[RFC PATCH v15 3/7] locking/mutex: Add p->blocked_on wrappers for correctness checks

From: John Stultz
Date: Wed Mar 12 2025 - 18:12:47 EST


From: Valentin Schneider <valentin.schneider@xxxxxxx>

This lets us assert mutex::wait_lock is held whenever we access
p->blocked_on, as well as warn us for unexpected state changes.

Cc: Joel Fernandes <joelagnelf@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Qais Yousef <qyousef@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Ingo Molnar <mingo@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Juri Lelli <juri.lelli@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Vincent Guittot <vincent.guittot@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Dietmar Eggemann <dietmar.eggemann@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Valentin Schneider <vschneid@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Ben Segall <bsegall@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Zimuzo Ezeozue <zezeozue@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Mel Gorman <mgorman@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Will Deacon <will@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Waiman Long <longman@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Boqun Feng <boqun.feng@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Metin Kaya <Metin.Kaya@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Xuewen Yan <xuewen.yan94@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: K Prateek Nayak <kprateek.nayak@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Daniel Lezcano <daniel.lezcano@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Suleiman Souhlal <suleiman@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: kernel-team@xxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Valentin Schneider <valentin.schneider@xxxxxxx>
[fix conflicts, call in more places]
Signed-off-by: Connor O'Brien <connoro@xxxxxxxxxx>
[jstultz: tweaked commit subject, reworked a good bit]
Signed-off-by: John Stultz <jstultz@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
v2:
* Added get_task_blocked_on() accessor
v4:
* Address READ_ONCE usage that was dropped in v2
* Reordered to be a later add on to the main patch series as
Peter was unhappy with similar wrappers in other patches.
v5:
* Added some extra correctness checking in wrappers
v7:
* Tweaks to reorder this change in the patch series
* Minor cleanup to set_task_blocked_on() suggested by Metin Kaya
v15:
* Split out into its own patch again.
* Further improve assumption checks in helpers.
---
include/linux/sched.h | 44 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--
kernel/locking/mutex-debug.c | 4 ++--
kernel/locking/mutex.c | 20 +++++-----------
kernel/locking/ww_mutex.h | 6 ++---
4 files changed, 52 insertions(+), 22 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/sched.h b/include/linux/sched.h
index 03775c44b7073..62870077379a6 100644
--- a/include/linux/sched.h
+++ b/include/linux/sched.h
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
#include <linux/sched/prio.h>
#include <linux/sched/types.h>
#include <linux/signal_types.h>
+#include <linux/spinlock.h>
#include <linux/syscall_user_dispatch_types.h>
#include <linux/mm_types_task.h>
#include <linux/netdevice_xmit.h>
@@ -2154,6 +2155,47 @@ extern int __cond_resched_rwlock_write(rwlock_t *lock);
__cond_resched_rwlock_write(lock); \
})

+static inline void __set_task_blocked_on(struct task_struct *p, struct mutex *m)
+{
+ WARN_ON_ONCE(!m);
+ /* The task should only be setting itself as blocked */
+ WARN_ON_ONCE(p != current);
+ /* Currently we serialize blocked_on under the mutex::wait_lock */
+ lockdep_assert_held_once(&m->wait_lock);
+ /*
+ * Check ensure we don't overwrite exisiting mutex value
+ * with a different mutex. Note, setting it to the same
+ * lock repeatedly is ok.
+ */
+ WARN_ON_ONCE(p->blocked_on && p->blocked_on != m);
+ p->blocked_on = m;
+}
+
+static inline void set_task_blocked_on(struct task_struct *p, struct mutex *m)
+{
+ guard(raw_spinlock_irqsave)(&m->wait_lock);
+ __set_task_blocked_on(p, m);
+}
+
+static inline void __clear_task_blocked_on(struct task_struct *p, struct mutex *m)
+{
+ WARN_ON_ONCE(!m);
+ /* Currently we serialize blocked_on under the mutex::wait_lock */
+ lockdep_assert_held_once(&m->wait_lock);
+ /*
+ * There may be cases where we re-clear already cleared
+ * blocked_on relationships, but make sure we are not
+ * clearing the relationship with a different lock.
+ */
+ WARN_ON_ONCE(m && p->blocked_on && p->blocked_on != m);
+ p->blocked_on = NULL;
+}
+
+static inline struct mutex *__get_task_blocked_on(struct task_struct *p)
+{
+ return READ_ONCE(p->blocked_on);
+}
+
static __always_inline bool need_resched(void)
{
return unlikely(tif_need_resched());
@@ -2193,8 +2235,6 @@ extern bool sched_task_on_rq(struct task_struct *p);
extern unsigned long get_wchan(struct task_struct *p);
extern struct task_struct *cpu_curr_snapshot(int cpu);

