Re: [PATCH v2 4/4] futex: Avoid taking hb lock if nothing to wakeup

Davidlohr Bueso
2013-12-10T17:22:15Z

On Tue, 2013-12-10 at 17:57 +0100, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> On Tue, Dec 03, 2013 at 01:45:27AM -0800, Davidlohr Bueso wrote:
> > --- a/kernel/futex.c
> > +++ b/kernel/futex.c
> > @@ -82,10 +82,12 @@
> > * The waker side modifies the user space value of the futex and calls
> > * futex_wake(). It computes the hash bucket and acquires the hash
> > * bucket lock. Then it looks for waiters on that futex in the hash
> > - * bucket and wakes them.
> > - *
> > - * Note that the spin_lock serializes waiters and wakers, so that the
> > - * following scenario is avoided:
> > + * bucket and wakes them.
>
> Why not let this be the start of a new paragraph?
>
> > In scenarios where wakeups are called and no
> > + * tasks are blocked on a futex, taking the hb spinlock can be avoided
> > + * and simply return. In order for this optimization to work, ordering
> > + * guarantees must exist so that the waiter being added to the list is
> > + * acknowledged when the list is concurrently being checked by the waker,
> > + * avoiding scenarios like the following:
> > *
> > * CPU 0 CPU 1
> > * val = *futex;
> > @@ -106,24 +108,40 @@
> > * This would cause the waiter on CPU 0 to wait forever because it
> > * missed the transition of the user space value from val to newval
> > * and the waker did not find the waiter in the hash bucket queue.
> > + * The correct serialization ensures that a waiter either observes
> > + * the changed user space value before blocking or is woken by a
> > + * concurrent waker:
> > *
> > * CPU 0 CPU 1
> > * val = *futex;
> > * sys_futex(WAIT, futex, val);
> > * futex_wait(futex, val);
> > + *
> > + * mb(); <-- paired with ------
> > + * |
> > + * lock(hash_bucket(futex)); |
> > + * |
> > + * uval = *futex; |
> > + * | *futex = newval;
> > + * | sys_futex(WAKE, futex);
> > + * | futex_wake(futex);
> > + * |
> > + * --------> mb();
> > * if (uval == val)
> > + * queue();
> > * unlock(hash_bucket(futex));
> > + * schedule(); if (!queue_empty())
> > + * lock(hash_bucket(futex));
> > + * wake_waiters(futex);
> > + * unlock(hash_bucket(futex));
> > + *
> > + * The length of the list is tracked with atomic ops (hb->waiters),
> > + * providing the necessary memory barriers for the waiters. For the
> > + * waker side, however, we rely on get_futex_key_refs(), using either
> > + * ihold() or the atomic_inc(), for shared futexes. The former provides
> > + * a full mb on all architectures. For architectures that do not have an
> > + * implicit barrier in atomic_inc/dec, we explicitly add it - please
> > + * refer to futex_get_mm() and hb_waiters_inc/dec().
> > */
>
> This comment actually confuses me :/

Well that explains where the required barriers are coming from.

>
> It isn't at all explained what purpose the memory barriers serve.

Why doesn't this explain it?

"The correct serialization ensures that a waiter either observes
the changed user space value before blocking or is woken by a
concurrent waker."

Perhaps adding an example?
plist_add() | uaddr = newval
smp_mb() | smp_mb()
verify uaddr | plist_head_empty()

Thanks,
Davidlohr