[PATCH] refcount: Strengthen inc_not_zero()

Peter Zijlstra
2025-01-15T16:00:27Z

On Wed, Jan 15, 2025 at 12:13:34PM +0100, Peter Zijlstra wrote:

> Notably, it means refcount_t is entirely unsuitable for anything
> SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU, since they all will need secondary validation
> conditions after the refcount succeeds.
>
> And this is probably fine, but let me ponder this all a little more.

Even though SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU is relatively rare, I think we'd better
fix this, these things are hard enough as they are.

Will, others, wdyt?

---
Subject: refcount: Strengthen inc_not_zero()

For speculative lookups where a successful inc_not_zero() pins the
object, but where we still need to double check if the object acquired
is indeed the one we set out to aquire, needs this validation to happen
*after* the increment.

Notably SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU is one such an example.

Signed-off-by: Peter Zijlstra (Intel) <peterz@infradead.org>
---
include/linux/refcount.h | 15 ++++++++-------
1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/refcount.h b/include/linux/refcount.h
index 35f039ecb272..340e7ffa445e 100644
--- a/include/linux/refcount.h
+++ b/include/linux/refcount.h
@@ -69,9 +69,10 @@
* its the lock acquire, for RCU/lockless data structures its the dependent
* load.
*
- * Do note that inc_not_zero() provides a control dependency which will order
- * future stores against the inc, this ensures we'll never modify the object
- * if we did not in fact acquire a reference.
+ * Do note that inc_not_zero() does provide acquire order, which will order
+ * future load and stores against the inc, this ensures all subsequent accesses
+ * are from this object and not anything previously occupying this memory --
+ * consider SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU.
*
* The decrements will provide release order, such that all the prior loads and
* stores will be issued before, it also provides a control dependency, which
@@ -144,7 +145,7 @@ bool __refcount_add_not_zero(int i, refcount_t *r, int *oldp)
do {
if (!old)
break;
- } while (!atomic_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(&r->refs, &old, old + i));
+ } while (!atomic_try_cmpxchg_acquire(&r->refs, &old, old + i));

if (oldp)
*oldp = old;
@@ -225,9 +226,9 @@ static inline __must_check bool __refcount_inc_not_zero(refcount_t *r, int *oldp
* Similar to atomic_inc_not_zero(), but will saturate at REFCOUNT_SATURATED
* and WARN.
*
- * Provides no memory ordering, it is assumed the caller has guaranteed the
- * object memory to be stable (RCU, etc.). It does provide a control dependency
- * and thereby orders future stores. See the comment on top.
+ * Provides acquire ordering, such that subsequent accesses are after the
+ * increment. This is important for the cases where secondary validation is
+ * required, eg. SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU.
*
* Return: true if the increment was successful, false otherwise
*/