Re: [PATCH 04/14] rust: sync: atomic: Add generic atomics

Elle Rhumsaa
2025-09-06T04:23:13Z

On Thu, Sep 04, 2025 at 09:41:31PM -0700, Boqun Feng wrote:
> To provide using LKMM atomics for Rust code, a generic `Atomic<T>` is
> added, currently `T` needs to be Send + Copy because these are the
> straightforward usages and all basic types support this.
>
> Implement `AtomicType` for `i32` and `i64`, and so far only basic
> operations load() and store() are introduced.
>
> Reviewed-by: Alice Ryhl <aliceryhl@google.com>
> Reviewed-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
> Signed-off-by: Boqun Feng <boqun.feng@gmail.com>
> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20250719030827.61357-5-boqun.feng@gmail.com/
> ---
> rust/kernel/sync/atomic.rs | 271 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> rust/kernel/sync/atomic/predefine.rs | 15 ++
> 2 files changed, 286 insertions(+)
> create mode 100644 rust/kernel/sync/atomic/predefine.rs
>
> diff --git a/rust/kernel/sync/atomic.rs b/rust/kernel/sync/atomic.rs
> index 2302e6d51fe2..ea5782b6ee95 100644
> --- a/rust/kernel/sync/atomic.rs
> +++ b/rust/kernel/sync/atomic.rs
> @@ -19,6 +19,277 @@
> #[allow(dead_code, unreachable_pub)]
> mod internal;
> pub mod ordering;
> +mod predefine;
>
> pub use internal::AtomicImpl;
> pub use ordering::{Acquire, Full, Relaxed, Release};
> +
> +use crate::build_error;
> +use internal::{AtomicBasicOps, AtomicRepr};
> +use ordering::OrderingType;
> +
> +/// A memory location which can be safely modified from multiple execution contexts.
> +///
> +/// This has the same size, alignment and bit validity as the underlying type `T`. And it disables
> +/// niche optimization for the same reason as [`UnsafeCell`].
> +///
> +/// The atomic operations are implemented in a way that is fully compatible with the [Linux Kernel
> +/// Memory (Consistency) Model][LKMM], hence they should be modeled as the corresponding
> +/// [`LKMM`][LKMM] atomic primitives. With the help of [`Atomic::from_ptr()`] and
> +/// [`Atomic::as_ptr()`], this provides a way to interact with [C-side atomic operations]
> +/// (including those without the `atomic` prefix, e.g. `READ_ONCE()`, `WRITE_ONCE()`,
> +/// `smp_load_acquire()` and `smp_store_release()`).
> +///
> +/// # Invariants
> +///
> +/// `self.0` is a valid `T`.
> +///
> +/// [`UnsafeCell`]: core::cell::UnsafeCell
> +/// [LKMM]: srctree/tools/memory-model/
> +/// [C-side atomic operations]: srctree/Documentation/atomic_t.txt
> +#[repr(transparent)]
> +pub struct Atomic<T: AtomicType>(AtomicRepr<T::Repr>);
> +
> +// SAFETY: `Atomic<T>` is safe to share among execution contexts because all accesses are atomic.
> +unsafe impl<T: AtomicType> Sync for Atomic<T> {}
> +
> +/// Types that support basic atomic operations.
> +///
> +/// # Round-trip transmutability
> +///
> +/// `T` is round-trip transmutable to `U` if and only if both of these properties hold:
> +///
> +/// - Any valid bit pattern for `T` is also a valid bit pattern for `U`.
> +/// - Transmuting (e.g. using [`transmute()`]) a value of type `T` to `U` and then to `T` again
> +/// yields a value that is in all aspects equivalent to the original value.
> +///
> +/// # Safety
> +///
> +/// - [`Self`] must have the same size and alignment as [`Self::Repr`].
> +/// - [`Self`] must be [round-trip transmutable] to [`Self::Repr`].
> +///
> +/// Note that this is more relaxed than requiring the bi-directional transmutability (i.e.
> +/// [`transmute()`] is always sound between `U` and `T`) because of the support for atomic
> +/// variables over unit-only enums, see [Examples].
> +///
> +/// # Limitations
> +///
> +/// Because C primitives are used to implement the atomic operations, and a C function requires a
> +/// valid object of a type to operate on (i.e. no `MaybeUninit<_>`), hence at the Rust <-> C
> +/// surface, only types with all the bits initialized can be passed. As a result, types like `(u8,
> +/// u16)` (padding bytes are uninitialized) are currently not supported.
> +///
> +/// # Examples
> +///
> +/// A unit-only enum that implements [`AtomicType`]:
> +///
> +/// ```
> +/// use kernel::sync::atomic::{AtomicType, Atomic, Relaxed};
> +///
> +/// #[derive(Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
> +/// #[repr(i32)]
> +/// enum State {
> +/// Uninit = 0,
> +/// Working = 1,
> +/// Done = 2,
> +/// };
> +///
> +/// // SAFETY: `State` and `i32` has the same size and alignment, and it's round-trip
> +/// // transmutable to `i32`.
