Re: [PATCH 1/2] mm: memcg: switch to css_tryget() in get_mem_cgroup_from_mm()

From: Michal Hocko
Date: Fri Nov 15 2019 - 12:47:25 EST


On Fri 15-11-19 18:40:31, Michal Hocko wrote:
> On Thu 14-11-19 11:37:36, Tejun Heo wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > On Thu, Nov 14, 2019 at 08:33:40PM +0100, Michal Hocko wrote:
> > > > It is useful for controlling admissions of new userspace visible uses
> > > > - e.g. a tracepoint shouldn't be allowed to be attached to a cgroup
> > > > which has already been deleted.
> > >
> > > I am not sure I understand. Roman says that the cgroup can get offline
> > > right after the function returns. How is "already deleted" different
> > > from "just deleted"? I thought that the state is preserved at least
> > > while the rcu lock is held but my memory is dim here.
> >
> > It's the same difference as between "opening a file and deleting it"
> > and "deleting a file and opening it".
>
> I am sorry but I do not follow. How can css_tryget_online provide the
> same semantic when the css can go offline right after the tryget call
> returns so it is effectivelly undistinguishable from the case when the
> css was already online before the call was made.

s@online@offline@

And reading after myself it turned out to sound differently than I
meant. What I wanted to say really is, what is the difference that
css_tryget_online really guarantee when the css might go offline right
after the call suceeds so more specifically what is the difference
between
if (css_tryget()) {
if (online)
DO_SOMETHING
}
and
if (css_tryget_online()) {
DO_SOMETHING
}

both of them are racy and do not provide any guarantee wrt. online
state.
--
Michal Hocko
SUSE Labs