-#include <linux/spinlock.h>
-
/*
* In order to reduce various lock holder preemption latencies provide an
* interface to see if a vCPU is currently running or not.
diff --git a/kernel/locking/mutex-debug.c b/kernel/locking/mutex-debug.c
index 758b7a6792b0c..949103fd8e9b5 100644
--- a/kernel/locking/mutex-debug.c
+++ b/kernel/locking/mutex-debug.c
@@ -54,13 +54,13 @@ void debug_mutex_add_waiter(struct mutex *lock, struct mutex_waiter *waiter,
lockdep_assert_held(&lock->wait_lock);

/* Current thread can't be already blocked (since it's executing!) */
- DEBUG_LOCKS_WARN_ON(task->blocked_on);
+ DEBUG_LOCKS_WARN_ON(__get_task_blocked_on(task));
}

void debug_mutex_remove_waiter(struct mutex *lock, struct mutex_waiter *waiter,
struct task_struct *task)
{
- struct mutex *blocked_on = READ_ONCE(task->blocked_on);
+ struct mutex *blocked_on = __get_task_blocked_on(task);

DEBUG_LOCKS_WARN_ON(list_empty(&waiter->list));
DEBUG_LOCKS_WARN_ON(waiter->task != task);
diff --git a/kernel/locking/mutex.c b/kernel/locking/mutex.c
index 37d1966970617..351500cf50ece 100644
--- a/kernel/locking/mutex.c
+++ b/kernel/locking/mutex.c
@@ -627,8 +627,7 @@ __mutex_lock_common(struct mutex *lock, unsigned int state, unsigned int subclas
goto err_early_kill;
}

- WARN_ON(current->blocked_on);
- current->blocked_on = lock;
+ __set_task_blocked_on(current, lock);
set_current_state(state);
trace_contention_begin(lock, LCB_F_MUTEX);
for (;;) {
@@ -670,7 +669,7 @@ __mutex_lock_common(struct mutex *lock, unsigned int state, unsigned int subclas
* that has cleared our blocked_on state, re-set
* it to the lock we are trying to aquire.
*/
- current->blocked_on = lock;
+ set_task_blocked_on(current, lock);
set_current_state(state);
/*
* Here we order against unlock; we must either see it change
@@ -691,7 +690,7 @@ __mutex_lock_common(struct mutex *lock, unsigned int state, unsigned int subclas
}
raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&lock->wait_lock, flags);
acquired:
- current->blocked_on = NULL;
+ __clear_task_blocked_on(current, lock);
__set_current_state(TASK_RUNNING);

if (ww_ctx) {
@@ -721,11 +720,11 @@ __mutex_lock_common(struct mutex *lock, unsigned int state, unsigned int subclas
return 0;

err:
- current->blocked_on = NULL;
+ __clear_task_blocked_on(current, lock);
__set_current_state(TASK_RUNNING);
__mutex_remove_waiter(lock, &waiter);
err_early_kill:
- WARN_ON(current->blocked_on);
+ WARN_ON(__get_task_blocked_on(current));
trace_contention_end(lock, ret);
raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore_wake(&lock->wait_lock, flags, &wake_q);
debug_mutex_free_waiter(&waiter);
@@ -935,14 +934,7 @@ static noinline void __sched __mutex_unlock_slowpath(struct mutex *lock, unsigne
next = waiter->task;

debug_mutex_wake_waiter(lock, waiter);
- /*
- * Unlock wakeups can be happening in parallel
- * (when optimistic spinners steal and release
- * the lock), so blocked_on may already be
- * cleared here.
- */
- WARN_ON(next->blocked_on && next->blocked_on != lock);
- next->blocked_on = NULL;
+ __clear_task_blocked_on(next, lock);
wake_q_add(&wake_q, next);
}

diff --git a/kernel/locking/ww_mutex.h b/kernel/locking/ww_mutex.h
index 00db40946328e..086fd5487ca77 100644
--- a/kernel/locking/ww_mutex.h
+++ b/kernel/locking/ww_mutex.h
@@ -289,9 +289,7 @@ __ww_mutex_die(struct MUTEX *lock, struct MUTEX_WAITER *waiter,
* blocked_on pointer. Otherwise we can see circular
* blocked_on relationships that can't resolve.
*/
- WARN_ON(waiter->task->blocked_on &&
- waiter->task->blocked_on != lock);
- waiter->task->blocked_on = NULL;
+ __clear_task_blocked_on(waiter->task, lock);
wake_q_add(wake_q, waiter->task);
}

@@ -345,7 +343,7 @@ static bool __ww_mutex_wound(struct MUTEX *lock,
* blocked_on pointer. Otherwise we can see circular
* blocked_on relationships that can't resolve.
*/
- owner->blocked_on = NULL;
+ __clear_task_blocked_on(owner, lock);
wake_q_add(wake_q, owner);
}
return true;
--
2.49.0.rc0.332.g42c0ae87b1-goog