diff --git a/samples/bpf/Makefile b/samples/bpf/Makefile
index fb17206ddb57a4c11fd7f526792f9a619fcb450e..22b6407efa4fe400779dfb7c114d5141684985b4 100644
--- a/samples/bpf/Makefile
+++ b/samples/bpf/Makefile
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ always += trace_event_kern.o
 always += sampleip_kern.o
 
 HOSTCFLAGS += -I$(objtree)/usr/include
+HOSTCFLAGS += -I$(objtree)/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/
 
 HOSTCFLAGS_bpf_load.o += -I$(objtree)/usr/include -Wno-unused-variable
 HOSTLOADLIBES_fds_example += -lelf
diff --git a/samples/bpf/test_lru_dist.c b/samples/bpf/test_lru_dist.c
index 2859977b7f37dfe48f47ab76a553e1fbea4e2d4b..316230a0ed2306271288d21c25970d505e9d0507 100644
--- a/samples/bpf/test_lru_dist.c
+++ b/samples/bpf/test_lru_dist.c
@@ -16,10 +16,13 @@
 #include <sched.h>
 #include <sys/wait.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <sys/resource.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <time.h>
+
 #include "libbpf.h"
+#include "bpf_util.h"
 
 #define min(a, b) ((a) < (b) ? (a) : (b))
 #define offsetof(TYPE, MEMBER)	((size_t)&((TYPE *)0)->MEMBER)
@@ -510,7 +513,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	srand(time(NULL));
 
-	nr_cpus = sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_CONF);
+	nr_cpus = bpf_num_possible_cpus();
 	assert(nr_cpus != -1);
 	printf("nr_cpus:%d\n\n", nr_cpus);
 
diff --git a/samples/bpf/tracex2_user.c b/samples/bpf/tracex2_user.c
index ab5b19e68acf0c3d53916ce6324f57777cf3acbd..3e225e331f664847736242fc5fd1c7abce9c696b 100644
--- a/samples/bpf/tracex2_user.c
+++ b/samples/bpf/tracex2_user.c
@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@
 #include <signal.h>
 #include <linux/bpf.h>
 #include <string.h>
+
 #include "libbpf.h"
 #include "bpf_load.h"
+#include "bpf_util.h"
 
 #define MAX_INDEX	64
 #define MAX_STARS	38
@@ -36,8 +38,8 @@ struct hist_key {
 
 static void print_hist_for_pid(int fd, void *task)
 {
+	unsigned int nr_cpus = bpf_num_possible_cpus();
 	struct hist_key key = {}, next_key;
-	unsigned int nr_cpus = sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_CONF);
 	long values[nr_cpus];
 	char starstr[MAX_STARS];
 	long value;
diff --git a/samples/bpf/tracex3_user.c b/samples/bpf/tracex3_user.c
index 48716f7f0d8b9eae647a76ba93b07fe76a79f7bd..d0851cb4fa8d2c967662d9bcdc33b3b859eff9cc 100644
--- a/samples/bpf/tracex3_user.c
+++ b/samples/bpf/tracex3_user.c
@@ -11,8 +11,10 @@
 #include <stdbool.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <linux/bpf.h>
+
 #include "libbpf.h"
 #include "bpf_load.h"
+#include "bpf_util.h"
 
 #define ARRAY_SIZE(x) (sizeof(x) / sizeof(*(x)))
 
@@ -20,7 +22,7 @@
 
 static void clear_stats(int fd)
 {
-	unsigned int nr_cpus = sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_CONF);
+	unsigned int nr_cpus = bpf_num_possible_cpus();
 	__u64 values[nr_cpus];
 	__u32 key;
 
@@ -77,7 +79,7 @@ static void print_banner(void)
 
 static void print_hist(int fd)
 {
-	unsigned int nr_cpus = sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_CONF);
+	unsigned int nr_cpus = bpf_num_possible_cpus();
 	__u64 total_events = 0;
 	long values[nr_cpus];
 	__u64 max_cnt = 0;
diff --git a/samples/bpf/xdp1_user.c b/samples/bpf/xdp1_user.c
index a5e109e398a1f8fb08b6cc1f42190852ada841e2..2b2150d6d6f78496a7bf7cc0026b6b9258f5d39c 100644
--- a/samples/bpf/xdp1_user.c
+++ b/samples/bpf/xdp1_user.c
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <sys/socket.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
+
 #include "bpf_load.h"
+#include "bpf_util.h"
 #include "libbpf.h"
 
