Re: [PATCH v7 6/6] rcu/segcblist: Add additional comments to explain smp_mb()

[Alan Stern]

[I sent this reply earlier, but since it hasn't shown up in the mailing 
list archives, I may have forgotten to include the proper CC's.  At the 
risk of repeating myself, here it is again.]

On Fri, Oct 16, 2020 at 11:19:41PM -0400, joel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> So I made a litmus test to show that smp_mb() is needed also after the update
> to length. Basically, otherwise it is possible the callback will see garbage
> that the module cleanup/unload did.
> 
> C rcubarrier+ctrldep
> 
> (*
>  * Result: Never
>  *
>  * This litmus test shows that rcu_barrier (P1) prematurely
>  * returning by reading len 0 can cause issues if P0 does
>  * NOT have a smb_mb() after WRITE_ONCE(len, 1).
>  * mod_data == 2 means module was unloaded (so data is garbage).
>  *)
> 
> { int len = 0; int enq = 0; }
> 
> P0(int *len, int *mod_data, int *enq)
> {
> 	int r0;
> 
> 	WRITE_ONCE(*len, 1);
> 	smp_mb();		/* Needed! */
> 	WRITE_ONCE(*enq, 1);
> 
> 	r0 = READ_ONCE(*mod_data);
> }
> 
> P1(int *len, int *mod_data, int *enq)
> {
> 	int r0;
> 	int r1;
> 
> 	r1 = READ_ONCE(*enq);
> 
> 	// barrier Just for test purpose ("exists" clause) to force the..
> 	// ..rcu_barrier() to see enq before len
> 	smp_mb();		
> 	r0 = READ_ONCE(*len);
> 
> 	// implicit memory barrier due to conditional */
> 	if (r0 == 0)
> 		WRITE_ONCE(*mod_data, 2);
> }
> 
> // Did P0 read garbage?
> exists (0:r0=2 /\ 1:r0=0 /\ 1:r1=1)

Is this exists clause really what you meant?  Not only can it not be 
satisfied, it couldn't even be satisfied if you left out the 0:r0=2 
part.  And smp_mb() is stronger than neessary to enforce this.

However, some memory barrier is needed.  If the smp_mb() in P1 were 
omitted then P1 would be free to reorder its reads, and the exists 
clause could be satisfied as follows:

	P0			P1
	------------------------------------------
				Read len = 0
	Write len = 1
	smp_mb();
	Write enq = 1
				Read enq = 1
				Write mod_data = 2
	Read mod_data = 2

Alan