> +/// unsafe impl AtomicType for State {
> +/// type Repr = i32;
> +/// }
> +///
> +/// let s = Atomic::new(State::Uninit);
> +///
> +/// assert_eq!(State::Uninit, s.load(Relaxed));
> +/// ```
> +/// [`transmute()`]: core::mem::transmute
> +/// [round-trip transmutable]: AtomicType#round-trip-transmutability
> +/// [Examples]: AtomicType#examples
> +pub unsafe trait AtomicType: Sized + Send + Copy {
> + /// The backing atomic implementation type.
> + type Repr: AtomicImpl;
> +}
> +
> +#[inline(always)]
> +const fn into_repr<T: AtomicType>(v: T) -> T::Repr {
> + // SAFETY: Per the safety requirement of `AtomicType`, `T` is round-trip transmutable to
> + // `T::Repr`, therefore the transmute operation is sound.
> + unsafe { core::mem::transmute_copy(&v) }
> +}
> +
> +/// # Safety
> +///
> +/// `r` must be a valid bit pattern of `T`.
> +#[inline(always)]
> +const unsafe fn from_repr<T: AtomicType>(r: T::Repr) -> T {
> + // SAFETY: Per the safety requirement of the function, the transmute operation is sound.
> + unsafe { core::mem::transmute_copy(&r) }
> +}
> +
> +impl<T: AtomicType> Atomic<T> {
> + /// Creates a new atomic `T`.
> + pub const fn new(v: T) -> Self {
> + // INVARIANT: Per the safety requirement of `AtomicType`, `into_repr(v)` is a valid `T`.
> + Self(AtomicRepr::new(into_repr(v)))
> + }
> +
> + /// Creates a reference to an atomic `T` from a pointer of `T`.
> + ///
> + /// This usually is used when communicating with C side or manipulating a C struct, see
> + /// examples below.
> + ///
> + /// # Safety
> + ///
> + /// - `ptr` is aligned to `align_of::<T>()`.
> + /// - `ptr` is valid for reads and writes for `'a`.
> + /// - For the duration of `'a`, other accesses to `*ptr` must not cause data races (defined
> + /// by [`LKMM`]) against atomic operations on the returned reference. Note that if all other
> + /// accesses are atomic, then this safety requirement is trivially fulfilled.
> + ///
> + /// [`LKMM`]: srctree/tools/memory-model
> + ///
> + /// # Examples
> + ///
> + /// Using [`Atomic::from_ptr()`] combined with [`Atomic::load()`] or [`Atomic::store()`] can
> + /// achieve the same functionality as `READ_ONCE()`/`smp_load_acquire()` or
> + /// `WRITE_ONCE()`/`smp_store_release()` in C side:
> + ///
> + /// ```
> + /// # use kernel::types::Opaque;
> + /// use kernel::sync::atomic::{Atomic, Relaxed, Release};
> + ///
> + /// // Assume there is a C struct `foo`.
> + /// mod cbindings {
> + /// #[repr(C)]
> + /// pub(crate) struct foo {
> + /// pub(crate) a: i32,
> + /// pub(crate) b: i32
> + /// }
> + /// }
> + ///
> + /// let tmp = Opaque::new(cbindings::foo { a: 1, b: 2 });
> + ///
> + /// // struct foo *foo_ptr = ..;
> + /// let foo_ptr = tmp.get();
> + ///
> + /// // SAFETY: `foo_ptr` is valid, and `.a` is in bounds.
> + /// let foo_a_ptr = unsafe { &raw mut (*foo_ptr).a };
> + ///
> + /// // a = READ_ONCE(foo_ptr->a);
> + /// //
> + /// // SAFETY: `foo_a_ptr` is valid for read, and all other accesses on it is atomic, so no
> + /// // data race.
> + /// let a = unsafe { Atomic::from_ptr(foo_a_ptr) }.load(Relaxed);
> + /// # assert_eq!(a, 1);
> + ///
> + /// // smp_store_release(&foo_ptr->a, 2);
> + /// //
> + /// // SAFETY: `foo_a_ptr` is valid for writes, and all other accesses on it is atomic, so
> + /// // no data race.
> + /// unsafe { Atomic::from_ptr(foo_a_ptr) }.store(2, Release);
> + /// ```
> + pub unsafe fn from_ptr<'a>(ptr: *mut T) -> &'a Self
> + where
> + T: Sync,
> + {
> + // CAST: `T` and `Atomic<T>` have the same size, alignment and bit validity.
> + // SAFETY: Per function safety requirement, `ptr` is a valid pointer and the object will
> + // live long enough. It's safe to return a `&Atomic<T>` because function safety requirement
> + // guarantees other accesses won't cause data races.
