm guessing it tests the branches during bootup.

I couldn't find much describing what the option does online. Does anyone know if it speeds up boot times?

2

Tried to look as well, no idea.

I'm going to go with no, its unlikely to speed anything up, it might be for some specific hardware.

3

Hello,

Asked myself the same, and a quick glance at the patch introducing the option tells me it's only testing the optimization. It's clearly a self-test for kernel devs. Leave it disabled ;-)