Linux will often still schedule kernel threads to run on those cores so they are not totally isolated.
Have a look at cpuset[0]. You can forcibly move kernel threads into a given set (even pinned threads), and then force that set onto whatever cores you want.
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Have a look at cpuset[0]. You can forcibly move kernel threads into a given set (even pinned threads), and then force that set onto whatever cores you want.
[0] http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/online/pages/man7/cpuset...
Ah good stuff thanks posting that. I'll have to look into it, I haven't tried cpusets yet.
In the past I tried migrating kernel threads, the migration did work but system became unstable, so I gave up on that.