Re: [PATCH v4 1/1] mm: introduce put_user_page*(), placeholder versions

Kirill A. Shutemov
2019-03-19T14:29:26Z

On Tue, Mar 19, 2019 at 10:14:16AM -0400, Jerome Glisse wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 19, 2019 at 09:47:24AM -0400, Jerome Glisse wrote:
> > On Tue, Mar 19, 2019 at 03:04:17PM +0300, Kirill A. Shutemov wrote:
> > > On Fri, Mar 08, 2019 at 01:36:33PM -0800, john.hubbard@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > From: John Hubbard <jhubbard@nvidia.com>
> >
> > [...]
> >
> > > > diff --git a/mm/gup.c b/mm/gup.c
> > > > index f84e22685aaa..37085b8163b1 100644
> > > > --- a/mm/gup.c
> > > > +++ b/mm/gup.c
> > > > @@ -28,6 +28,88 @@ struct follow_page_context {
> > > > unsigned int page_mask;
> > > > };
> > > >
> > > > +typedef int (*set_dirty_func_t)(struct page *page);
> > > > +
> > > > +static void __put_user_pages_dirty(struct page **pages,
> > > > + unsigned long npages,
> > > > + set_dirty_func_t sdf)
> > > > +{
> > > > + unsigned long index;
> > > > +
> > > > + for (index = 0; index < npages; index++) {
> > > > + struct page *page = compound_head(pages[index]);
> > > > +
> > > > + if (!PageDirty(page))
> > > > + sdf(page);
> > >
> > > How is this safe? What prevents the page to be cleared under you?
> > >
> > > If it's safe to race clear_page_dirty*() it has to be stated explicitly
> > > with a reason why. It's not very clear to me as it is.
> >
> > The PageDirty() optimization above is fine to race with clear the
> > page flag as it means it is racing after a page_mkclean() and the
> > GUP user is done with the page so page is about to be write back
> > ie if (!PageDirty(page)) see the page as dirty and skip the sdf()
> > call while a split second after TestClearPageDirty() happens then
> > it means the racing clear is about to write back the page so all
> > is fine (the page was dirty and it is being clear for write back).
> >
> > If it does call the sdf() while racing with write back then we
> > just redirtied the page just like clear_page_dirty_for_io() would
> > do if page_mkclean() failed so nothing harmful will come of that
> > neither. Page stays dirty despite write back it just means that
> > the page might be write back twice in a row.
>
> Forgot to mention one thing, we had a discussion with Andrea and Jan
> about set_page_dirty() and Andrea had the good idea of maybe doing
> the set_page_dirty() at GUP time (when GUP with write) not when the
> GUP user calls put_page(). We can do that by setting the dirty bit
> in the pte for instance. They are few bonus of doing things that way:
> - amortize the cost of calling set_page_dirty() (ie one call for
> GUP and page_mkclean()
> - it is always safe to do so at GUP time (ie the pte has write
> permission and thus the page is in correct state)
> - safe from truncate race
> - no need to ever lock the page
>
> Extra bonus from my point of view, it simplify thing for my generic
> page protection patchset (KSM for file back page).
>
> So maybe we should explore that ? It would also be a lot less code.

Yes, please. It sounds more sensible to me to dirty the page on get, not
on put.

--
Kirill A. Shutemov