diff -urNp 2.5.59-topo/kernel/sched.c 2.5.59-topo-succ/kernel/sched.c
--- 2.5.59-topo/kernel/sched.c	2003-01-17 03:22:29.000000000 +0100
+++ 2.5.59-topo-succ/kernel/sched.c	2003-01-20 13:06:04.000000000 +0100
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ struct runqueue {
 	int prev_nr_running[NR_CPUS];
 #ifdef CONFIG_NUMA
 	atomic_t *node_nr_running;
-	unsigned int nr_balanced;
+	unsigned int nr_lb_failed;
 	int prev_node_load[MAX_NUMNODES];
 #endif
 	task_t *migration_thread;
@@ -770,11 +770,11 @@ static inline unsigned long cpus_to_bala
 	int this_node = __cpu_to_node(this_cpu);
 	/*
 	 * Avoid rebalancing between nodes too often.
-	 * We rebalance globally once every NODE_BALANCE_RATE load balances.
+	 * We rebalance globally after NODE_BALANCE_RATE failed load balances.
 	 */
-	if (++(this_rq->nr_balanced) == NODE_BALANCE_RATE) {
+	if (this_rq->nr_lb_failed == NODE_BALANCE_RATE) {
 		int node = find_busiest_node(this_node);
-		this_rq->nr_balanced = 0;
+		this_rq->nr_lb_failed = 0;
 		if (node >= 0)
 			return (__node_to_cpu_mask(node) | (1UL << this_cpu));
 	}
@@ -892,6 +892,10 @@ static inline runqueue_t *find_busiest_q
 		busiest = NULL;
 	}
 out:
+#ifdef CONFIG_NUMA
+	if (!busiest)
+		this_rq->nr_lb_failed++;
+#endif
 	return busiest;
 }