Re: [RFC] LKMM: Add volatile_if()

Alan Stern
2021-06-06T01:29:07Z

On Sat, Jun 05, 2021 at 05:14:18PM -0700, Paul E. McKenney wrote:
> On Sat, Jun 05, 2021 at 10:57:39AM -0400, Alan Stern wrote:
> > Indeed, the expansion of the currently proposed version of
> >
> > volatile_if (A) {
> > B;
> > } else {
> > C;
> > }
> >
> > is basically the same as
> >
> > if (A) {
> > barrier();
> > B;
> > } else {
> > barrier();
> > C;
> > }

> That does sound good, but...
>
> Current compilers beg to differ at -O2: https://godbolt.org/z/5K55Gardn
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> #define READ_ONCE(x) (*(volatile typeof(x) *)&(x))
> #define WRITE_ONCE(x, val) (READ_ONCE(x) = (val))
> #define barrier() __asm__ __volatile__("": : :"memory")
>
> int x, y;
>
> int main(int argc, char *argv[])
> {
> if (READ_ONCE(x)) {
> barrier();
> WRITE_ONCE(y, 1);
> } else {
> barrier();
> WRITE_ONCE(y, 1);
> }
> return 0;
> }
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Both gcc and clang generate a load followed by a store, with no branch.
> ARM gets the same results from both compilers.
>
> As Linus suggested, removing one (but not both!) invocations of barrier()
> does cause a branch to be emitted, so maybe that is a way forward.
> Assuming it is more than just dumb luck, anyway. :-/

Interesting. And changing one of the branches from barrier() to __asm__
__volatile__("nop": : :"memory") also causes a branch to be emitted. So
even though the compiler doesn't "look inside" assembly code, it does
compare two pieces at least textually and apparently assumes if they are
identical then they do the same thing.

Alan