linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] llist: Fix missing lockless

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Message-ID: <20150208004729.GA10472@omega>
Date:	Sun, 8 Feb 2015 13:47:29 +1300
From:	Michael Cree <mcree@...on.net.nz>
To:	Mathieu Desnoyers <mathieu.desnoyers@...icios.com>
Cc:	Greg KH <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>, linux-alpha@...r.kernel.org,
	Richard Henderson <rth@...ddle.net>,
	Ivan Kokshaysky <ink@...assic.park.msu.ru>,
	Matt Turner <mattst88@...il.com>,
	Huang Ying <ying.huang@...el.com>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	Paul McKenney <paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>,
	David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
	Pranith Kumar <bobby.prani@...il.com>, stable@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] llist: Fix missing lockless_dereference()

On Sat, Feb 07, 2015 at 10:30:44PM +0000, Mathieu Desnoyers wrote:
> > On Fri, Feb 06, 2015 at 09:08:21PM -0500, Mathieu Desnoyers wrote:
> > > A lockless_dereference() appears to be missing in llist_del_first().
> > > It should only matter for Alpha in practice.

What could one anticipate to be the symptoms of such a missing
lockless_dereference()?

The Alpha kernel is behaving pretty well provided one builds a machine
specific kernel and UP.  When running an SMP kernel some packages
(most notably the java runtime, but there are a few others) occasionally
lock up in a pthread call --- could be a problem in libc rather then the
kernel.

> > Meta-comment, do we really care about Alpha anymore?  Is it still
> > consered an "active" arch we support? 

There are a few of us still running recent kernels on Alpha.  I am
maintaining the unofficial Debian alpha port at debian-ports, and the
Debian popcon shows about 10 installations of Debian Alpha.

Cheers
Michael.
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