 static int set_link_xdp_fd(int ifindex, int fd)
@@ -120,7 +122,7 @@ static void int_exit(int sig)
  */
 static void poll_stats(int interval)
 {
-	unsigned int nr_cpus = sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_CONF);
+	unsigned int nr_cpus = bpf_num_possible_cpus();
 	const unsigned int nr_keys = 256;
 	__u64 values[nr_cpus], prev[nr_keys][nr_cpus];
 	__u32 key;
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/bpf_util.h b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/bpf_util.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..84a5d1823f028344e7a4339e8aa5eb45506d797d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/bpf_util.h
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#ifndef __BPF_UTIL__
+#define __BPF_UTIL__
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+
+static inline unsigned int bpf_num_possible_cpus(void)
+{
+	static const char *fcpu = "/sys/devices/system/cpu/possible";
+	unsigned int start, end, possible_cpus = 0;
+	char buff[128];
+	FILE *fp;
+
+	fp = fopen(fcpu, "r");
+	if (!fp) {
+		printf("Failed to open %s: '%s'!\n", fcpu, strerror(errno));
+		exit(1);
+	}
+
+	while (fgets(buff, sizeof(buff), fp)) {
+		if (sscanf(buff, "%u-%u", &start, &end) == 2) {
+			possible_cpus = start == 0 ? end + 1 : 0;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+
+	fclose(fp);
+	if (!possible_cpus) {
+		printf("Failed to retrieve # possible CPUs!\n");
+		exit(1);
+	}
+
+	return possible_cpus;
+}
+
+#endif /* __BPF_UTIL__ */
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_lru_map.c b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_lru_map.c
index 627757ed7836c80d513baf9792ec9f4dba7348ca..b13fed534d761742700c21491887667f22a403c9 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_lru_map.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_lru_map.c
@@ -12,10 +12,14 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <sched.h>
-#include <sys/wait.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <time.h>
+
+#include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <sys/resource.h>
+
 #include "bpf_sys.h"
+#include "bpf_util.h"
 
 #define LOCAL_FREE_TARGET	(128)
 #define PERCPU_FREE_TARGET	(16)
@@ -559,7 +563,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	assert(!setrlimit(RLIMIT_MEMLOCK, &r));
 
-	nr_cpus = sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_CONF);
+	nr_cpus = bpf_num_possible_cpus();
 	assert(nr_cpus != -1);
 	printf("nr_cpus:%d\n\n", nr_cpus);
 
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_maps.c b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_maps.c
index ee384f02cb6e3a0af072f55f1e0148179c14034a..eedfef8d29469b562e8ff8f609bef5016ca44bd1 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_maps.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_maps.c
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include <linux/bpf.h>
 
 #include "bpf_sys.h"
+#include "bpf_util.h"
 
 static int map_flags;
 
@@ -110,7 +111,7 @@ static void test_hashmap(int task, void *data)
 
 static void test_hashmap_percpu(int task, void *data)
 {
-	unsigned int nr_cpus = sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_CONF);
+	unsigned int nr_cpus = bpf_num_possible_cpus();
 	long long value[nr_cpus];
 	long long key, next_key;
 	int expected_key_mask = 0;
@@ -258,7 +259,7 @@ static void test_arraymap(int task, void *data)
 
 static void test_arraymap_percpu(int task, void *data)
 {
-	unsigned int nr_cpus = sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_CONF);
+	unsigned int nr_cpus = bpf_num_possible_cpus();
 	int key, next_key, fd, i;
 	long values[nr_cpus];
 
@@ -313,7 +314,7 @@ static void test_arraymap_percpu(int task, void *data)
 
 static void test_arraymap_percpu_many_keys(void)
 {
-	unsigned int nr_cpus = sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_CONF);
+	unsigned int nr_cpus = bpf_num_possible_cpus();
 	unsigned int nr_keys = 20000;
 	long values[nr_cpus];
 	int key, fd, i;
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_verifier.c b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_verifier.c
index 0ef8eaf6cea7c0bd161c5778e30d3b9b899f91f1..3c4a1fbba2a068b902929ddc5dc6161766a12056 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_verifier.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/test_verifier.c
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ static struct bpf_test tests[] = {
 			BPF_RAW_INSN(BPF_JMP | BPF_CALL, 0, 0, 0, 1234567),
 			BPF_EXIT_INSN(),
 		},
-		.errstr = "invalid func 1234567",
+		.errstr = "invalid func unknown#1234567",
 		.result = REJECT,
 	},
 	{