Re: zap_page_range(): TLB flush race

Manfred Spraul
2000-04-08T22:46:15Z

Kanoj Sarcar wrote:
>
> >
> > it seems we have a smp race in zap_page_range():
> >
> > When we remove a page from the page tables, we must call:
> >
> > flush_cache_page();
> > pte_clear();
> > flush_tlb_page();
> > free_page();
> >
> > We must not free the page before we have called flush_tlb_xy(),
> > otherwise the second cpu could access memory that already freed.
> >
> > but zap_page_range() calls free_page() before the flush_tlb() call.
> >
> > Is that really a bug, has anyone a good idea how to fix that?
>
> Why do you think this is a bug? After the pte_clear, we need to flush
> tlb, so that if anyone wants to drag in the mapping (by accessing the
> virtual address), he will fault (since translation is not in tlb) and
> wait on mmap_sem.

Because the second cpu can use a stale tlb entry. We must free the page
_after_ the flush, not before the flush.

Example:
cpu1, cpu2: execute 2 threads from one process.
cpu3: unrelated thread that allocates a new page.

cpu1:
1) writes to one page in a tight loop. The tlb entry won't be discared
by the cpu without an explicit flush.

cpu2:
2) sys_munmap()
* zap_page_range(): calls free_page() for each page in the area.
do_munmap() for a 500 MB block will take a few milliseconds.

cpu3:
3) somewhere: get_free_page(). Now it gets a pointer to a page that cpu1
still writes to.

cpu2:
4) zap_page_range() returns, now the tlb is flushed.

cpu1:
5) received the ipi, the local tlb is flushed, page fault.
* but: cpu1 stomped on the page that was allocated by cpu3.

>
> But a race does exist in establish_pte(), when the flush_tlb happens
> _before_ the set_pte(), another thread might drag in the old translation
> on a different cpu.
>

Yes, establish_pte() is broken. We should reverse the calls:

set_pte(); /* update the kernel page tables */
update_mmu(); /* update architecture specific page tables. */
flush_tlb(); /* and flush the hardware tlb */

> >
> > filemap_sync() calls flush_tlb_page() for each page, but IMHO this is a
> > really bad idea, the performance will suck with multi-threaded apps on
> > SMP.
>
> The best you can do probably is a flush_tlb_range?

filemap_sync() calls both flush_tlb_range() and flush_tlb_page() on each
page, I just don't know which call I should remove :-/

Btw, I couldn't find an update_mmu_range() function, what's the exact
purpose of update_mmu_cache()? mips64 uses this function.

Can't we merge update_mmu_cache() with flush_tlb_page()?

--
Manfred