> + unsafe { &*ptr.cast::<Self>() }
> + }
> +
> + /// Returns a pointer to the underlying atomic `T`.
> + ///
> + /// Note that use of the return pointer must not cause data races defined by [`LKMM`].
> + ///
> + /// # Guarantees
> + ///
> + /// The returned pointer is valid and properly aligned (i.e. aligned to [`align_of::<T>()`]).
> + ///
> + /// [`LKMM`]: srctree/tools/memory-model
> + /// [`align_of::<T>()`]: core::mem::align_of
> + pub const fn as_ptr(&self) -> *mut T {
> + // GUARANTEE: Per the function guarantee of `AtomicRepr::as_ptr()`, the `self.0.as_ptr()`
> + // must be a valid and properly aligned pointer for `T::Repr`, and per the safety guarantee
> + // of `AtomicType`, it's a valid and properly aligned pointer of `T`.
> + self.0.as_ptr().cast()
> + }
> +
> + /// Returns a mutable reference to the underlying atomic `T`.
> + ///
> + /// This is safe because the mutable reference of the atomic `T` guarantees exclusive access.
> + pub fn get_mut(&mut self) -> &mut T {
> + // CAST: `T` and `T::Repr` has the same size and alignment per the safety requirement of
> + // `AtomicType`, and per the type invariants `self.0` is a valid `T`, therefore the casting
> + // result is a valid pointer of `T`.
> + // SAFETY: The pointer is valid per the CAST comment above, and the mutable reference
> + // guarantees exclusive access.
> + unsafe { &mut *self.0.as_ptr().cast() }
> + }
> +}
> +
> +impl<T: AtomicType> Atomic<T>
> +where
> + T::Repr: AtomicBasicOps,
> +{
> + /// Loads the value from the atomic `T`.
> + ///
> + /// # Examples
> + ///
> + /// ```
> + /// use kernel::sync::atomic::{Atomic, Relaxed};
> + ///
> + /// let x = Atomic::new(42i32);
> + ///
> + /// assert_eq!(42, x.load(Relaxed));
> + ///
> + /// let x = Atomic::new(42i64);
> + ///
> + /// assert_eq!(42, x.load(Relaxed));
> + /// ```
> + #[doc(alias("atomic_read", "atomic64_read"))]
> + #[inline(always)]
> + pub fn load<Ordering: ordering::AcquireOrRelaxed>(&self, _: Ordering) -> T {
> + let v = {
> + match Ordering::TYPE {
> + OrderingType::Relaxed => T::Repr::atomic_read(&self.0),
> + OrderingType::Acquire => T::Repr::atomic_read_acquire(&self.0),
> + _ => build_error!("Wrong ordering"),
> + }
> + };
> +
> + // SAFETY: `v` comes from reading `self.0`, which is a valid `T` per the type invariants.
> + unsafe { from_repr(v) }
> + }
> +
> + /// Stores a value to the atomic `T`.
> + ///
> + /// # Examples
> + ///
> + /// ```
> + /// use kernel::sync::atomic::{Atomic, Relaxed};
> + ///
> + /// let x = Atomic::new(42i32);
> + ///
> + /// assert_eq!(42, x.load(Relaxed));
> + ///
> + /// x.store(43, Relaxed);
> + ///
> + /// assert_eq!(43, x.load(Relaxed));
> + /// ```
> + #[doc(alias("atomic_set", "atomic64_set"))]
> + #[inline(always)]
> + pub fn store<Ordering: ordering::ReleaseOrRelaxed>(&self, v: T, _: Ordering) {
> + let v = into_repr(v);
> +
> + // INVARIANT: `v` is a valid `T`, and is stored to `self.0` by `atomic_set*()`.
> + match Ordering::TYPE {
> + OrderingType::Relaxed => T::Repr::atomic_set(&self.0, v),
> + OrderingType::Release => T::Repr::atomic_set_release(&self.0, v),
> + _ => build_error!("Wrong ordering"),
> + }
> + }
> +}
> diff --git a/rust/kernel/sync/atomic/predefine.rs b/rust/kernel/sync/atomic/predefine.rs
> new file mode 100644
> index 000000000000..33356deee952
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/rust/kernel/sync/atomic/predefine.rs
> @@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
> +// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
> +
> +//! Pre-defined atomic types
> +
> +// SAFETY: `i32` has the same size and alignment with itself, and is round-trip transmutable to
> +// itself.
> +unsafe impl super::AtomicType for i32 {
> + type Repr = i32;
> +}
> +
> +// SAFETY: `i64` has the same size and alignment with itself, and is round-trip transmutable to
> +// itself.
> +unsafe impl super::AtomicType for i64 {
> + type Repr = i64;
> +}
> --
> 2.51.0
>
>

Reviewed-by: Elle Rhumsaa <elle@weathered-steel.dev>