Re: lock_task_sighand() && rcu_boost()

From: Oleg Nesterov
Date: Sun May 04 2014 - 15:18:42 EST


On 05/04, Paul E. McKenney wrote:
>
> On Sat, May 03, 2014 at 06:11:33PM +0200, Oleg Nesterov wrote:
> >
> > OK, if we can't rcu_read_unlock() with irqs disabled, then we can at least
> > cleanup it (and document the problem).
>
> Just to clarify (probably unnecessarily), it is OK to invoke rcu_read_unlock()
> with irqs disabled, but only if preemption has been disabled throughout
> the entire RCU read-side critical section.

Yes, yes, I understand, thanks.

> > and add rcu_read_unlock() into unlock_task_sighand().
>
> That should also work.

OK.

> > But. I simply can't understand why lockdep should complain? Why it is bad
> > to lock/unlock ->wait_lock with irqs disabled?
>
> Well, lockdep doesn't -always- complain, and some cases are OK.
>
> The problem is that if the RCU read-side critical section has been
> preempted, and if this task gets RCU priority-boosted in the meantime,
> then the task will need to acquire scheduler rq and pi locks at
> rcu_read_unlock() time.

Yes,

> If the reason that interrupts are disabled at
> rcu_read_unlock() time is that either rq or pi locks are held (or some
> other locks are held that are normally acquired while holding rq or
> pi locks), then we can deadlock. And lockdep will of course complain.

Yes. but not in this case?

> If I recall corectly, at one point, the ->siglock lock was acquired
> while holding the rq locks, which would have resulted in lockdep
> complaints.

No, this must not be possible. signal_wake_up_state() was always called
under ->siglock and it does wake_up_state() which takes rq/pi locks.

And if lock_task_sighand() is preempted after rcu_read_lock(), then the
caller doesn't hold any lock.

So perhaps we can revert a841796f11c90d53 ?

Otherwise please see below.

> Hmmm... A better description of the bad case might be as follows:
>
> Deadlock can occur if you have an RCU read-side critical
> section that is anywhere preemptible, and where the outermost
> rcu_read_unlock() is invoked while holding and lock acquired
> by either wakeup_next_waiter() or rt_mutex_adjust_prio(),
> or while holding any lock that is ever acquired while holding
> one of those locks.
>
> Does that help?
>
> Avoiding this bad case could be a bit ugly, as it is a dynamic set
> of locks that is acquired while holding any lock acquired by either
> wakeup_next_waiter() or rt_mutex_adjust_prio(). So I simplified the
> rule by prohibiting invoking rcu_read_unlock() with irqs disabled
> if the RCU read-side critical section had ever been preemptible.

OK, if you prefer to enforce this rule even if (say) lock_task_sighand()
is fine, then it needs the comment. And a cleanup ;)

We can move rcu_read_unlock() into unlock_task_sighand() as I suggested
before, or we can simply add preempt_disable/enable into lock_(),

struct sighand_struct *__lock_task_sighand(struct task_struct *tsk,
unsigned long *flags)
{
struct sighand_struct *sighand;
/*
* COMMENT TO EXPLAIN WHY
*/
preempt_disable();
rcu_read_lock();
for (;;) {
sighand = rcu_dereference(tsk->sighand);
if (unlikely(sighand == NULL))
break;

spin_lock_irqsave(&sighand->siglock, *flags);
if (likely(sighand == tsk->sighand))
break;
spin_unlock_irqrestore(&sighand->siglock, *flags);
}
rcu_read_unlock();
preempt_enable();

return sighand;
}

The only problem is the "COMMENT" above. Perhaps the "prohibit invoking
rcu_read_unlock() with irqs disabled if ..." rule should documented
near/above rcu_read_unlock() ? In this case that COMMENT could simply
say "see the comment above rcu_read_unlock()".

What do you think?

Oleg.

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