Re: [PATCH net V2 2/2] veth: more robust handing of race to avoid txq getting stuck

From: Paolo Abeni

Date: Thu Oct 30 2025 - 08:28:50 EST


On 10/27/25 9:05 PM, Jesper Dangaard Brouer wrote:
> (3) Finally, the NAPI completion check in veth_poll() is updated. If NAPI is
> about to complete (napi_complete_done), it now also checks if the peer TXQ
> is stopped. If the ring is empty but the peer TXQ is stopped, NAPI will
> reschedule itself. This prevents a new race where the producer stops the
> queue just as the consumer is finishing its poll, ensuring the wakeup is not
> missed.

[...]

> @@ -986,7 +979,8 @@ static int veth_poll(struct napi_struct *napi, int budget)
> if (done < budget && napi_complete_done(napi, done)) {
> /* Write rx_notify_masked before reading ptr_ring */
> smp_store_mb(rq->rx_notify_masked, false);
> - if (unlikely(!__ptr_ring_empty(&rq->xdp_ring))) {
> + if (unlikely(!__ptr_ring_empty(&rq->xdp_ring) ||
> + (peer_txq && netif_tx_queue_stopped(peer_txq)))) {
> if (napi_schedule_prep(&rq->xdp_napi)) {
> WRITE_ONCE(rq->rx_notify_masked, true);
> __napi_schedule(&rq->xdp_napi);

Double checking I'm read the code correctly. The above is supposed to
trigger when something alike the following happens

[producer] [consumer]
veth_poll()
[ring empty]
veth_xmit
veth_forward_skb
[NETDEV_TX_BUSY]
napi_complete_done()

netif_tx_stop_queue
__veth_xdp_flush()
rq->rx_notify_masked == true
WRITE_ONCE(rq->rx_notify_masked,
false);

?

I think the above can't happen, the producer should need to fill the
whole ring in-between the ring check and napi_complete_done().

Am I misreading it?

/P