Re: [PATCH RFC] riscv: disable local interrupts and stop other CPUs before restart

Aurelien Jarno
2026-03-11T06:47:19Z

Hi Troy,

On 2026-03-11 10:51, Troy Mitchell wrote:
> Currently, the RISC-V implementation of machine_restart() directly calls
> do_kernel_restart() without disabling local interrupts or stopping other
> CPUs. This missing architectural setup causes fatal issues for systems
> that rely on external peripherals (e.g., I2C PMICs) to execute the system
> restart when CONFIG_PREEMPT_RCU is enabled.
>
> When a restart handler relies on the I2C subsystem, the I2C core checks
> i2c_in_atomic_xfer_mode() to decide whether to use the sleepable xfer
> or the polling atomic_xfer. This check evaluates to true if
> (!preemptible() || irqs_disabled()).
>
> During do_kernel_restart(), the restart handlers are invoked via
> atomic_notifier_call_chain(), which holds an RCU read lock.
> The behavior diverges based on the preemption model:
> 1. Under CONFIG_PREEMPT_VOLUNTARY or CONFIG_PREEMPT_NONE, rcu_read_lock()
> implicitly disables preemption. preemptible() evaluates to false, and
> the I2C core correctly routes to the atomic, polling transfer path.
> 2. Under CONFIG_PREEMPT_RCU, rcu_read_lock() does NOT disable preemption.
> Since machine_restart() left local interrupts enabled, irqs_disabled()
> is false, and preempt_count is 0. Consequently, preemptible() evaluates
> to true.
>
> As a result, the I2C core falsely assumes a sleepable context and routes
> the transfer to the standard master_xfer path. This inevitably triggers a
> schedule() call while holding the RCU read lock, resulting in a fatal splat:
> "Voluntary context switch within RCU read-side critical section!" and
> a system hang.
>
> Align RISC-V with other major architectures (e.g., ARM64) by adding
> local_irq_disable() and smp_send_stop() to machine_restart().
> - local_irq_disable() guarantees a strict atomic context, forcing sub-
> systems like I2C to always fall back to polling mode.
> - smp_send_stop() ensures exclusive hardware access by quiescing other
> CPUs, preventing them from holding bus locks (e.g., I2C spinlocks)
> during the final restart phase.
>
> Signed-off-by: Troy Mitchell <troy.mitchell@linux.dev>
> ---
> arch/riscv/kernel/reset.c | 5 +++++
> 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)

Thanks. I have been debugging that and it matches my analysis.

> diff --git a/arch/riscv/kernel/reset.c b/arch/riscv/kernel/reset.c
> index 912288572226..7a5dcfdc3674 100644
> --- a/arch/riscv/kernel/reset.c
> +++ b/arch/riscv/kernel/reset.c
> @@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
>
> #include <linux/reboot.h>
> #include <linux/pm.h>
> +#include <linux/smp.h>
>
> static void default_power_off(void)
> {
> @@ -17,6 +18,10 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(pm_power_off);
>
> void machine_restart(char *cmd)
> {
> + /* Disable interrupts first */
> + local_irq_disable();
> + smp_send_stop();
> +
> do_kernel_restart(cmd);
> while (1);
> }
>

I have started to change the power reset driver to call the I2C code
from a workqueue instead of directly from the notifier call back, but
that's just papering over the issue. Your approach is much better and
aligns riscv64 with other architectures, which is important as we might
have shared PMIC drivers.

Therefore:

Tested-by: Aurelien Jarno <aurelien@aurel32.net>
Reviewed-by: Aurelien Jarno <aurelien@aurel32.net>

Regards
Aurelien

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Aurelien Jarno GPG: 4096R/1DDD8C9B
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