linux-kernel - Re: [RFC patch 08/18] cnt32_to_63 should use smp

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Message-ID: <20081107205512.GH6917@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
Date:	Fri, 7 Nov 2008 12:55:12 -0800
From:	"Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
To:	Steven Rostedt <rostedt@...dmis.org>
Cc:	Mathieu Desnoyers <mathieu.desnoyers@...ymtl.ca>,
	David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	akpm@...ux-foundation.org, Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>,
	Peter Zijlstra <a.p.zijlstra@...llo.nl>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, Nicolas Pitre <nico@....org>,
	Ralf Baechle <ralf@...ux-mips.org>, benh@...nel.crashing.org,
	paulus@...ba.org, David Miller <davem@...emloft.net>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	linux-arch@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [RFC patch 08/18] cnt32_to_63 should use smp_rmb()

On Fri, Nov 07, 2008 at 03:08:12PM -0500, Steven Rostedt wrote:
> 
> On Fri, 7 Nov 2008, Mathieu Desnoyers wrote:
> > 
> > I want to make sure
> > 
> >   __m_cnt_hi
> >  is read before
> >   mmio cnt_lo read
> 
> Hmm, let me make sure I understand why there is no wmb.
> 
> Paul, can you verify this?
> 
> Mathieu, you do the following:
> 
>    read a
>    smp_rmb
>    reab b
>    if (test b)
>       write a
> 
> So the idea is that you must read b to test it. And since we must read a 
> before reading b we can see that we write a before either?
> 
> The question remains, can the write happen before either of the reads?
> 
> But since the read b is reading the hw clock, perhaps that just implies a
> wmb on the hardware side?

The hardware must do an equivalent of a wmb(), but this might well be
done in logic or firmware on the device itself.

							Thanx, Paul
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