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authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-05-04 12:41:35 +0000
committerDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-05-04 12:41:35 +0000
commit7e5d7eea9c580ef4b41a765bde624af431942b96 (patch)
tree2c0d9ca12878fc4525650aa4e54d77a81a07cc09 /vendor/arc-swap/src/docs/internal.rs
parentAdding debian version 1.70.0+dfsg1-9. (diff)
downloadrustc-7e5d7eea9c580ef4b41a765bde624af431942b96.tar.xz
rustc-7e5d7eea9c580ef4b41a765bde624af431942b96.zip
Merging upstream version 1.70.0+dfsg2.
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
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+//! Internal details.
+//!
+//! While the other parts of documentation are useful to users of the crate, this part is probably
+//! helpful only if you want to look into the code or are curious about how it works internally.
+//!
+//! Also note that any of these details may change in future versions and are not part of the
+//! stability guarantees. Don't rely on anything here.
+//!
+//! # Storing the [`Arc`].
+//!
+//! The [`Arc`] can be turned into a raw pointer and back. This is abstracted by the [`RefCnt`]
+//! trait and it is technically possible to implement it for custom types (this crate also
+//! implements it for [`Rc`] and [`Weak`], though the actual usefulness of these is a bit
+//! questionable).
+//!
+//! The raw pointer is stored inside an [`AtomicPtr`].
+//!
+//! # Protection of reference counts
+//!
+//! The first idea would be to just use [`AtomicPtr`] with whatever the [`Arc::into_raw`] returns.
+//! Then replacing it would be fine (there's no need to update ref counts). The load needs to
+//! increment the reference count ‒ one still stays inside and another is returned to the caller.
+//! This is done by re-creating the Arc from the raw pointer and then cloning it, throwing one
+//! instance away (without destroying it).
+//!
+//! This approach has a problem. There's a short time between we read the raw pointer and increment
+//! the count. If some other thread replaces the stored Arc and throws it away, the ref count could
+//! drop to 0, get destroyed and we would be trying to bump ref counts in a ghost, which would be
+//! totally broken.
+//!
+//! To prevent this, we actually use two approaches in a hybrid manner.
+//!
+//! The first one is based on hazard pointers idea, but slightly modified. There's a global
+//! repository of pointers that owe a reference. When someone swaps a pointer, it walks this list
+//! and pays all the debts (and takes them out of the repository).
+//!
+//! For simplicity and performance, storing into the repository is fallible. If storing into the
+//! repository fails (because the thread used up all its own slots, or because the pointer got
+//! replaced in just the wrong moment and it can't confirm the reservation), unlike the full
+//! hazard-pointers approach, we don't retry, but fall back onto secondary strategy.
+//!
+//! The secondary strategy is similar, but a bit more complex (and therefore slower, that's why it
+//! is only a fallback). We first publish an intent to read a pointer (and where we are reading it
+//! from). Then we actually do so and publish the debt, like previously.
+//!
+//! The writer pays the debts as usual. But also, if it sees the intent to read the value, it helps
+//! along, reads it, bumps the reference and passes it to the reader. Therefore, if the reader
+//! fails to do the protection itself, because it got interrupted by a writer, it finds a
+//! ready-made replacement value it can just use and doesn't have to retry. Also, the writer
+//! doesn't have to wait for the reader in any way, because it can just solve its problem and move
+//! on.
+//!
+//! # Unsafety
+//!
+//! All the uses of the unsafe keyword is just to turn the raw pointer back to Arc. It originated
+//! from an Arc in the first place, so the only thing to ensure is it is still valid. That means its
+//! ref count never dropped to 0.
+//!
+//! At the beginning, there's ref count of 1 stored in the raw pointer (and maybe some others
+//! elsewhere, but we can't rely on these). This 1 stays there for the whole time the pointer is
+//! stored there. When the arc is replaced, this 1 is returned to the caller, so we just have to
+//! make sure no more readers access it by that time.
+//!
+//! # Leases and debts
+//!
+//! Instead of incrementing the reference count, the pointer reference can be owed. In such case, it
+//! is recorded into a global storage. As each thread has its own storage (the global storage is
+//! composed of multiple thread storages), the readers don't contend. When the pointer is no longer
+//! in use, the debt is erased.
+//!
+//! The writer pays all the existing debts, therefore the reader have the full Arc with ref count at
+//! that time. The reader is made aware the debt was paid and decrements the reference count.
+//!
+//! # Memory orders
+//!
+//! ## Synchronizing the data pointed to by the pointer.
+//!
+//! We have AcqRel (well, SeqCst, but that's included) on the swap and Acquire on the loads. In case
+//! of the double read around the debt allocation, we do that on the *second*, because of ABA.
+//! That's also why that SeqCst on the allocation of debt itself is not enough.
+//! the *latest* decrement. By making both the increment and decrement AcqRel, we effectively chain
+//! the edges together.
+//!
+//! # Memory orders around debts
+//!
+//! The linked list of debt nodes only grows. The shape of the list (existence of nodes) is
+//! synchronized through Release on creation and Acquire on load on the head pointer.
+//!
+//! The debts work similar to locks ‒ Acquire and Release make all the pointer manipulation at the
+//! interval where it is written down. However, we use the SeqCst on the allocation of the debt
+//! because when we see an empty slot, we need to make sure that it happened after we have
+//! overwritten the pointer.
+//!
+//! In case the writer pays the debt, it sees the new enough data (for the same reasons the stale
+//! empties are not seen). The reference count on the Arc is AcqRel and makes sure it is not
+//! destroyed too soon. The writer traverses all the slots, therefore they don't need to synchronize
+//! with each other.
+//!
+//! Further details are inside the internal `debt` module.
+//!
+//! [`RefCnt`]: crate::RefCnt
+//! [`Arc`]: std::sync::Arc
+//! [`Arc::into_raw`]: std::sync::Arc::into_raw
+//! [`Rc`]: std::rc::Rc
+//! [`Weak`]: std::sync::Weak
+//! [`AtomicPtr`]: std::sync::atomic::AtomicPtr