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diff --git a/Documentation/RCU/rcuref.rst b/Documentation/RCU/rcuref.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..b33aeb14f --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/RCU/rcuref.rst @@ -0,0 +1,158 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +==================================================================== +Reference-count design for elements of lists/arrays protected by RCU +==================================================================== + + +Please note that the percpu-ref feature is likely your first +stop if you need to combine reference counts and RCU. Please see +include/linux/percpu-refcount.h for more information. However, in +those unusual cases where percpu-ref would consume too much memory, +please read on. + +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + +Reference counting on elements of lists which are protected by traditional +reader/writer spinlocks or semaphores are straightforward: + +CODE LISTING A:: + + 1. 2. + add() search_and_reference() + { { + alloc_object read_lock(&list_lock); + ... search_for_element + atomic_set(&el->rc, 1); atomic_inc(&el->rc); + write_lock(&list_lock); ... + add_element read_unlock(&list_lock); + ... ... + write_unlock(&list_lock); } + } + + 3. 4. + release_referenced() delete() + { { + ... write_lock(&list_lock); + if(atomic_dec_and_test(&el->rc)) ... + kfree(el); + ... remove_element + } write_unlock(&list_lock); + ... + if (atomic_dec_and_test(&el->rc)) + kfree(el); + ... + } + +If this list/array is made lock free using RCU as in changing the +write_lock() in add() and delete() to spin_lock() and changing read_lock() +in search_and_reference() to rcu_read_lock(), the atomic_inc() in +search_and_reference() could potentially hold reference to an element which +has already been deleted from the list/array. Use atomic_inc_not_zero() +in this scenario as follows: + +CODE LISTING B:: + + 1. 2. + add() search_and_reference() + { { + alloc_object rcu_read_lock(); + ... search_for_element + atomic_set(&el->rc, 1); if (!atomic_inc_not_zero(&el->rc)) { + spin_lock(&list_lock); rcu_read_unlock(); + return FAIL; + add_element } + ... ... + spin_unlock(&list_lock); rcu_read_unlock(); + } } + 3. 4. + release_referenced() delete() + { { + ... spin_lock(&list_lock); + if (atomic_dec_and_test(&el->rc)) ... + call_rcu(&el->head, el_free); remove_element + ... spin_unlock(&list_lock); + } ... + if (atomic_dec_and_test(&el->rc)) + call_rcu(&el->head, el_free); + ... + } + +Sometimes, a reference to the element needs to be obtained in the +update (write) stream. In such cases, atomic_inc_not_zero() might be +overkill, since we hold the update-side spinlock. One might instead +use atomic_inc() in such cases. + +It is not always convenient to deal with "FAIL" in the +search_and_reference() code path. In such cases, the +atomic_dec_and_test() may be moved from delete() to el_free() +as follows: + +CODE LISTING C:: + + 1. 2. + add() search_and_reference() + { { + alloc_object rcu_read_lock(); + ... search_for_element + atomic_set(&el->rc, 1); atomic_inc(&el->rc); + spin_lock(&list_lock); ... + + add_element rcu_read_unlock(); + ... } + spin_unlock(&list_lock); 4. + } delete() + 3. { + release_referenced() spin_lock(&list_lock); + { ... + ... remove_element + if (atomic_dec_and_test(&el->rc)) spin_unlock(&list_lock); + kfree(el); ... + ... call_rcu(&el->head, el_free); + } ... + 5. } + void el_free(struct rcu_head *rhp) + { + release_referenced(); + } + +The key point is that the initial reference added by add() is not removed +until after a grace period has elapsed following removal. This means that +search_and_reference() cannot find this element, which means that the value +of el->rc cannot increase. Thus, once it reaches zero, there are no +readers that can or ever will be able to reference the element. The +element can therefore safely be freed. This in turn guarantees that if +any reader finds the element, that reader may safely acquire a reference +without checking the value of the reference counter. + +A clear advantage of the RCU-based pattern in listing C over the one +in listing B is that any call to search_and_reference() that locates +a given object will succeed in obtaining a reference to that object, +even given a concurrent invocation of delete() for that same object. +Similarly, a clear advantage of both listings B and C over listing A is +that a call to delete() is not delayed even if there are an arbitrarily +large number of calls to search_and_reference() searching for the same +object that delete() was invoked on. Instead, all that is delayed is +the eventual invocation of kfree(), which is usually not a problem on +modern computer systems, even the small ones. + +In cases where delete() can sleep, synchronize_rcu() can be called from +delete(), so that el_free() can be subsumed into delete as follows:: + + 4. + delete() + { + spin_lock(&list_lock); + ... + remove_element + spin_unlock(&list_lock); + ... + synchronize_rcu(); + if (atomic_dec_and_test(&el->rc)) + kfree(el); + ... + } + +As additional examples in the kernel, the pattern in listing C is used by +reference counting of struct pid, while the pattern in listing B is used by +struct posix_acl. |