Documentation: RCU: Convert RCU UP systems to reST
RCU UP systems reST markup. Reviewed-by: Joel Fernandes (Google) <joel@joelfernandes.org> Signed-off-by: Jiunn Chang <c0d1n61at3@gmail.com> Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
This commit is contained in:
parent
9422dc24df
commit
2a5b0c841a
|
@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
|
|||
RCU on Uniprocessor Systems
|
||||
.. _up_doc:
|
||||
|
||||
RCU on Uniprocessor Systems
|
||||
===========================
|
||||
|
||||
A common misconception is that, on UP systems, the call_rcu() primitive
|
||||
may immediately invoke its function. The basis of this misconception
|
||||
is that since there is only one CPU, it should not be necessary to
|
||||
wait for anything else to get done, since there are no other CPUs for
|
||||
anything else to be happening on. Although this approach will -sort- -of-
|
||||
anything else to be happening on. Although this approach will *sort of*
|
||||
work a surprising amount of the time, it is a very bad idea in general.
|
||||
This document presents three examples that demonstrate exactly how bad
|
||||
an idea this is.
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
Example 1: softirq Suicide
|
||||
--------------------------
|
||||
|
||||
Suppose that an RCU-based algorithm scans a linked list containing
|
||||
elements A, B, and C in process context, and can delete elements from
|
||||
|
@ -28,8 +30,8 @@ your kernel.
|
|||
This same problem can occur if call_rcu() is invoked from a hardware
|
||||
interrupt handler.
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
Example 2: Function-Call Fatality
|
||||
---------------------------------
|
||||
|
||||
Of course, one could avert the suicide described in the preceding example
|
||||
by having call_rcu() directly invoke its arguments only if it was called
|
||||
|
@ -46,11 +48,13 @@ its arguments would cause it to fail to make the fundamental guarantee
|
|||
underlying RCU, namely that call_rcu() defers invoking its arguments until
|
||||
all RCU read-side critical sections currently executing have completed.
|
||||
|
||||
Quick Quiz #1: why is it -not- legal to invoke synchronize_rcu() in
|
||||
this case?
|
||||
Quick Quiz #1:
|
||||
Why is it *not* legal to invoke synchronize_rcu() in this case?
|
||||
|
||||
:ref:`Answers to Quick Quiz <answer_quick_quiz_up>`
|
||||
|
||||
Example 3: Death by Deadlock
|
||||
----------------------------
|
||||
|
||||
Suppose that call_rcu() is invoked while holding a lock, and that the
|
||||
callback function must acquire this same lock. In this case, if
|
||||
|
@ -76,25 +80,30 @@ there are cases where this can be quite ugly:
|
|||
If call_rcu() directly invokes the callback, painful locking restrictions
|
||||
or API changes would be required.
|
||||
|
||||
Quick Quiz #2: What locking restriction must RCU callbacks respect?
|
||||
Quick Quiz #2:
|
||||
What locking restriction must RCU callbacks respect?
|
||||
|
||||
:ref:`Answers to Quick Quiz <answer_quick_quiz_up>`
|
||||
|
||||
Summary
|
||||
-------
|
||||
|
||||
Permitting call_rcu() to immediately invoke its arguments breaks RCU,
|
||||
even on a UP system. So do not do it! Even on a UP system, the RCU
|
||||
infrastructure -must- respect grace periods, and -must- invoke callbacks
|
||||
infrastructure *must* respect grace periods, and *must* invoke callbacks
|
||||
from a known environment in which no locks are held.
|
||||
|
||||
Note that it -is- safe for synchronize_rcu() to return immediately on
|
||||
UP systems, including !PREEMPT SMP builds running on UP systems.
|
||||
Note that it *is* safe for synchronize_rcu() to return immediately on
|
||||
UP systems, including PREEMPT SMP builds running on UP systems.
|
||||
|
||||
Quick Quiz #3: Why can't synchronize_rcu() return immediately on
|
||||
UP systems running preemptable RCU?
|
||||
Quick Quiz #3:
|
||||
Why can't synchronize_rcu() return immediately on UP systems running
|
||||
preemptable RCU?
|
||||
|
||||
.. _answer_quick_quiz_up:
|
||||
|
||||
Answer to Quick Quiz #1:
|
||||
Why is it -not- legal to invoke synchronize_rcu() in this case?
|
||||
Why is it *not* legal to invoke synchronize_rcu() in this case?
|
||||
|
||||
Because the calling function is scanning an RCU-protected linked
|
||||
list, and is therefore within an RCU read-side critical section.
|
||||
|
@ -119,7 +128,7 @@ Answer to Quick Quiz #2:
|
|||
|
||||
This restriction might seem gratuitous, since very few RCU
|
||||
callbacks acquire locks directly. However, a great many RCU
|
||||
callbacks do acquire locks -indirectly-, for example, via
|
||||
callbacks do acquire locks *indirectly*, for example, via
|
||||
the kfree() primitive.
|
||||
|
||||
Answer to Quick Quiz #3:
|
||||
|
|
Loading…
Reference in New Issue