linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v2] tty: n_gsm: avoid call of sleeping functions from atomic context

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Date:   Sat, 8 Oct 2022 13:54:49 +0300
From:   Fedor Pchelkin <pchelkin@...ras.ru>
To:     "Starke, Daniel" <daniel.starke@...mens.com>
Cc:     Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
        Jiri Slaby <jirislaby@...nel.org>,
        "linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Alexey Khoroshilov <khoroshilov@...ras.ru>,
        Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>, lvc-project@...uxtesting.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2] tty: n_gsm: avoid call of sleeping functions from
 atomic context

On 05.10.2022 13:47, Daniel Starke wrote:
 > This patch breaks packet retransmission. Basically tx_lock and now 
tx_mutex
 > protects the transmission packet queue. This works fine as long as 
packets
 > are transmitted in a context that allows sleep. However, the 
retransmission
 > timer T2 is called from soft IRQ context and spans an additional atomic
 > context via control_lock within gsm_control_retransmit(). The call path
 > looks like this:
 > gsm_control_retransmit()
 >    spin_lock_irqsave(&gsm->control_lock, flags)
 >      gsm_control_transmit()
 >        gsm_data_queue()
 >          mutex_lock(&gsm->tx_mutex) // -> sleep in atomic context

As far as switching to tx_mutex turns out to have its own problems,
we suggest to revert it and to find another solution for the original
issue.

As it is described in commit 32dd59f ("tty: n_gsm: fix race condition in 
gsmld_write()"), the issue is that gsmld_write() may be used by the user 
directly and also by the n_gsm internal functions. But the proposed 
solution to add a spinlock around the low side tty write is not suitable 
since the tty write may sleep:

   gsmld_write(...)
    spin_lock_irqsave(&gsm->tx_lock, flags)
     tty->ops->write(...);
      con_write(...)
       do_con_write(...)
        console_lock()
         might_sleep() // -> bug

So let's consider alternative approaches to avoid the race condition.

We have found the only potential concurrency place:
gsm->tty->ops->write() in gsmld_output() and tty->ops->write() in
gsmld_write().

Is that right? Or there are some other cases?

On 05.10.2022 13:47, Daniel Starke wrote:
 > Long story short: The patch via mutex does not solve the issue. It is 
only
 > shifted to another function. I suggest splitting the TX lock into packet
 > queue lock and underlying tty write mutex.
 >
 > I would have implemented the patch if I had means to verify it.

Probably splitting the TX lock would be rather complex as there is
gsm_data_kick() which in this way has to be protected by packet queue
spinlock and at the same time it contains gsmld_output() (via
gsm_send_packet()) that would require mutex protection.