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| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt | 120 |
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diff --git a/Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt b/Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..687777f83 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt @@ -0,0 +1,120 @@ +Using RCU to Protect Dynamic NMI Handlers + + +Although RCU is usually used to protect read-mostly data structures, +it is possible to use RCU to provide dynamic non-maskable interrupt +handlers, as well as dynamic irq handlers. This document describes +how to do this, drawing loosely from Zwane Mwaikambo's NMI-timer +work in "arch/x86/oprofile/nmi_timer_int.c" and in +"arch/x86/kernel/traps.c". + +The relevant pieces of code are listed below, each followed by a +brief explanation. + + static int dummy_nmi_callback(struct pt_regs *regs, int cpu) + { + return 0; + } + +The dummy_nmi_callback() function is a "dummy" NMI handler that does +nothing, but returns zero, thus saying that it did nothing, allowing +the NMI handler to take the default machine-specific action. + + static nmi_callback_t nmi_callback = dummy_nmi_callback; + +This nmi_callback variable is a global function pointer to the current +NMI handler. + + void do_nmi(struct pt_regs * regs, long error_code) + { + int cpu; + + nmi_enter(); + + cpu = smp_processor_id(); + ++nmi_count(cpu); + + if (!rcu_dereference_sched(nmi_callback)(regs, cpu)) + default_do_nmi(regs); + + nmi_exit(); + } + +The do_nmi() function processes each NMI. It first disables preemption +in the same way that a hardware irq would, then increments the per-CPU +count of NMIs. It then invokes the NMI handler stored in the nmi_callback +function pointer. If this handler returns zero, do_nmi() invokes the +default_do_nmi() function to handle a machine-specific NMI. Finally, +preemption is restored. + +In theory, rcu_dereference_sched() is not needed, since this code runs +only on i386, which in theory does not need rcu_dereference_sched() +anyway. However, in practice it is a good documentation aid, particularly +for anyone attempting to do something similar on Alpha or on systems +with aggressive optimizing compilers. + +Quick Quiz: Why might the rcu_dereference_sched() be necessary on Alpha, + given that the code referenced by the pointer is read-only? + + +Back to the discussion of NMI and RCU... + + void set_nmi_callback(nmi_callback_t callback) + { + rcu_assign_pointer(nmi_callback, callback); + } + +The set_nmi_callback() function registers an NMI handler. Note that any +data that is to be used by the callback must be initialized up -before- +the call to set_nmi_callback(). On architectures that do not order +writes, the rcu_assign_pointer() ensures that the NMI handler sees the +initialized values. + + void unset_nmi_callback(void) + { + rcu_assign_pointer(nmi_callback, dummy_nmi_callback); + } + +This function unregisters an NMI handler, restoring the original +dummy_nmi_handler(). However, there may well be an NMI handler +currently executing on some other CPU. We therefore cannot free +up any data structures used by the old NMI handler until execution +of it completes on all other CPUs. + +One way to accomplish this is via synchronize_sched(), perhaps as +follows: + + unset_nmi_callback(); + synchronize_sched(); + kfree(my_nmi_data); + +This works because synchronize_sched() blocks until all CPUs complete +any preemption-disabled segments of code that they were executing. +Since NMI handlers disable preemption, synchronize_sched() is guaranteed +not to return until all ongoing NMI handlers exit. It is therefore safe +to free up the handler's data as soon as synchronize_sched() returns. + +Important note: for this to work, the architecture in question must +invoke nmi_enter() and nmi_exit() on NMI entry and exit, respectively. + + +Answer to Quick Quiz + + Why might the rcu_dereference_sched() be necessary on Alpha, given + that the code referenced by the pointer is read-only? + + Answer: The caller to set_nmi_callback() might well have + initialized some data that is to be used by the new NMI + handler. In this case, the rcu_dereference_sched() would + be needed, because otherwise a CPU that received an NMI + just after the new handler was set might see the pointer + to the new NMI handler, but the old pre-initialized + version of the handler's data. + + This same sad story can happen on other CPUs when using + a compiler with aggressive pointer-value speculation + optimizations. + + More important, the rcu_dereference_sched() makes it + clear to someone reading the code that the pointer is + being protected by RCU-sched. |