linux-kernel - [PATCH memory-model 4/5] tools/memory-model: Add more LKMM limitations

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Message-Id: <20180926182920.27644-4-paulmck@linux.ibm.com>
Date:   Wed, 26 Sep 2018 11:29:19 -0700
From:   "Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@...ux.ibm.com>
To:     linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-arch@...r.kernel.org,
        mingo@...nel.org
Cc:     stern@...land.harvard.edu, parri.andrea@...il.com,
        will.deacon@....com, peterz@...radead.org, boqun.feng@...il.com,
        npiggin@...il.com, dhowells@...hat.com, j.alglave@....ac.uk,
        luc.maranget@...ia.fr, akiyks@...il.com,
        "Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
Subject: [PATCH memory-model 4/5] tools/memory-model: Add more LKMM limitations

From: "Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>

This commit adds more detail about compiler optimizations and
not-yet-modeled Linux-kernel APIs.

Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
Reviewed-by: Andrea Parri <andrea.parri@...rulasolutions.com>
---
 tools/memory-model/README | 39 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 39 insertions(+)

diff --git a/tools/memory-model/README b/tools/memory-model/README
index ee987ce20aae..acf9077cffaa 100644
--- a/tools/memory-model/README
+++ b/tools/memory-model/README
@@ -171,6 +171,12 @@ The Linux-kernel memory model has the following limitations:
 	particular, the "THE PROGRAM ORDER RELATION: po AND po-loc"
 	and "A WARNING" sections).
 
+	Note that this limitation in turn limits LKMM's ability to
+	accurately model address, control, and data dependencies.
+	For example, if the compiler can deduce the value of some variable
+	carrying a dependency, then the compiler can break that dependency
+	by substituting a constant of that value.
+
 2.	Multiple access sizes for a single variable are not supported,
 	and neither are misaligned or partially overlapping accesses.
 
@@ -190,6 +196,36 @@ The Linux-kernel memory model has the following limitations:
 	However, a substantial amount of support is provided for these
 	operations, as shown in the linux-kernel.def file.
 
+	a.	When rcu_assign_pointer() is passed NULL, the Linux
+		kernel provides no ordering, but LKMM models this
+		case as a store release.
+
+	b.	The "unless" RMW operations are not currently modeled:
+		atomic_long_add_unless(), atomic_add_unless(),
+		atomic_inc_unless_negative(), and
+		atomic_dec_unless_positive().  These can be emulated
+		in litmus tests, for example, by using atomic_cmpxchg().
+
+	c.	The call_rcu() function is not modeled.  It can be
+		emulated in litmus tests by adding another process that
+		invokes synchronize_rcu() and the body of the callback
+		function, with (for example) a release-acquire from
+		the site of the emulated call_rcu() to the beginning
+		of the additional process.
+
+	d.	The rcu_barrier() function is not modeled.  It can be
+		emulated in litmus tests emulating call_rcu() via
+		(for example) a release-acquire from the end of each
+		additional call_rcu() process to the site of the
+		emulated rcu-barrier().
+
+	e.	Sleepable RCU (SRCU) is not modeled.  It can be
+		emulated, but perhaps not simply.
+
+	f.	Reader-writer locking is not modeled.  It can be
+		emulated in litmus tests using atomic read-modify-write
+		operations.
+
 The "herd7" tool has some additional limitations of its own, apart from
 the memory model:
 
@@ -204,3 +240,6 @@ the memory model:
 Some of these limitations may be overcome in the future, but others are
 more likely to be addressed by incorporating the Linux-kernel memory model
 into other tools.
+
+Finally, please note that LKMM is subject to change as hardware, use cases,
+and compilers evolve.
-- 
2.17.1