linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] xen: avoid deadlock in xenbus

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Date:   Fri, 28 Jul 2017 17:16:34 +0200
From:   Juergen Gross <jgross@...e.com>
To:     Boris Ostrovsky <boris.ostrovsky@...cle.com>,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, xen-devel@...ts.xenproject.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] xen: avoid deadlock in xenbus

On 28/07/17 17:14, Boris Ostrovsky wrote:
> On 07/28/2017 10:53 AM, Juergen Gross wrote:
>> When starting the xenwatch thread a theoretical deadlock situation is
>> possible:
>>
>> xs_init() contains:
>>
>>     task = kthread_run(xenwatch_thread, NULL, "xenwatch");
>>     if (IS_ERR(task))
>>         return PTR_ERR(task);
>>     xenwatch_pid = task->pid;
>>
>> And xenwatch_thread() does:
>>
>>     mutex_lock(&xenwatch_mutex);
>>     ...
>>     event->handle->callback();
>>     ...
>>     mutex_unlock(&xenwatch_mutex);
>>
>> The callback could call unregister_xenbus_watch() which does:
>>
>>     ...
>>     if (current->pid != xenwatch_pid)
>>         mutex_lock(&xenwatch_mutex);
>>     ...
>>
>> In case a watch is firing before xenwatch_pid could be set and the
>> callback of that watch unregisters a watch, then a self-deadlock would
>> occur.
>>
>> Avoid this by setting xenwatch_pid in xenwatch_thread().
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Juergen Gross <jgross@...e.com>
> 
> Reviewed-by: Boris Ostrovsky <boris.ostrovsky@...cle.com>
> 
> +stable?

As this problem is purely theoretical, I don't think the patch is
appropriate for stable (at least the stable rules tell me so).


Juergen