Re: [PATCH v2] tools/memory-model/Documentation: Fix "conflict" definition

From: Marco Elver
Date: Mon Mar 02 2020 - 12:26:16 EST


On Mon, 2 Mar 2020 at 17:47, Alan Stern <stern@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> On Mon, 2 Mar 2020, Marco Elver wrote:
>
> > Alan: I think this needs your Signed-off-by, since I added you as
> > Co-developed-by.
>
> Here you go:
>
> Signed-off-by: Alan Stern <stern@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> > Let me know if this works for you.
>
> See below.
>
> > The definition of "conflict" should not include the type of access nor
> > whether the accesses are concurrent or not, which this patch addresses.
> > The definition of "data race" remains unchanged.
> >
> > The definition of "conflict" as we know it and is cited by various
> > papers on memory consistency models appeared in [1]: "Two accesses to
> > the same variable conflict if at least one is a write; two operations
> > conflict if they execute conflicting accesses."
> >
> > The LKMM as well as the C11 memory model are adaptations of
> > data-race-free, which are based on the work in [2]. Necessarily, we need
> > both conflicting data operations (plain) and synchronization operations
> > (marked). For example, C11's definition is based on [3], which defines a
> > "data race" as: "Two memory operations conflict if they access the same
> > memory location, and at least one of them is a store, atomic store, or
> > atomic read-modify-write operation. In a sequentially consistent
> > execution, two memory operations from different threads form a type 1
> > data race if they conflict, at least one of them is a data operation,
> > and they are adjacent in <T (i.e., they may be executed concurrently)."
> >
> > [1] D. Shasha, M. Snir, "Efficient and Correct Execution of Parallel
> > Programs that Share Memory", 1988.
> > URL: http://snir.cs.illinois.edu/listed/J21.pdf
> >
> > [2] S. Adve, "Designing Memory Consistency Models for Shared-Memory
> > Multiprocessors", 1993.
> > URL: http://sadve.cs.illinois.edu/Publications/thesis.pdf
> >
> > [3] H.-J. Boehm, S. Adve, "Foundations of the C++ Concurrency Memory
> > Model", 2008.
> > URL: https://www.hpl.hp.com/techreports/2008/HPL-2008-56.pdf
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Marco Elver <elver@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Co-developed-by: Alan Stern <stern@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > ---
> > v2:
> > * Apply Alan's suggested version.
> > - Move "from different CPUs (or threads)" from "conflict" to "data
> > race" definition. Update "race candidate" accordingly.
> > * Add citations to commit message.
> >
> > v1: http://lkml.kernel.org/r/20200228164621.87523-1-elver@xxxxxxxxxx
> > ---
> > .../Documentation/explanation.txt | 77 +++++++++----------
> > 1 file changed, 38 insertions(+), 39 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/tools/memory-model/Documentation/explanation.txt b/tools/memory-model/Documentation/explanation.txt
> > index e91a2eb19592a..7a59cadc2f4ca 100644
> > --- a/tools/memory-model/Documentation/explanation.txt
> > +++ b/tools/memory-model/Documentation/explanation.txt
> > @@ -1987,28 +1987,28 @@ outcome undefined.
> >
> > In technical terms, the compiler is allowed to assume that when the
> > program executes, there will not be any data races. A "data race"
> > -occurs when two conflicting memory accesses execute concurrently;
> > -two memory accesses "conflict" if:
> > +occurs when two conflicting memory accesses from different CPUs (or
> > +different threads on the same CPU) execute concurrently, and at least
> > +one of them is plain. Two memory accesses "conflict" if:
> >
> > they access the same location,
> >
> > - they occur on different CPUs (or in different threads on the
> > - same CPU),
> > -
> > - at least one of them is a plain access,
> > -
> > and at least one of them is a store.
> >
> > -The LKMM tries to determine whether a program contains two conflicting
> > -accesses which may execute concurrently; if it does then the LKMM says
> > -there is a potential data race and makes no predictions about the
> > -program's outcome.
> > -
> > -Determining whether two accesses conflict is easy; you can see that
> > -all the concepts involved in the definition above are already part of
> > -the memory model. The hard part is telling whether they may execute
> > -concurrently. The LKMM takes a conservative attitude, assuming that
> > -accesses may be concurrent unless it can prove they cannot.
> > +We'll say that two accesses from different threads are "race
> > +candidates" if they conflict and at least one of them is plain.
> > +Whether or not two candidates actually do race in a given execution
> > +then depends on whether they are concurrent. The LKMM tries to
> > +determine whether a program contains race candidates which may execute
> > +concurrently; if it does then the LKMM says there is a potential data
> > +race and makes no predictions about the program's outcome.
>
> Hmmm. Although the content is okay, I don't like the organization very
> much. What do you think of this for the above portion of the patch)?

Thanks, looks good to me. Applied in v3:
http://lkml.kernel.org/r/20200302172101.157917-1-elver@xxxxxxxxxx

-- Marco

> Alan Stern
>
>
>
> Index: usb-devel/tools/memory-model/Documentation/explanation.txt
> ===================================================================
> --- usb-devel.orig/tools/memory-model/Documentation/explanation.txt
> +++ usb-devel/tools/memory-model/Documentation/explanation.txt
> @@ -1987,28 +1987,36 @@ outcome undefined.
>
> In technical terms, the compiler is allowed to assume that when the
> program executes, there will not be any data races. A "data race"
> -occurs when two conflicting memory accesses execute concurrently;
> -two memory accesses "conflict" if:
> +occurs when there are two memory accesses such that:
>
> - they access the same location,
> +1. they access the same location,
>
> - they occur on different CPUs (or in different threads on the
> - same CPU),
> +2. at least one of them is a store,
> +
> +3. at least one of them is plain,
>
> - at least one of them is a plain access,
> +4. they occur on different CPUs (or in different threads on the
> + same CPU), and
>
> - and at least one of them is a store.
> +5. they execute concurrently.
>
> -The LKMM tries to determine whether a program contains two conflicting
> -accesses which may execute concurrently; if it does then the LKMM says
> -there is a potential data race and makes no predictions about the
> +In the literature, two accesses are said to "conflict" if they satisfy
> +1 and 2 above. We'll go a little farther and say that two accesses
> +are "race candidates" if they satisfy 1 - 4. Thus, whether or not two
> +race candidates actually do race in a given execution depends on
> +whether they are concurrent.
> +
> +The LKMM tries to determine whether a program contains two race
> +candidates which may execute concurrently; if it does then the LKMM
> +says there is a potential data race and makes no predictions about the
> program's outcome.
>
> -Determining whether two accesses conflict is easy; you can see that
> -all the concepts involved in the definition above are already part of
> -the memory model. The hard part is telling whether they may execute
> -concurrently. The LKMM takes a conservative attitude, assuming that
> -accesses may be concurrent unless it can prove they cannot.
> +Determining whether two accesses are race candidates is easy; you can
> +see that all the concepts involved in the definition above are already
> +part of the memory model. The hard part is telling whether they may
> +execute concurrently. The LKMM takes a conservative attitude,
> +assuming that accesses may be concurrent unless it can prove they
> +are not.
>
> If two memory accesses aren't concurrent then one must execute before
> the other. Therefore the LKMM decides two accesses aren't concurrent
>
>