Re: [PATCH v2 2/2] mm/page_alloc: Use write_seqlock_irqsave() instead write_seqlock() + local_irq_save().

Michal Hocko
2023-06-23T18:17:46Z

On Fri 23-06-23 19:12:32, Sebastian Andrzej Siewior wrote:
> __build_all_zonelists() acquires zonelist_update_seq by first disabling
> interrupts via local_irq_save() and then acquiring the seqlock with
> write_seqlock(). This is troublesome and leads to problems on
> PREEMPT_RT. The problem is that the inner spinlock_t becomes a sleeping
> lock on PREEMPT_RT and must not be acquired with disabled interrupts.
>
> The API provides write_seqlock_irqsave() which does the right thing in
> one step.
> printk_deferred_enter() has to be invoked in non-migrate-able context to
> ensure that deferred printing is enabled and disabled on the same CPU.
> This is the case after zonelist_update_seq has been acquired.
>
> There was discussion on the first submission that the order should be:
> local_irq_disable();
> printk_deferred_enter();
> write_seqlock();
>
> to avoid pitfalls like having an unaccounted printk() coming from
> write_seqlock_irqsave() before printk_deferred_enter() is invoked. The
> only origin of such a printk() can be a lockdep splat because the
> lockdep annotation happens after the sequence count is incremented.
> This is exceptional and subject to change.
>
> It was also pointed that PREEMPT_RT can be affected by the printk
> problem since its write_seqlock_irqsave() does not really disable
> interrupts. This isn't the case because PREEMPT_RT's printk
> implementation differs from the mainline implementation in two important
> aspects:
> - Printing happens in a dedicated threads and not at during the
> invocation of printk().
> - In emergency cases where synchronous printing is used, a different
> driver is used which does not use tty_port::lock.
>
> Acquire zonelist_update_seq with write_seqlock_irqsave() and then defer
> printk output.
>
> Fixes: 1007843a91909 ("mm/page_alloc: fix potential deadlock on zonelist_update_seq seqlock")
> Signed-off-by: Sebastian Andrzej Siewior <bigeasy@linutronix.de>

Thanks for extending the changelog. This is much more clearer IMO.

One nit below which I haven't noticed before. Anyway
Acked-by: Michal Hocko <mhocko@suse.com>

> ---
> mm/page_alloc.c | 11 ++++-------
> 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/mm/page_alloc.c b/mm/page_alloc.c
> index 47421bedc12b7..99b7e7d09c5c0 100644
> --- a/mm/page_alloc.c
> +++ b/mm/page_alloc.c
> @@ -5808,11 +5808,10 @@ static void __build_all_zonelists(void *data)
> unsigned long flags;
>
> /*
> - * Explicitly disable this CPU's interrupts before taking seqlock
> - * to prevent any IRQ handler from calling into the page allocator
> - * (e.g. GFP_ATOMIC) that could hit zonelist_iter_begin and livelock.
> + * The zonelist_update_seq must be acquired with irqsave because the
> + * reader can be invoked from IRQ with GFP_ATOMIC.
> */
> - local_irq_save(flags);
> + write_seqlock_irqsave(&zonelist_update_seq, flags);
> /*
> * Explicitly disable this CPU's synchronous printk() before taking
> * seqlock to prevent any printk() from trying to hold port->lock, for

This is not the case anymore because the locking ordering has flipped. I
would just extend the comment above by something like:

* Also disable synchronous printk() to prevent any printk() from trying
* to hold port->lock, for tty_insert_flip_string_and_push_buffer() on
* other CPU might be calling kmalloc(GFP_ATOMIC | __GFP_NOWARN) with
* port->lock held.

> @@ -5820,7 +5819,6 @@ static void __build_all_zonelists(void *data)
> * calling kmalloc(GFP_ATOMIC | __GFP_NOWARN) with port->lock held.
> */
> printk_deferred_enter();
> - write_seqlock(&zonelist_update_seq);
>
> #ifdef CONFIG_NUMA
> memset(node_load, 0, sizeof(node_load));
> @@ -5857,9 +5855,8 @@ static void __build_all_zonelists(void *data)
> #endif
> }
>
> - write_sequnlock(&zonelist_update_seq);
> printk_deferred_exit();
> - local_irq_restore(flags);
> + write_sequnlock_irqrestore(&zonelist_update_seq, flags);
> }
>
> static noinline void __init
> --
> 2.40.1

--
Michal Hocko
SUSE Labs