Re: [PATCH] sched: fix race in schedule

From: Peter Zijlstra
Date: Wed Mar 12 2008 - 10:57:34 EST


On Wed, 2008-03-12 at 15:48 +0100, Dmitry Adamushko wrote:
> On 12/03/2008, Peter Zijlstra <peterz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > [ ... ]
> >
> > > > Before begin, I can tell that se->on_rq is changed at enqueue_task() or
> > > > dequeue_task() in sched.c.
> > > >
> > > > Here is the flow to panic which I got;
> > > >
> > > > CPU0 CPU1
> > > > | schedule()
> > > > | ->deactivate_task()
> > > >
> > > > | -->dequeue_task()
> > > > | * on_rq=0
> > > > | ->put_prev_task_fair()
> > > >
> > > > | ->idle_balance()
> > > > | -->load_balance_newidle()
> > > >
> > > > (a wakeup function) |
> > > >
> > > > | --->double_lock_balance()
> > > > *get lock *rel lock
> > > >
> > > > * wake up target is CPU1's curr |
> > > > ->enqueue_task() |
> > > > * on_rq=1 |
> > > > ->rt_mutex_setprio() |
> > > > * on_rq=1, ruuning=1 |
> > > > -->dequeue_task()!! |
> > > > -->put_prev_task_fair()!! |
> > >
> > > humm... this one should have caused the problem.
> > >
> > > ->put_prev_task() has been previously done in schedule() so we get 2
> > > consequent ->put_prev_task() without set_curr_task/pick_next_task()
> > > being called in between
> > > [ as a result, __enqueue_entitty() is called twice for CPU1's curr and
> > > that definitely corrupts an rb-tree ]
> > >
> > > your initial patch doesn't have this problem. humm... logically-wise,
> > > it looks like a change of the 'current' which can be expressed by a
> > > pair :
> > >
> > > (1) put_prev_task() + (2) pick_next_task() or set_curr_task()
> > > (both end up calling set_next_entity())
> > >
> > > has to be 'atomic' wrt the rq->lock.
> > >
> > > For schedule() that also involves a change of rq->curr.
> >
> >
> > Right, this seems to 'rely' on rq->curr lagging behind put_prev_task().
> > So by doing something like:
> >
> >
> > ---
> > diff --git a/kernel/sched.c b/kernel/sched.c
> >
> > index a0c79e9..62d796f 100644
> >
> > --- a/kernel/sched.c
> > +++ b/kernel/sched.c
> >
> > @@ -4061,6 +4061,8 @@ need_resched_nonpreemptible:
> > }
> > switch_count = &prev->nvcsw;
> > }
> >
> > + prev->sched_class->put_prev_task(rq, prev);
> >
> > + rq->curr = rq->idle;
> >
> >
> > #ifdef CONFIG_SMP
> > if (prev->sched_class->pre_schedule)
> >
> > @@ -4070,14 +4072,13 @@ need_resched_nonpreemptible:
> >
> > if (unlikely(!rq->nr_running))
> > idle_balance(cpu, rq);
> >
> > - prev->sched_class->put_prev_task(rq, prev);
> > next = pick_next_task(rq, prev);
> >
> > + rq->curr = next;
> >
> >
> > sched_info_switch(prev, next);
> >
> >
> > if (likely(prev != next)) {
> > rq->nr_switches++;
> > - rq->curr = next;
> > ++*switch_count;
> >
> > context_switch(rq, prev, next); /* unlocks the rq */
> > ---
>
> hum, I'm quite suspicious about this approach... mainly, due to the
> fact that I think your next assumption is wrong:
> (unless we specify 'running' wrt to whom)
>
> >
> > We would avoid being considered running while we're not.
> >
>
> the fact is that we are (i.e. 'prev') actually running on a cpu until
> some point in context_switch().
>
> At the very least, the load balancer has to exactly know who is the
> 'current' on other cpus to treat such tasks differently.
>
> With this patch, the load balancer can be confused/broken by the fact
> that 'prev' is considered for migration as a "not-on-rq and
> not-running" task [ from another cpu at the moment when either
> pre_schedule() or idle_balance() drop a rq->lock of prev's cpu ].
>
> well, the version of task_current() for __ARCH_WANT_UNLOCKED_CTXSW
> would fix it if used by default.
>
> But maybe there is something esle that would be exposed by the
> 'rq->curr = rq->idle' manipulation... I can't provide examples right
> now though (I need to think on it).

I share your concerns, I don't really like it either. Just spewing out
ideas here - bad ideas it seems :-/

Ingo also suggested moving the balance calls right before
deactivate_task(), but that gives a whole other set of head-aches.



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