Index: sys/netinet/tcp_hpts.c
===================================================================
--- sys/netinet/tcp_hpts.c
+++ sys/netinet/tcp_hpts.c
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@
 	void *ie_cookie;
 	uint16_t p_num;		/* The hpts number one per cpu */
 	uint16_t p_cpu;		/* The hpts CPU */
+	uint8_t hit_callout_thresh;
 	/* There is extra space in here */
 	/* Cache line 0x100 */
 	struct callout co __aligned(CACHE_LINE_SIZE);
@@ -269,6 +270,8 @@
 	int cpu[MAXCPU];
 } hpts_domains[MAXMEMDOM];
 
+static volatile uint32_t hpts_that_need_softclock = 0;
+
 counter_u64_t hpts_hopelessly_behind;
 
 SYSCTL_COUNTER_U64(_net_inet_tcp_hpts_stats, OID_AUTO, hopeless, CTLFLAG_RD,
@@ -334,7 +337,7 @@
     &tcp_hpts_precision, 120,
     "Value for PRE() precision of callout");
 SYSCTL_INT(_net_inet_tcp_hpts, OID_AUTO, cnt_thresh, CTLFLAG_RW,
-    &conn_cnt_thresh, 0,
+    &conn_cnt_thresh, DEFAULT_CONNECTION_THESHOLD,
     "How many connections (below) make us use the callout based mechanism");
 SYSCTL_INT(_net_inet_tcp_hpts, OID_AUTO, logging, CTLFLAG_RW,
     &hpts_does_tp_logging, 0,
@@ -1548,6 +1551,9 @@
 	struct tcp_hpts_entry *hpts;
 	int ticks_ran;
 
+	if (hpts_that_need_softclock == 0)
+		return;
+
 	hpts = tcp_choose_hpts_to_run();
 
 	if (hpts->p_hpts_active) {
@@ -1683,6 +1689,13 @@
 	ticks_ran = tcp_hptsi(hpts, 1);
 	tv.tv_sec = 0;
 	tv.tv_usec = hpts->p_hpts_sleep_time * HPTS_TICKS_PER_SLOT;
+	if ((hpts->p_on_queue_cnt > conn_cnt_thresh) && (hpts->hit_callout_thresh == 0)) {
+		hpts->hit_callout_thresh = 1;
+		atomic_add_int(&hpts_that_need_softclock, 1);
+	} else if ((hpts->p_on_queue_cnt <= conn_cnt_thresh) && (hpts->hit_callout_thresh == 1)) {
+		hpts->hit_callout_thresh = 0;
+		atomic_subtract_int(&hpts_that_need_softclock, 1);
+	}
 	if (hpts->p_on_queue_cnt >= conn_cnt_thresh) {
 		if(hpts->p_direct_wake == 0) {
 			/*