Re: [BUG] staging: android: ashmem: Deadlock during ashmem_shrink

[Shankar Brahadeeswaran]

Sorry, my deadlock demonstration got messed up.

Process P1:
Creates ashmem region, Shares the fd to P2 via binder API, does an mmap
and from ashmem_mmap releases the ashmem_mutex before shm_file_setup
and sleeps within shmem_file_setup

Process P2:
Gets the fd, does an mmap on it. Since mutex is available and since asma->file
is still NULL, proceeds to call shm_file_setup again (releases the mutex before
doing so).

Now based on who returns last, one of them would overwrite the asma->file
with the others

The desired behavior is that one of them does shmem_file_setup and the other
process uses it.


On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 7:24 PM, Shankar Brahadeeswaran
<shankoo77@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi Robert,
> Thanks for the feedback.
>
>> This doesn't look insurmountable. It isn't necessary AFAICT to hold
>> ashmem_mutex across shmem_file_setup.
>
> I thought it may not be a good idea to do so and hence thought its
> difficult to fix.
> Dropping the lock in-between mmap may not be any issue if the user land code
> follows a given sequence. But assuming that the following sequence of event
> happens, it would lead to other races.
>
> Process P1                                          Process P2
> --------------                                           --------------
> Creates ashmem region                       .....
>
> Shares the fd to P2 via binder             Gets the fd
>
> Does an mmap                                     Does an mmap
>
> Releases the mutex before                  Procees with ashmem_mmap
> since mutex is
> shmem_file_setup and sleeps             available, checks for a
> asma->file, still NUL
> within shmem_file_setup                      so this also calls
> shmem_file_setup.
>
> The expected behavior is, one of them does the shmem_file_setup, puts
> it in asma->file
> The other process would just do get_file. With the original code
> (without dropping the
> mutex in-between) this would have been the behavior.
> So IMHO dropping the lock in between could lead to other race conditions.
>
> Also, there are other places in the code where ashmem_mutex is held and memory
> allocation functions are called, ex:- range_alloc, calls kmem_cache_zalloc
>
> Since ashmem_shrink holds the ashmem_mutex, any where from ashmem driver
> if  a memory allocation function is called with the ashmem_mutex held
> &&
> if there is a low memory condition that leads to shrinkers being called
> we'll hit the deadlock.
>
> I'm trying to see if the ashmem_shrink should really hold the ashmem_mutex,
> but looks like its necessary.
>
> Warm Regards,
> Shankar
>
> On Tue, Apr 23, 2013 at 10:54 PM, Robert Love <rlove@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> On Tue, Apr 23, 2013 at 12:20 PM, Shankar Brahadeeswaran
>> <shankoo77@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm unable to think of a straight forward way to fix this. If you have
>>> any suggestions please provide the same.
>>> If we are unable to solve this too with minor mods, as suggested by
>>> Dan we have to re-look at the locking in this driver.
>>
>> This doesn't look insurmountable. It isn't necessary AFAICT to hold
>> ashmem_mutex across shmem_file_setup.
>>
>> Patch attached (untested).
>>
>>            Robert
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