diff options
Diffstat (limited to '')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/robust-futex-ABI.txt | 186 |
1 files changed, 186 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/robust-futex-ABI.txt b/Documentation/robust-futex-ABI.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..8a5d34abf --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/robust-futex-ABI.txt @@ -0,0 +1,186 @@ +==================== +The robust futex ABI +==================== + +:Author: Started by Paul Jackson <pj@sgi.com> + + +Robust_futexes provide a mechanism that is used in addition to normal +futexes, for kernel assist of cleanup of held locks on task exit. + +The interesting data as to what futexes a thread is holding is kept on a +linked list in user space, where it can be updated efficiently as locks +are taken and dropped, without kernel intervention. The only additional +kernel intervention required for robust_futexes above and beyond what is +required for futexes is: + + 1) a one time call, per thread, to tell the kernel where its list of + held robust_futexes begins, and + 2) internal kernel code at exit, to handle any listed locks held + by the exiting thread. + +The existing normal futexes already provide a "Fast Userspace Locking" +mechanism, which handles uncontested locking without needing a system +call, and handles contested locking by maintaining a list of waiting +threads in the kernel. Options on the sys_futex(2) system call support +waiting on a particular futex, and waking up the next waiter on a +particular futex. + +For robust_futexes to work, the user code (typically in a library such +as glibc linked with the application) has to manage and place the +necessary list elements exactly as the kernel expects them. If it fails +to do so, then improperly listed locks will not be cleaned up on exit, +probably causing deadlock or other such failure of the other threads +waiting on the same locks. + +A thread that anticipates possibly using robust_futexes should first +issue the system call:: + + asmlinkage long + sys_set_robust_list(struct robust_list_head __user *head, size_t len); + +The pointer 'head' points to a structure in the threads address space +consisting of three words. Each word is 32 bits on 32 bit arch's, or 64 +bits on 64 bit arch's, and local byte order. Each thread should have +its own thread private 'head'. + +If a thread is running in 32 bit compatibility mode on a 64 native arch +kernel, then it can actually have two such structures - one using 32 bit +words for 32 bit compatibility mode, and one using 64 bit words for 64 +bit native mode. The kernel, if it is a 64 bit kernel supporting 32 bit +compatibility mode, will attempt to process both lists on each task +exit, if the corresponding sys_set_robust_list() call has been made to +setup that list. + + The first word in the memory structure at 'head' contains a + pointer to a single linked list of 'lock entries', one per lock, + as described below. If the list is empty, the pointer will point + to itself, 'head'. The last 'lock entry' points back to the 'head'. + + The second word, called 'offset', specifies the offset from the + address of the associated 'lock entry', plus or minus, of what will + be called the 'lock word', from that 'lock entry'. The 'lock word' + is always a 32 bit word, unlike the other words above. The 'lock + word' holds 3 flag bits in the upper 3 bits, and the thread id (TID) + of the thread holding the lock in the bottom 29 bits. See further + below for a description of the flag bits. + + The third word, called 'list_op_pending', contains transient copy of + the address of the 'lock entry', during list insertion and removal, + and is needed to correctly resolve races should a thread exit while + in the middle of a locking or unlocking operation. + +Each 'lock entry' on the single linked list starting at 'head' consists +of just a single word, pointing to the next 'lock entry', or back to +'head' if there are no more entries. In addition, nearby to each 'lock +entry', at an offset from the 'lock entry' specified by the 'offset' +word, is one 'lock word'. + +The 'lock word' is always 32 bits, and is intended to be the same 32 bit +lock variable used by the futex mechanism, in conjunction with +robust_futexes. The kernel will only be able to wakeup the next thread +waiting for a lock on a threads exit if that next thread used the futex +mechanism to register the address of that 'lock word' with the kernel. + +For each futex lock currently held by a thread, if it wants this +robust_futex support for exit cleanup of that lock, it should have one +'lock entry' on this list, with its associated 'lock word' at