linux-kernel - [PATCH v2 4/8] x86: Add a comment clarifying LDT context switching

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Message-Id: <0db86397f968996fb772c443c251415b0b430ddd.1414190806.git.luto@amacapital.net>
Date:	Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:58:09 -0700
From:	Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>
To:	Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>
Cc:	Valdis Kletnieks <Valdis.Kletnieks@...edu>,
	"linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Paul Mackerras <paulus@...ba.org>,
	Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@...nel.org>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>,
	Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>,
	Andrea Arcangeli <aarcange@...hat.com>,
	Vince Weaver <vince@...ter.net>,
	"hillf.zj" <hillf.zj@...baba-inc.com>,
	Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>
Subject: [PATCH v2 4/8] x86: Add a comment clarifying LDT context switching

The code is correct, but only for a rather subtle reason.  This
confused me for quite a while when I read switch_mm, so clarify the
code to avoid confusing other people, too.

TBH, I wouldn't be surprised if this code was only correct by
accident.

Signed-off-by: Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>
---
 arch/x86/include/asm/mmu_context.h | 13 ++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/mmu_context.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/mmu_context.h
index 166af2a8e865..23697f74b372 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/mmu_context.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/mmu_context.h
@@ -53,7 +53,18 @@ static inline void switch_mm(struct mm_struct *prev, struct mm_struct *next,
 		/* Stop flush ipis for the previous mm */
 		cpumask_clear_cpu(cpu, mm_cpumask(prev));
 
-		/* Load the LDT, if the LDT is different: */
+		/*
+		 * Load the LDT, if the LDT is different.
+		 *
+		 * It's possible that prev->context.ldt doesn't match
+		 * the LDT register.  This can happen if leave_mm(prev)
+		 * was called and then modify_ldt changed
+		 * prev->context.ldt but suppressed an IPI to this CPU.
+		 * In this case, prev->context.ldt != NULL, because we
+		 * never free an LDT while the mm still exists.  That
+		 * means that next->context.ldt != prev->context.ldt,
+		 * because mms never share an LDT.
+		 */
 		if (unlikely(prev->context.ldt != next->context.ldt))
 			load_LDT_nolock(&next->context);
 	}
-- 
1.9.3

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