Re: [PATCH] net: raise RCU qs after each threaded NAPI poll

From: Paul E. McKenney
Date: Wed Feb 28 2024 - 16:53:02 EST


On Wed, Feb 28, 2024 at 04:27:47PM -0500, Joel Fernandes wrote:
>
>
> > On Feb 28, 2024, at 4:13 PM, Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > On Wed, Feb 28, 2024 at 03:14:34PM -0500, Joel Fernandes wrote:
> >>> On Wed, Feb 28, 2024 at 12:18 PM Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> On Wed, Feb 28, 2024 at 10:37:51AM -0600, Yan Zhai wrote:
> >>>> On Wed, Feb 28, 2024 at 9:37 AM Joel Fernandes <joel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >>>>> Also optionally, I wonder if calling rcu_tasks_qs() directly is better
> >>>>> (for documentation if anything) since the issue is Tasks RCU specific. Also
> >>>>> code comment above the rcu_softirq_qs() call about cond_resched() not taking
> >>>>> care of Tasks RCU would be great!
> >>>>>
> >>>> Yes it's quite surprising to me that cond_resched does not help here,
> >>>
> >>> In theory, it would be possible to make cond_resched() take care of
> >>> Tasks RCU. In practice, the lazy-preemption work is looking to get rid
> >>> of cond_resched(). But if for some reason cond_resched() needs to stay
> >>> around, doing that work might make sense.
> >>
> >> In my opinion, cond_resched() doing Tasks-RCU QS does not make sense
> >> (to me), because cond_resched() is to inform the scheduler to run
> >> something else possibly of higher priority while the current task is
> >> still runnable. On the other hand, what's not permitted in a Tasks RCU
> >> reader is a voluntary sleep. So IMO even though cond_resched() is a
> >> voluntary call, it is still not a sleep but rather a preemption point.
> >
> > From the viewpoint of Task RCU's users, the point is to figure out
> > when it is OK to free an already-removed tracing trampoline. The
> > current Task RCU implementation relies on the fact that tracing
> > trampolines do not do voluntary context switches.
>
> Yes.
>
> >
> >> So a Tasks RCU reader should perfectly be able to be scheduled out in
> >> the middle of a read-side critical section (in current code) by
> >> calling cond_resched(). It is just like involuntary preemption in the
> >> middle of a RCU reader, in disguise, Right?
> >
> > You lost me on this one. This for example is not permitted:
> >
> > rcu_read_lock();
> > cond_resched();
> > rcu_read_unlock();
> >
> > But in a CONFIG_PREEMPT=y kernel, that RCU reader could be preempted.
> >
> > So cond_resched() looks like a voluntary context switch to me. Recall
> > that vanilla non-preemptible RCU will treat them as quiescent states if
> > the grace period extends long enough.
> >
> > What am I missing here?
>
> That we are discussing Tasks-RCU read side section? Sorry I should have been more clear. I thought sleeping was not permitted in Tasks RCU reader, but non-sleep context switches (example involuntarily getting preempted were).

Well, to your initial point, cond_resched() does eventually invoke
preempt_schedule_common(), so you are quite correct that as far as
Tasks RCU is concerned, cond_resched() is not a quiescent state.

Thanx, Paul