linux-kernel - Re: Memory barrier needed with wake_up

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Date:   Sat, 3 Sep 2016 14:19:15 +0200
From:   Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>
To:     Felipe Balbi <felipe.balbi@...ux.intel.com>
Cc:     Alan Stern <stern@...land.harvard.edu>,
        "Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>,
        USB list <linux-usb@...r.kernel.org>,
        Kernel development list <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: Memory barrier needed with wake_up_process()?

On Sat, Sep 03, 2016 at 09:58:09AM +0300, Felipe Balbi wrote:

> > What arch are you seeing this on?
> 
> x86. Skylake to be exact.

So it _cannot_ be the thing Alan mentioned. By the simple fact that
spin_lock() is a full barrier on x86 (every LOCK prefixed instruction
is).

> The following change survived through the night:
> 
> diff --git a/drivers/usb/gadget/function/f_mass_storage.c b/drivers/usb/gadget/function/f_mass_storage.c
> index 8f3659b65f53..d31581dd5ce5 100644
> --- a/drivers/usb/gadget/function/f_mass_storage.c
> +++ b/drivers/usb/gadget/function/f_mass_storage.c
> @@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ static int fsg_set_halt(struct fsg_dev *fsg, struct usb_ep *ep)
>  /* Caller must hold fsg->lock */
>  static void wakeup_thread(struct fsg_common *common)
>  {
> -	smp_wmb();	/* ensure the write of bh->state is complete */
> +	smp_mb();	/* ensure the write of bh->state is complete */
>  	/* Tell the main thread that something has happened */
>  	common->thread_wakeup_needed = 1;
>  	if (common->thread_task)
> @@ -626,7 +626,7 @@ static int sleep_thread(struct fsg_common *common, bool can_freeze)
>  	}
>  	__set_current_state(TASK_RUNNING);
>  	common->thread_wakeup_needed = 0;
> -	smp_rmb();	/* ensure the latest bh->state is visible */
> +	smp_mb();	/* ensure the latest bh->state is visible */
>  	return rc;
>  }

Sorry, but that is horrible code. A barrier cannot ensure writes are
'complete', at best they can ensure order between writes (or reads
etc..).

Also, looking at that thing, that common->thread_wakeup_needed variable
is 100% redundant. All sleep_thread() invocations are inside a loop of
sorts and basically wait for other conditions to become true.

For example:

	while (bh->state != BUF_STATE_EMPTY) {
		rc = sleep_thread(common, false);
		if (rc)
			return rc;
	}

All you care about there is bh->state, _not_
common->thread_wakeup_needed.

That said, I cannot spot an obvious fail, but the code can certainly use
help.