Re: MOD_INC_USE_COUNT

Neilski (neil.conway@ukaea.org.uk)
Mon, 10 Nov 1997 16:08:00 +0000

.> Thanks for your answer. But the interesting question now is : have you an
.> exhaustive list of blocking ops?
.
.An exhaustive list, no. But every would-be race hunter needs to build a
.list of known blocking operations, even if it blocks only under unusual
.circumstances. Then when you're reviewing code and you see a potential
.block, you can look to see what operations might be affected.
.
.And when you discover a new blocking operation (or one that you hadn't
.realized could block), you should go back and re-review all the code in
.light of the new information.

== recipe for disaster.

I looked for the smileys, but I couldn't find them... Seriously though, this
is the way_to_write_bad_code. A list of blocking ops that gets updated
centrally would be a great help for kernel code writers, no ? If every Joe
Soap needs to maintain his own then it won't happen...

I'd guess the scenario where someone uses an op that they hadn't realised could
block would account for quite a good fraction of this type of error...

Just my tuppence worth.

Neil