Re: [PATCH tip/core/rcu 1/9] rcu: Provide GP ordering in face of migrations and delays

[Steven Rostedt]

On Wed,  4 Oct 2017 14:29:27 -0700
"Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Consider the following admittedly improbable sequence of events:
> 
> o	RCU is initially idle.
> 
> o	Task A on CPU 0 executes rcu_read_lock().

A starts rcu_read_lock() critical section.

> 
> o	Task B on CPU 1 executes synchronize_rcu(), which must
> 	wait on Task A:

B waits for A.

> 
> 	o	Task B registers the callback, which starts a new
> 		grace period, awakening the grace-period kthread
> 		on CPU 3, which immediately starts a new grace period.

  [ isn't B blocked (off rq)? How does it migrate? ]

> 
> 	o	Task B migrates to CPU 2, which provides a quiescent
> 		state for both CPUs 1 and 2.
> 
> 	o	Both CPUs 1 and 2 take scheduling-clock interrupts,
> 		and both invoke RCU_SOFTIRQ, both thus learning of the
> 		new grace period.
> 
> 	o	Task B is delayed, perhaps by vCPU preemption on CPU 2.
> 
> o	CPUs 2 and 3 pass through quiescent states, which are reported
> 	to core RCU.
> 
> o	Task B is resumed just long enough to be migrated to CPU 3,
> 	and then is once again delayed.
> 
> o	Task A executes rcu_read_unlock(), exiting its RCU read-side
> 	critical section.

A calls rcu_read_unlock() ending the critical section

> 
> o	CPU 0 passes through a quiescent sate, which is reported to
> 	core RCU.  Only CPU 1 continues to block the grace period.
> 
> o	CPU 1 passes through a quiescent state, which is reported to
> 	core RCU.  This ends the grace period, and CPU 1 therefore
> 	invokes its callbacks, one of which awakens Task B via
> 	complete().
> 
> o	Task B resumes (still on CPU 3) and starts executing
> 	wait_for_completion(), which sees that the completion has
> 	already completed, and thus does not block.  It returns from
> 	the synchronize_rcu() without any ordering against the
> 	end of Task A's RCU read-side critical section.

B runs


> 
> 	It can therefore mess up Task A's RCU read-side critical section,
> 	in theory, anyway.

I don't see how B ran during A's critical section.

-- Steve

> 
> However, if CPU hotplug ever gets rid of stop_machine(), there will be
> more straightforward ways for this sort of thing to happen, so this
> commit adds a memory barrier in order to enforce the needed ordering.
>