Re: [PATCH 2.6.28-rc6] block: internal dequeue shouldn't start timer

[Jens Axboe <jens.axboe@oracle.com>]

On Mon, Dec 01 2008, Mike Anderson wrote:
> Tejun Heo <tj@kernel.org> wrote:
> > blkdev_dequeue_request() and elv_dequeue_request() are equivalent and
> > both start the timeout timer.  Barrier code dequeues the original
> > barrier request but doesn't passes the request itself to lower level
> > driver, only broken down proxy requests; however, as the original
> > barrier code goes through the same dequeue path and timeout timer is
> > started on it.  If barrier sequence takes long enough, this timer
> > expires but the low level driver has no idea about this request and
> > oops follows.
> > 
> > Timeout timer shouldn't have been started on the original barrier
> > request as it never goes through actual IO.  This patch unexports
> > elv_dequeue_request(), which has no external user anyway, and makes it
> > operate on elevator proper w/o adding the timer and make
> > blkdev_dequeue_request() call elv_dequeue_request() and add timer.
> > Internal users which don't pass the request to driver - barrier code
> > and end_that_request_last() - are converted to use
> > elv_dequeue_request().
> > 
> > Signed-off-by: Tejun Heo <tj@kernel.org>
> > Cc: Mike Anderson <andmike@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
> > ---
> > Mike, this should fix the problem you were seeing (blk_add_timer on
> > requests w/o REQ_STARTED set).
> > 
> 
> Yes this fixed the "w/o REQ_STARTED" error I was seeing on a distro kernel
> and a mainline system. 

Thanks Tejun, this makes sense. I'll make sure it goes upstream asap.

-- 
Jens Axboe