diff options
author | Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab+huawei@kernel.org> | 2020-05-01 17:37:54 +0200 |
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committer | Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net> | 2020-05-15 12:05:07 -0600 |
commit | 95ca6d73a8a97ba343082746dbf935863b76375a (patch) | |
tree | 5c7514627a4f4fa5d1b34783cf35b83354f4f2d6 /Documentation/robust-futex-ABI.txt | |
parent | 9184027f0aaf6c95856bb57d04d0fa0b16fd9981 (diff) |
docs: move locking-specific documents to locking/
Several files under Documentation/*.txt describe some type of
locking API. Move them to locking/ subdir and add to the
locking/index.rst index file.
Signed-off-by: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab+huawei@kernel.org>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/dd833a10bbd0b2c1461d78913f5ec28a7e27f00b.1588345503.git.mchehab+huawei@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/robust-futex-ABI.txt')
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/robust-futex-ABI.txt | 184 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 184 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/robust-futex-ABI.txt b/Documentation/robust-futex-ABI.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f24904f1c16f..000000000000 --- a/Documentation/robust-futex-ABI.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,184 +0,0 @@ -==================== -The robust futex ABI -==================== - -:Author: Started by Paul Jackson <pj@sgi.com> - - -Robust_futexes provide a mechanism that is used in addition to normal -futexes, for kernel assist of cleanup of held locks on task exit. - -The interesting data as to what futexes a thread is holding is kept on a -linked list in user space, where it can be updated efficiently as locks -are taken and dropped, without kernel intervention. The only additional -kernel intervention required for robust_futexes above and beyond what is -required for futexes is: - - 1) a one time call, per thread, to tell the kernel where its list of - held robust_futexes begins, and - 2) internal kernel code at exit, to handle any listed locks held - by the exiting thread. - -The existing normal futexes already provide a "Fast Userspace Locking" -mechanism, which handles uncontested locking without needing a system -call, and handles contested locking by maintaining a list of waiting -threads in the kernel. Options on the sys_futex(2) system call support -waiting on a particular futex, and waking up the next waiter on a -particular futex. - -For robust_futexes to work, the user code (typically in a library such -as glibc linked with the application) has to manage and place the -necessary list elements exactly as the kernel expects them. If it fails -to do so, then improperly listed locks will not be cleaned up on exit, -probably causing deadlock or other such failure of the other threads -waiting on the same locks. - -A thread that anticipates possibly using robust_futexes should first -issue the system call:: - - asmlinkage long - sys_set_robust_list(struct robust_list_head __user *head, size_t len); - -The pointer 'head' points to a structure in the threads address space -consisting of three words. Each word is 32 bits on 32 bit arch's, or 64 -bits on 64 bit arch's, and local byte order. Each thread should have -its own thread private 'head'. - -If a thread is running in 32 bit compatibility mode on a 64 native arch -kernel, then it can actually have two such structures - one using 32 bit -words for 32 bit compatibility mode, and one using 64 bit words for 64 -bit native mode. The kernel, if it is a 64 bit kernel supporting 32 bit -compatibility mode, will attempt to process both lists on each task -exit, if the corresponding sys_set_robust_list() call has been made to -setup that list. - - The first word in the memory structure at 'head' contains a - pointer to a single linked list of 'lock entries', one per lock, - as described below. If the list is empty, the pointer will point - to itself, 'head'. The last 'lock entry' points back to the 'head'. - - The second word, called 'offset', specifies the offset from the - address of the associated 'lock entry', plus or minus, of what will - be called the 'lock word', from that 'lock entry'. The 'lock word' - is always a 32 bit word, unlike the other words above. The 'lock - word' holds 2 flag bits in the upper 2 bits, and the thread id (TID) - of the thread holding the lock in the bottom 30 bits. See further - below for a description of the flag bits. - - The third word, called 'list_op_pending', contains transient copy of - the address of the 'lock entry', during list insertion and removal, - and is needed to correctly resolve races should a thread exit while - in the middle of a locking or unlocking operation. - -Each 'lock entry' on the single linked list starting at 'head' consists -of just a single word, pointing to the next 'lock entry', or back to -'head' if there are no more entries. In addition, nearby to each 'lock -entry', at an offset from the 'lock entry' specified by the 'offset' -word, is one 'lock word'. - -The 'lock word' is