[PATCH, 3rd resend] documentation: atomic_add_unless() doesn't imply mb() on failure

From: Oleg Nesterov
Date: Sat Feb 23 2008 - 16:04:24 EST


(sorry for being offtpoic, but while experts are here...)

A "typical" implementation of atomic_add_unless() can return 0 immediately
after the first atomic_read() (before doing cmpxchg). In that case it doesn't
provide any barrier semantics. See include/asm-ia64/atomic.h as an example.

We should either change the implementation, or fix the docs.

Signed-off-by: Oleg Nesterov <oleg@xxxxxxxxxx>
Acked-by: Nick Piggin <npiggin@xxxxxxx>

Documentation/atomic_ops.txt | 3 ++-
Documentation/memory-barriers.txt | 2 +-
2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

--- t/Documentation/atomic_ops.txt~doc_aau 2008-01-14 23:43:11.000000000 +0300
+++ t/Documentation/atomic_ops.txt 2008-02-23 23:53:12.000000000 +0300
@@ -186,7 +186,8 @@ If the atomic value v is not equal to u,
returns non zero. If v is equal to u then it returns zero. This is done as
an atomic operation.

-atomic_add_unless requires explicit memory barriers around the operation.
+atomic_add_unless requires explicit memory barriers around the operation
+unless it fails (returns 0).

atomic_inc_not_zero, equivalent to atomic_add_unless(v, 1, 0)

--- t/Documentation/memory-barriers.txt~doc_aau 2008-01-14 23:43:11.000000000 +0300
+++ t/Documentation/memory-barriers.txt 2008-02-23 23:53:12.000000000 +0300
@@ -1493,7 +1493,7 @@ explicit lock operations, described late
atomic_dec_and_test();
atomic_sub_and_test();
atomic_add_negative();
- atomic_add_unless();
+ atomic_add_unless(); /* when succeeds (returns 1) */
test_and_set_bit();
test_and_clear_bit();
test_and_change_bit();

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