Re: [git pull] vfs and fs fixes

From: J. Bruce Fields
Date: Tue Apr 17 2012 - 17:14:21 EST


On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 07:28:26PM +0100, Al Viro wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 07:01:29PM +0100, Al Viro wrote:
>
> > It isn't. Hell knows - I wonder if taking s_vfs_rename_mutex in all cases
> > in lock_rename() would be the right thing to do; it would remove the
> > problem, but might cost us too much contention...
>
> Actually, it's even worse. ext4_move_extents() locks a _pair_ of
> ->i_mutex (having checked that both are non-directories first). In
> i_ino order. So the only plausible ordering would be
> * directories by tree order (with s_vfs_rename_mutex held to
> stabilize the tree topology)
> * non-directories after all directories, ordered in some consistent
> way. Which would have to be by inumber if we want to leave ext4 code
> as-is.
>
> Bruce: for now I'm dropping that patch. We _might_ take ext4
> mutex_inode_double_lock() into fs/namei.c and have it used by
> vfs_rename_other(), but I'm not convinced that this is the right
> thing to do. Is there any other sane way to deal with nfsd problem?
> i_mutex is already used for more things than I'd like...

I don't want to give out a delegation while a rename, link, unlink, or
setattr of an inode is in progress. All but rename are covered by the
i_mutex.

I'm happy just failing the delegation in case of conflict.

Maybe instead I could continue using the i_mutex but handle rename some
other way; e.g. in delegation code:

if (!mutex_trylock(inode->i_mutex))
return -EAGAIN;
if (atomic_read(inode->i_renames_in_progress))
return -EAGAIN;

and add an

atomic_inc(inode->i_renames_in_progress);
atomic_dec(inode->i_renames_in_progress);

pair around rename.

Or I could increment that counter for all the conflicting operations and
rely on it instead of the i_mutex. I was trying to avoid adding
something like that (an inc, a dec, another error path) to every
operation. And hoping to avoid adding another field to struct inode.
Oh well.

--b.
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