the +specified 'offset'. Should a thread die while holding any such locks, +the kernel will walk this list, mark any such locks with a bit +indicating their holder died, and wakeup the next thread waiting for +that lock using the futex mechanism. + +When a thread has invoked the above system call to indicate it +anticipates using robust_futexes, the kernel stores the passed in 'head' +pointer for that task. The task may retrieve that value later on by +using the system call:: + + asmlinkage long + sys_get_robust_list(int pid, struct robust_list_head __user **head_ptr, + size_t __user *len_ptr); + +It is anticipated that threads will use robust_futexes embedded in +larger, user level locking structures, one per lock. The kernel +robust_futex mechanism doesn't care what else is in that structure, so +long as the 'offset' to the 'lock word' is the same for all +robust_futexes used by that thread. The thread should link those locks +it currently holds using the 'lock entry' pointers. It may also have +other links between the locks, such as the reverse side of a double +linked list, but that doesn't matter to the kernel. + +By keeping its locks linked this way, on a list starting with a 'head' +pointer known to the kernel, the kernel can provide to a thread the +essential service available for robust_futexes, which is to help clean +up locks held at the time of (a perhaps unexpectedly) exit. + +Actual locking and unlocking, during normal operations, is handled +entirely by user level code in the contending threads, and by the +existing futex mechanism to wait for, and wakeup, locks. The kernels +only essential involvement in robust_futexes is to remember where the +list 'head' is, and to walk the list on thread exit, handling locks +still held by the departing thread, as described below. + +There may exist thousands of futex lock structures in a threads shared +memory, on various data structures, at a given point in time. Only those +lock structures for locks currently held by that thread should be on +that thread's robust_futex linked lock list a given time. + +A given futex lock structure in a user shared memory region may be held +at different times by any of the threads with access to that region. The +thread currently holding such a lock, if any, is marked with the threads +TID in the lower 29 bits of the 'lock word'. + +When adding or removing a lock from its list of held locks, in order for +the kernel to correctly handle lock cleanup regardless of when the task +exits (perhaps it gets an unexpected signal 9 in the middle of +manipulating this list), the user code must observe the following +protocol on 'lock entry' insertion and removal: + +On insertion: + + 1) set the 'list_op_pending' word to the address of the 'lock entry' + to be inserted, + 2) acquire the futex lock, + 3) add the lock entry, with its thread id (TID) in the bottom 29 bits + of the 'lock word', to the linked list starting at 'head', and + 4) clear the 'list_op_pending' word. + +On removal: + + 1) set the 'list_op_pending' word to the address of the 'lock entry' + to be removed, + 2) remove the lock entry for this lock from the 'head' list, + 3) release the futex lock, and + 4) clear the 'lock_op_pending' word. + +On exit, the kernel will consider the address stored in +'list_op_pending' and the address of each 'lock word' found by walking +the list starting at 'head'. For each such address, if the bottom 29 +bits of the 'lock word' at offset 'offset' from that address equals the +exiting threads TID, then the kernel will do two things: + + 1) if bit 31 (0x80000000) is set in that word, then attempt a futex + wakeup on that address, which will waken the next thread that has + used to the futex mechanism to wait on that address, and + 2) atomically set bit 30 (0x40000000) in the 'lock word'. + +In the above, bit 31 was set by futex waiters on that lock to indicate +they were waiting, and bit 30 is set by the kernel to indicate that the +lock owner died holding the lock. + +The kernel exit code will silently stop scanning the list further if at +any point: + + 1) the 'head' pointer or an subsequent linked list pointer + is not a valid address of a user space word + 2) the calculated location of the 'lock word' (address plus + 'offset') is not the valid address of a 32 bit user space + word + 3) if the list contains more than 1 million (subject to + future kernel configuration changes) elements. + +When the kernel sees a list entry whose 'lock word' doesn't have the +current threads TID in the lower 29 bits, it does nothing with that +entry, and goes on to the next entry. + +Bit 29 (0x20000000) of the 'lock word' is reserved for future use. |