linux-kernel - [RFC PATCH Userspace RCU] Discourage use of pthread_atfork() for call

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Date:	Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:33:18 -0500
From:	Mathieu Desnoyers <mathieu.desnoyers@...icios.com>
To:	"Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>,
	Lai Jiangshan <laijs@...fujitsu.com>,
	Alan Stern <stern@...land.harvard.edu>,
	Stephen Hemminger <shemminger@...tta.com>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, lttng-dev@...ts.lttng.org,
	rp@...s.cs.pdx.edu, libc-alpha@...rceware.org
Subject: [RFC PATCH Userspace RCU] Discourage use of pthread_atfork() for
	call_rcu handlers

Discourage use of glibc pthread_atfork() for call_rcu handlers due to
its inappropriate assumptions about single-threadedness while pthread
atfork handlers are executing. This results in hangs within the glibc
memory allocator.
    
Signed-off-by: Mathieu Desnoyers <mathieu.desnoyers@...icios.com>
---
diff --git a/README b/README
index 83330ea..2d29c1d 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -273,7 +273,20 @@ Interaction with fork()
 	must invoke call_rcu_before_fork() before the fork() and
 	call_rcu_after_fork_parent() after the fork().  The child
 	process must invoke call_rcu_after_fork_child().
-	These three APIs are suitable for passing to pthread_atfork().
+	Even though these three APIs are suitable for passing to
+	pthread_atfork(), use of pthread_atfork() is *STRONGLY
+	DISCOURAGED* for programs calling the glibc memory allocator
+	(malloc(), calloc(), free(), ...) within call_rcu callbacks.
+	This is due to limitations in the way glibc memory allocator
+	handles calls to the memory allocator from concurrent threads
+	while the pthread_atfork() handlers are executing.
+	Combining e.g.:
+	* call to free() from callbacks executed within call_rcu worker
+	  threads,
+	* executing call_rcu atfork handlers within the glibc pthread
+	  atfork mechanism,
+	will sometimes trigger interesting process hangs. This usually
+	hangs on a memory allocator lock within glibc.
 
 Thread Local Storage (TLS)
 

-- 
Mathieu Desnoyers
Operating System Efficiency R&D Consultant
EfficiOS Inc.
http://www.efficios.com
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