linux-kernel - [PATCH] Documentation/cred.txt: spinlock no longer implies rcu_read

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Message-ID: <20100424004557.GA21297@us.ibm.com>
Date:	Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:45:57 -0500
From:	"Serge E. Hallyn" <serue@...ibm.com>
To:	David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
	"Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@...ibm.com>
Cc:	lkml <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: [PATCH] Documentation/cred.txt: spinlock no longer implies
 rcu_read_lock

So change the credentials documentation to make it clear that rcu
read lock is required.

Signed-off-by: Serge Hallyn <serue@...ibm.com>
---
 Documentation/credentials.txt |    8 ++------
 1 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/credentials.txt b/Documentation/credentials.txt
index df03169..98a1e9e 100644
--- a/Documentation/credentials.txt
+++ b/Documentation/credentials.txt
@@ -408,9 +408,6 @@ This should be used inside the RCU read lock, as in the following example:
 		...
 	}
 
-A function need not get RCU read lock to use __task_cred() if it is holding a
-spinlock at the time as this implicitly holds the RCU read lock.
-
 Should it be necessary to hold another task's credentials for a long period of
 time, and possibly to sleep whilst doing so, then the caller should get a
 reference on them using:
@@ -426,14 +423,13 @@ credentials, hiding the RCU magic from the caller:
 	uid_t task_uid(task)		Task's real UID
 	uid_t task_euid(task)		Task's effective UID
 
-If the caller is holding a spinlock or the RCU read lock at the time anyway,
-then:
+If the caller is holding the RCU read lock at the time anyway, then:
 
 	__task_cred(task)->uid
 	__task_cred(task)->euid
 
 should be used instead.  Similarly, if multiple aspects of a task's credentials
-need to be accessed, RCU read lock or a spinlock should be used, __task_cred()
+need to be accessed, RCU read lock should be used, __task_cred()
 called, the result stored in a temporary pointer and then the credential
 aspects called from that before dropping the lock.  This prevents the
 potentially expensive RCU magic from being invoked multiple times.
-- 
1.6.3.3

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