From: Jack Steiner <steiner@sgi.com>
To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Cc: linux-ia64@vger.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH] - Fix memory ordering problem in wake_futex()
Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2005 10:38:16 -0600 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20051223163816.GA30906@sgi.com> (raw)
Here is a fix for a ugly race condition that occurs in wake_futex() on IA64.
On IA64, locks are released using a "st.rel" instruction. This ensures that
preceding "stores" are visible before the lock is released but does NOT prevent
a "store" that follows the "st.rel" from becoming visible before the "st.rel".
The result is that the task that owns the futex_q continues prematurely.
The failure I saw is the task that owned the futex_q resumed prematurely and
was context-switch off of the cpu. The task's switch_stack occupied the same
space of the futex_q. The store to q->lock_ptr overwrote the ar.bspstore in the
switch_stack. When the task resumed, it ran with a corrupted ar.bspstore.
Things went downhill from there.
Without the fix, the application fails roughly every 10 minutes. With
the fix, it ran 16 hours without a failure.
----
Fix a memory ordering problem that occurs on IA64. The "store" to q->lock_ptr
in wake_futex() can become visible before wake_up_all() clears the lock in the
futex_q.
Signed-off-by: Jack Steiner <steiner@sgi.com>
Index: linux/kernel/futex.c
===================================================================
--- linux.orig/kernel/futex.c 2005-12-22 15:05:43.821889257 -0600
+++ linux/kernel/futex.c 2005-12-22 15:30:21.617973325 -0600
@@ -287,7 +287,13 @@ static void wake_futex(struct futex_q *q
/*
* The waiting task can free the futex_q as soon as this is written,
* without taking any locks. This must come last.
+ *
+ * A memory barrier is required here to prevent the following store
+ * to lock_ptr from getting ahead of the wakeup. Clearing the lock
+ * at the end of wake_up_all() does not prevent this store from
+ * moving.
*/
+ wmb();
q->lock_ptr = NULL;
}
next reply other threads:[~2005-12-23 16:38 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 13+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2005-12-23 16:38 Jack Steiner [this message]
2005-12-23 17:05 ` [PATCH] - Fix memory ordering problem in wake_futex() Joe Seigh
2005-12-23 20:48 ` Olof Johansson
2005-12-23 21:32 ` Jack Steiner
2005-12-23 21:59 ` Olof Johansson
2005-12-23 23:48 ` Robin Holt
2005-12-24 13:45 ` Jack Steiner
2005-12-24 18:13 ` Olof Johansson
2005-12-27 16:30 ` Jack Steiner
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
2005-12-23 22:23 Manfred Spraul
2005-12-23 22:52 ` Manfred Spraul
2005-12-24 3:45 ` Jack Steiner
2005-12-25 16:02 ` Manfred Spraul
Reply instructions:
You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:
* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
and reply-to-all from there: mbox
Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
switches of git-send-email(1):
git send-email \
--in-reply-to=20051223163816.GA30906@sgi.com \
--to=steiner@sgi.com \
--cc=linux-ia64@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org \
/path/to/YOUR_REPLY
https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line
before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox