Re: [PATCH RFC v5 5/6] tracepoint: Make rcuidle tracepoint callers use SRCU

From: Paul E. McKenney
Date: Tue May 01 2018 - 11:40:58 EST


On Tue, May 01, 2018 at 03:23:52PM +0000, Joel Fernandes wrote:
> On Tue, May 1, 2018 at 8:20 AM Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
> [...]
> > > > > > --- a/kernel/tracepoint.c
> > > > > > +++ b/kernel/tracepoint.c
> > > > > > @@ -31,6 +31,9 @@
> > > > > > extern struct tracepoint * const __start___tracepoints_ptrs[];
> > > > > > extern struct tracepoint * const __stop___tracepoints_ptrs[];
> > > > > >
> > > > > > +DEFINE_SRCU(tracepoint_srcu);
> > > > > > +EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(tracepoint_srcu);
> > > > > > +
> > > > > > /* Set to 1 to enable tracepoint debug output */
> > > > > > static const int tracepoint_debug;
> > > > > >
> > > > > > @@ -67,11 +70,16 @@ static inline void *allocate_probes(int count)
> > > > > > return p == NULL ? NULL : p->probes;
> > > > > > }
> > > > > >
> > > > > > -static void rcu_free_old_probes(struct rcu_head *head)
> > > > > > +static void srcu_free_old_probes(struct rcu_head *head)
> > > > > > {
> > > > > > kfree(container_of(head, struct tp_probes, rcu));
> > > > > > }
> > > > > >
> > > > > > +static void rcu_free_old_probes(struct rcu_head *head)
> > > > > > +{
> > > > > > + call_srcu(&tracepoint_srcu, head, srcu_free_old_probes);
> > > > >
> > > > > Hmm, is it OK to call call_srcu() from a call_rcu() callback? I
> guess
> > > > > it would be.
> > >
> > > > It is perfectly legal, and quite a bit simpler than setting something
> > > > up to wait for both to complete concurrently.
> > >
> > > Cool. Also in this case if we call both in sequence, then I felt there
> > > could be a race to free the old data since both callbacks would try to
> do
> > > the same thing. The same thing being freeing of the same set of old
> probes
> > > which would need some synchronization between the 2 callbacks. With the
> > > chaining, since the ordering is assured there wouldn't be a question of
> > > such a race. I could add this reasoning to the changelog as well.
>
> > Actually, as long as you have a solid happens-before between both of the
> > callbacks and the freeing, you are in good shape. A release-acquire would
> > work fine, as would a lock acquired in both callbacks and then acquired
> > (and possibly released) before the free.
>
> Got it, thanks. For now, if its Ok with you and others, I will leave it in
> the chained configuration. I also feel this is temporary since in the
> future if we switch to single rcu mechanism for tracepoints (srcu), then we
> could do with just a single callback.

I have no problem with chained callbacks. Heck, I even test them in
rcutorture. ;-)

Thanx, Paul