Re: Q: smp.c && barriers (Was: [PATCH 1/4] generic-smp: remove single ipi fallback for smp_call_function_many())

Paul E. McKenney
2009-02-17T15:44:27Z

On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 10:29:34AM +0100, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> On Tue, 2009-02-17 at 00:19 +0100, Oleg Nesterov wrote:
> > On 02/16, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> > >
> > > On Mon, 2009-02-16 at 23:02 +0100, Oleg Nesterov wrote:
> > > > On 02/16, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > On Mon, 2009-02-16 at 22:32 +0100, Oleg Nesterov wrote:
> > > > > > > I was about to write a response, but found it to be a justification for
> > > > > > > the read_barrier_depends() at the end of the loop.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I forgot to mention I don't understand the read_barrier_depends() at the
> > > > > > end of the loop as well ;)
> > > > >
> > > > > Suppose cpu0 adds to csd to cpu1:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > cpu0: cpu1:
> > > > >
> > > > > add entry1
> > > > > mb();
> > > > > send ipi
> > > > > run ipi handler
> > > > > read_barrier_depends()
> > > > > while (!list_empty()) [A]
> > > > > do foo
> > > > >
> > > > > add entry2
> > > > > mb();
> > > > > [no ipi -- we still observe entry1]
> > > > >
> > > > > remove foo
> > > > > read_barrier_depends()
> > > > > while (!list_empty()) [B]
> > > >
> > > > Still can't understand.
> > > >
> > > > cpu1 (generic_smp_call_function_single_interrupt) does
> > > > list_replace_init(q->lock), this lock is also taken by
> > > > generic_exec_single().
> > > >
> > > > Either cpu1 sees entry2 on list, or cpu0 sees list_empty()
> > > > and sends ipi.
> > >
> > > cpu0: cpu1:
> > >
> > > spin_lock_irqsave(&dst->lock, flags);
> > > ipi = list_empty(&dst->list);
> > > list_add_tail(&data->list, &dst->list);
> > > spin_unlock_irqrestore(&dst->lock, flags);
> > >
> > > ipi ----->
> > >
> > > while (!list_empty(&q->list)) {
> > > unsigned int data_flags;
> > >
> > > spin_lock(&q->lock);
> > > list_replace_init(&q->list, &list);
> > > spin_unlock(&q->lock);
> > >
> > >
> > > Strictly speaking the unlock() is semi-permeable, allowing the read of
> > > q->list to enter the critical section, allowing us to observe an empty
> > > list, never getting to q->lock on cpu1.
> >
> > Hmm. If we take &q->lock, then we alread saw !list_empty() ?
>
> That's how I read the above code.
>
> > And the question is, how can we miss list_empty() == F before spin_lock().
>
> Confusion... my explanation above covers exactly this case. The reads
> determining list_empty() can slip into the q->lock section on the other
> cpu, and observe an empty list.
>
> > > > Even if I missed something (very possible), then I can't understand
> > > > why we need rmb() only on alpha.
> > >
> > > Because only alpha is insane enough to do speculative reads? Dunno
> > > really :-)
> >
> > Perhaps...
> >
> > It would be nice to have a comment which explains how can we miss the
> > first addition without read_barrier_depends(). And why only on alpha.
>
> Paul, care to once again enlighten us? The best I can remember is that
> alpha has split caches, and the rmb is needed for them to become
> coherent -- no other arch is crazy in exactly that way.

Many architectures use split caches, but Alpha made them independent. :-/

Suppose that an Alpha system has a cache for each CPU, and that each CPU's
cache is split into banks so that even-numbered cache lines are placed
in one bank and odd-numbered cache lines in the other. Then suppose
that CPU 0 executes the following code:

p = malloc(sizeof(*p));
if (p == NULL)
deal_with_it();
p->a = 42;
smp_wmb(); /* this line and next same as rcu_assign_pointer(). */
global_p = p;

This code will ensure that CPU 0 will commit the assignment to p->a to
coherent memory before commiting the assignment to global_p.

Suppose further that global_p is located in an even-numbered cache line
and that the newly allocated structure pointed to by p is in an
odd-numbered cache line. Then suppose that CPU 1 executes the following
code:

q = global_p;
t = q->a;

Now, CPU 0 "published" the assignment to ->a before that to global_p,
but suppose that CPU 1's odd-numbered cache bank is very busy, so that
it has not yet processed the invalidation request corresponding to
CPU 0's assignment to p->a.

In this case, CPU 1 will see the new value of global_p, but the old
value of q->a.

This same result can be caused by certain types of value-speculation
compiler optimizations.

For more information, see:

http://www.rdrop.com/users/paulmck/scalability/paper/ordering.2007.09.19a.pdf

> But note that read_barrier_depends() is not quite a NOP for !alpha, it
> does that ACCESS_ONCE() thing, which very much makes a difference, even
> on x86.

You are thinking of rcu_dereference() rather than read_barrier_depends(),
right?

> > And arch/alpha/kernel/smp.c:handle_ipi() does mb() itself...
>
> Right, but arguing by our memory model, we cannot assume that.

I assert that things like smp_call_function() need to perform whatever
memory barriers are required to ensure that the called function sees
any memory references performed on the originating CPU prior to the
smp_call_function().

Thanx, Paul