linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] synchronize

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Date:	Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:35:10 +1000
From:	Benjamin Herrenschmidt <benh@...nel.crashing.org>
To:	Herbert Xu <herbert@...dor.apana.org.au>
Cc:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	akpm@...ux-foundation.org,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	linuxppc-dev@...abs.org, Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] synchronize_irq needs a barrier

> What may happen is that action can either float upwards to give
> 
> 	spin_lock
> 	action
> 	set IRQ_INPROGRESS
> 	spin_unlock
> 
> 	spin_lock
> 	clear IRQ_INPROGRESS
> 	spin_unlock
> 
> or it can float downwards to give
> 
> 	spin_lock
> 	set IRQ_INPROGRESS
> 	spin_unlock
> 
> 	spin_lock
> 	clear IRQ_INPROGRESS
> 	action
> 	spin_unlock
> 

Well, we are generally safer here. That is, unless action is a store,
it will not pass spin_lock, at least not on powerpc afaik.

In fact, if action, as it is in our case, is something like

if (foo)
	return;

We cant execute the store inside spin_lock() without having loaded
foo, there is an implicit dependency here.

But anyway, Linus patch fixes that too if it was a problem. Now if
we grep for while (test_bit and while (!test_bit I'm sure we'll find
other similar surprises.

That's also one of the reasons why I _love_ nick patches that add a
proper lock/unlock API on bits, because at least those who are doing
those hand-made pseudo-locks with bitops to save space will be
getting a proper lock/unlock API, no more excuse.

The network stack is doing more fancy things so it's harder (though I
wonder sometimes if it's really worth the risks taken for not using
spinlocks... maybe).

Ben.

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