[PATCH 1/3] rcu-tasks: Improve comments explaining tasks_rcu_exit_srcu purpose

[Frederic Weisbecker]

Make sure we don't need to look again into the depths of git blame in
order not to miss a subtle part about how rcu-tasks is dealing with
exiting tasks.

Suggested-by: Boqun Feng <boqun.feng@xxxxxxxxx>
Suggested-by: Neeraj Upadhyay <quic_neeraju@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Suggested-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Oleg Nesterov <oleg@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Lai Jiangshan <jiangshanlai@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Eric W. Biederman <ebiederm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Frederic Weisbecker <frederic@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
 kernel/rcu/tasks.h | 37 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------
 1 file changed, 29 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/kernel/rcu/tasks.h b/kernel/rcu/tasks.h
index 4a991311be9b..7deed6135f73 100644
--- a/kernel/rcu/tasks.h
+++ b/kernel/rcu/tasks.h
@@ -827,11 +827,21 @@ static void rcu_tasks_pertask(struct task_struct *t, struct list_head *hop)
 static void rcu_tasks_postscan(struct list_head *hop)
 {
 	/*
-	 * Wait for tasks that are in the process of exiting.  This
-	 * does only part of the job, ensuring that all tasks that were
-	 * previously exiting reach the point where they have disabled
-	 * preemption, allowing the later synchronize_rcu() to finish
-	 * the job.
+	 * Exiting tasks may escape the tasklist scan. Those are vulnerable
+	 * until their final schedule() with TASK_DEAD state. To cope with
+	 * this, divide the fragile exit path part in two intersecting
+	 * read side critical sections:
+	 *
+	 * 1) An _SRCU_ read side starting before calling exit_notify(),
+	 *    which may remove the task from the tasklist, and ending after
+	 *    the final preempt_disable() call in do_exit().
+	 *
+	 * 2) An _RCU_ read side starting with the final preempt_disable()
+	 *    call in do_exit() and ending with the final call to schedule()
+	 *    with TASK_DEAD state.
+	 *
+	 * This handles the part 1). And postgp will handle part 2) with a
+	 * call to synchronize_rcu().
 	 */
 	synchronize_srcu(&tasks_rcu_exit_srcu);
 }
@@ -898,7 +908,10 @@ static void rcu_tasks_postgp(struct rcu_tasks *rtp)
 	 *
 	 * In addition, this synchronize_rcu() waits for exiting tasks
 	 * to complete their final preempt_disable() region of execution,
-	 * cleaning up after the synchronize_srcu() above.
+	 * cleaning up after synchronize_srcu(&tasks_rcu_exit_srcu),
+	 * enforcing the whole region before tasklist removal until
+	 * the final schedule() with TASK_DEAD state to be an RCU TASKS
+	 * read side critical section.
 	 */
 	synchronize_rcu();
 }
@@ -988,7 +1001,11 @@ void show_rcu_tasks_classic_gp_kthread(void)
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(show_rcu_tasks_classic_gp_kthread);
 #endif // !defined(CONFIG_TINY_RCU)
 
-/* Do the srcu_read_lock() for the above synchronize_srcu().  */
+/*
+ * Contribute to protect against tasklist scan blind spot while the
+ * task is exiting and may be removed from the tasklist. See
+ * corresponding synchronize_srcu() for further details.
+ */
 void exit_tasks_rcu_start(void) __acquires(&tasks_rcu_exit_srcu)
 {
 	preempt_disable();
@@ -996,7 +1013,11 @@ void exit_tasks_rcu_start(void) __acquires(&tasks_rcu_exit_srcu)
 	preempt_enable();
 }
 
-/* Do the srcu_read_unlock() for the above synchronize_srcu().  */
+/*
+ * Contribute to protect against tasklist scan blind spot while the
+ * task is exiting and may be removed from the tasklist. See
+ * corresponding synchronize_srcu() for further details.
+ */
 void exit_tasks_rcu_finish(void) __releases(&tasks_rcu_exit_srcu)
 {
 	struct task_struct *t = current;
-- 
2.25.1