linux-kernel - [PATCH bpf] Fold smp_mb__before_atomic() into atomic_set

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Message-ID: <ec86d38e-cfb4-44aa-8fdb-6c925922d93c@paulmck-laptop>
Date:   Wed, 18 Oct 2023 15:28:32 -0700
From:   "Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@...nel.org>
To:     bpf@...r.kernel.org
Cc:     David Vernet <void@...ifault.com>,
        Andrii Nakryiko <andrii@...nel.org>,
        Alexei Starovoitov <ast@...nel.org>,
        Daniel Borkmann <daniel@...earbox.net>,
        Martin KaFai Lau <martin.lau@...ux.dev>,
        Song Liu <song@...nel.org>,
        Yonghong Song <yonghong.song@...ux.dev>,
        John Fastabend <john.fastabend@...il.com>,
        KP Singh <kpsingh@...nel.org>,
        Stanislav Fomichev <sdf@...gle.com>,
        Hao Luo <haoluo@...gle.com>, Jiri Olsa <jolsa@...nel.org>,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH bpf] Fold smp_mb__before_atomic() into atomic_set_release()

bpf: Fold smp_mb__before_atomic() into atomic_set_release()

The bpf_user_ringbuf_drain() BPF_CALL function uses an atomic_set()
immediately preceded by smp_mb__before_atomic() so as to order storing
of ring-buffer consumer and producer positions prior to the atomic_set()
call's clearing of the ->busy flag, as follows:

        smp_mb__before_atomic();
        atomic_set(&rb->busy, 0);

Although this works given current architectures and implementations, and
given that this only needs to order prior writes against a later write.
However, it does so by accident because the smp_mb__before_atomic()
is only guaranteed to work with read-modify-write atomic operations,
and not at all with things like atomic_set() and atomic_read().

Note especially that smp_mb__before_atomic() will not, repeat *not*,
order the prior write to "a" before the subsequent non-read-modify-write
atomic read from "b", even on strongly ordered systems such as x86:

        WRITE_ONCE(a, 1);
        smp_mb__before_atomic();
        r1 = atomic_read(&b);

Therefore, replace the smp_mb__before_atomic() and atomic_set() with
atomic_set_release() as follows:

        atomic_set_release(&rb->busy, 0);

This is no slower (and sometimes is faster) than the original, and also
provides a formal guarantee of ordering that the original lacks.

Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@...nel.org>
Acked-by: David Vernet <void@...ifault.com>
Cc: Andrii Nakryiko <andrii@...nel.org>
Cc: Alexei Starovoitov <ast@...nel.org>
Cc: Daniel Borkmann <daniel@...earbox.net>
Cc: Martin KaFai Lau <martin.lau@...ux.dev>
Cc: Song Liu <song@...nel.org>
Cc: Yonghong Song <yonghong.song@...ux.dev>
Cc: John Fastabend <john.fastabend@...il.com>
Cc: KP Singh <kpsingh@...nel.org>
Cc: Stanislav Fomichev <sdf@...gle.com>
Cc: Hao Luo <haoluo@...gle.com>
Cc: Jiri Olsa <jolsa@...nel.org>
Cc: <bpf@...r.kernel.org>

diff --git a/kernel/bpf/ringbuf.c b/kernel/bpf/ringbuf.c
index f045fde632e5..0ee653a936ea 100644
--- a/kernel/bpf/ringbuf.c
+++ b/kernel/bpf/ringbuf.c
@@ -770,8 +770,7 @@ BPF_CALL_4(bpf_user_ringbuf_drain, struct bpf_map *, map,
 	/* Prevent the clearing of the busy-bit from being reordered before the
 	 * storing of any rb consumer or producer positions.
 	 */
-	smp_mb__before_atomic();
-	atomic_set(&rb->busy, 0);
+	atomic_set_release(&rb->busy, 0);

 	if (flags & BPF_RB_FORCE_WAKEUP)
 		irq_work_queue(&rb->work);