linux-kernel - Re: [patch, minor] workqueue: consistently use 'err' in __create_workqueue

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Date:	Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:13:43 +0400
From:	Oleg Nesterov <oleg@...sign.ru>
To:	Dmitry Adamushko <dmitry.adamushko@...il.com>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>
Subject: Re: [patch, minor] workqueue: consistently use 'err' in __create_workqueue_key()

On 07/29, Dmitry Adamushko wrote:
>
> 2008/7/29 Oleg Nesterov <oleg@...sign.ru>:
> > On 07/29, Oleg Nesterov wrote:
> >>
> >> On 07/29, Dmitry Adamushko wrote:
> >> >
> >> > And I'd say this behavior (of having a partially-created object
> >> > visible to the outside world) is not that robust. e.g. the
> >> > aforementioned race would be eliminated if we place a wq on the global
> >> > list only when it's been successfully initialized.
> >>
> >> Yes, we can change __create_workqueue_key() to check err == 0 before
> >> list_add(),
> >
> > Well no, we can't do even this.
> >
> > Then we have another race with cpu-hotplug. Suppose we have CPUs 0, 1, 2.
> > create_workqueue() fails to create cwq->thread for CPU 2 and calls
> > destroy_workqueue(). Before it takes the cpu_add_remove_lock, _cpu_down()
> > removes CPU 1 from cpu_populated_map, but since we didn't add this wq
> > on the global list, cwq[1]->thread remains alive.
> >
> > destroy_workqueue() takes cpu_add_remove_lock, and calls
> > cleanup_workqueue_thread() for CPUs 0 and 2. cwq[1]->thread is lost.
>
> Yes, I've actually seen this case and that's why I said "the cleanup
> path in __create_workqueue_key() would need
> to be altered" :-) likely, to the extent that it would not be a call
> to destroy_workqueue() anymore.
>
> either something that only does
>
> for_each_cpu_mask_nr(cpu, *cpu_map)
>           cleanup_workqueue_thread(per_cpu_ptr(wq->cpu_wq, cpu));
>
>
> and from the _same_ 'cpu_add_remove_lock' section which is used to
> create a wq (so we don't drop a lock);

Why should we duplicate the code?

> _or_ do it outside of the locked section _but_ don't rely on
> for_each_cpu_mask_nr(cpu, *cpu_map)... e.g. just delete all per-cpu
> wq->cpu_wq structures that have been initialized (that's no matter if
> their respective cpus are online/offline now).

Yes. And this means we change the code to handle another special case:
destroy() is called by create(). Why?

> yes, maybe this cleanup path would not look all that fancy (but I
> didn't try) but I do think that by not exposing "partially-initialized
> object to the outside world" (e.g. cpu-hotplug events won't see them)
> this code would become more straightforward and less prone to possible
> errors/races.
>
> e.g. all these "create_workqueue_key() may race with cpu-hotplug" would be gone.

Once again, from my pov wq is fully initialized. Yes, cwq->thread can
be NULL or not, and this doesn't necessary match cpu_online_map. This
is normal, for example CPU_POST_DEAD runs when CPU doesn't exists, but
cwq[CPU]->thread is alive.

With the current code we just have no special cases. I do not see
why create_workqueue_key()->destroy_workqueue() should be special.


However, I don't claim you are wrong. I think this all is a matter
of taste. And yes I agree, without the comments the current code
is not immediately obvious, this probably indicates that my taste
is not good and you are right ;)

Oleg.

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