always 32 bits, and is intended to be the same 32 bit -lock variable used by the futex mechanism, in conjunction with -robust_futexes. The kernel will only be able to wakeup the next thread -waiting for a lock on a threads exit if that next thread used the futex -mechanism to register the address of that 'lock word' with the kernel. - -For each futex lock currently held by a thread, if it wants this -robust_futex support for exit cleanup of that lock, it should have one -'lock entry' on this list, with its associated 'lock word' at the -specified 'offset'. Should a thread die while holding any such locks, -the kernel will walk this list, mark any such locks with a bit -indicating their holder died, and wakeup the next thread waiting for -that lock using the futex mechanism. - -When a thread has invoked the above system call to indicate it -anticipates using robust_futexes, the kernel stores the passed in 'head' -pointer for that task. The task may retrieve that value later on by -using the system call:: - - asmlinkage long - sys_get_robust_list(int pid, struct robust_list_head __user **head_ptr, - size_t __user *len_ptr); - -It is anticipated that threads will use robust_futexes embedded in -larger, user level locking structures, one per lock. The kernel -robust_futex mechanism doesn't care what else is in that structure, so -long as the 'offset' to the 'lock word' is the same for all -robust_futexes used by that thread. The thread should link those locks -it currently holds using the 'lock entry' pointers. It may also have -other links between the locks, such as the reverse side of a double -linked list, but that doesn't matter to the kernel. - -By keeping its locks linked this way, on a list starting with a 'head' -pointer known to the kernel, the kernel can provide to a thread the -essential service available for robust_futexes, which is to help clean -up locks held at the time of (a perhaps unexpectedly) exit. - -Actual locking and unlocking, during normal operations, is handled -entirely by user level code in the contending threads, and by the -existing futex mechanism to wait for, and wakeup, locks. The kernels -only essential involvement in robust_futexes is to remember where the -list 'head' is, and to walk the list on thread exit, handling locks -still held by the departing thread, as described below. - -There may exist thousands of futex lock structures in a threads shared -memory, on various data structures, at a given point in time. Only those -lock structures for locks currently held by that thread should be on -that thread's robust_futex linked lock list a given time. - -A given futex lock structure in a user shared memory region may be held -at different times by any of the threads with access to that region. The -thread currently holding such a lock, if any, is marked with the threads -TID in the lower 30 bits of the 'lock word'. - -When adding or removing a lock from its list of held locks, in order for -the kernel to correctly handle lock cleanup regardless of when the task -exits (perhaps it gets an unexpected signal 9 in the middle of -manipulating this list), the user code must observe the following -protocol on 'lock entry' insertion and removal: - -On insertion: - - 1) set the 'list_op_pending' word to the address of the 'lock entry' - to be inserted, - 2) acquire the futex lock, - 3) add the lock entry, with its thread id (TID) in the bottom 30 bits - of the 'lock word', to the linked list starting at 'head', and - 4) clear the 'list_op_pending' word. - -On removal: - - 1) set the 'list_op_pending' word to the address of the 'lock entry' - to be removed, - 2) remove the lock entry for this lock from the 'head' list, - 3) release the futex lock, and - 4) clear the 'lock_op_pending' word. - -On exit, the kernel will consider the address stored in -'list_op_pending' and the address of each 'lock word' found by walking -the list starting at 'head'. For each such address, if the bottom 30 -bits of the 'lock word' at offset 'offset' from that address equals the -exiting threads TID, then the kernel will do two things: - - 1) if bit 31 (0x80000000) is set in that word, then attempt a futex - wakeup on that address, which will waken the next thread that has - used to the futex mechanism to wait on that address, and - 2) atomically set bit 30 (0x40000000) in the 'lock word'. - -In the above, bit 31 was set by futex waiters on that lock to indicate -they were waiting, and bit 30 is set by the kernel to indicate that the -lock owner died holding the lock. - -The kernel exit code will silently stop scanning the list further if at -any point: - - 1) the 'head' pointer or an subsequent linked list pointer - is not a valid address of a user space word - 2) the calculated location of the 'lock word' (address plus - 'offset') is not the valid address of a 32 bit user space - word - 3) if the list contains more than 1 million (subject to - future kernel configuration changes) elements. - -When the kernel sees a list entry whose 'lock word' doesn't have the -current threads TID in the lower 30 bits, it does nothing with that -entry, and goes on to the next entry. |