[PATCH 2/5] rcu/exp: Remove confusing needless full barrier on task unblock

From: Frederic Weisbecker
Date: Fri Mar 14 2025 - 10:37:15 EST


A full memory barrier in the RCU-PREEMPT task unblock path advertizes
to order the context switch (or rather the accesses prior to
rcu_read_unlock()) with the expedited grace period fastpath.

However the grace period can not complete without the rnp calling into
rcu_report_exp_rnp() with the node locked. This reports the quiescent
state in a fully ordered fashion against updater's accesses thanks to:

1) The READ-SIDE smp_mb__after_unlock_lock() barrier accross nodes
locking while propagating QS up to the root.

2) The UPDATE-SIDE smp_mb__after_unlock_lock() barrier while holding the
the root rnp to wait/check for the GP completion.

3) The (perhaps redundant given step 1) and 2)) smp_mb() in rcu_seq_end()
before the grace period completes.

This makes the explicit barrier in this place superflous. Therefore
remove it as it is confusing.

Signed-off-by: Frederic Weisbecker <frederic@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
kernel/rcu/tree_plugin.h | 1 -
1 file changed, 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/kernel/rcu/tree_plugin.h b/kernel/rcu/tree_plugin.h
index 3c0bbbbb686f..d51cc7a5dfc7 100644
--- a/kernel/rcu/tree_plugin.h
+++ b/kernel/rcu/tree_plugin.h
@@ -534,7 +534,6 @@ rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_irqrestore(struct task_struct *t, unsigned long flags)
WARN_ON_ONCE(rnp->completedqs == rnp->gp_seq &&
(!empty_norm || rnp->qsmask));
empty_exp = sync_rcu_exp_done(rnp);
- smp_mb(); /* ensure expedited fastpath sees end of RCU c-s. */
np = rcu_next_node_entry(t, rnp);
list_del_init(&t->rcu_node_entry);
t->rcu_blocked_node = NULL;
--
2.48.1