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authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-07 18:49:45 +0000
committerDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-07 18:49:45 +0000
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+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+.. Copyright (C) 2019, Google LLC.
+
+The Kernel Concurrency Sanitizer (KCSAN)
+========================================
+
+The Kernel Concurrency Sanitizer (KCSAN) is a dynamic race detector, which
+relies on compile-time instrumentation, and uses a watchpoint-based sampling
+approach to detect races. KCSAN's primary purpose is to detect `data races`_.
+
+Usage
+-----
+
+KCSAN is supported by both GCC and Clang. With GCC we require version 11 or
+later, and with Clang also require version 11 or later.
+
+To enable KCSAN configure the kernel with::
+
+ CONFIG_KCSAN = y
+
+KCSAN provides several other configuration options to customize behaviour (see
+the respective help text in ``lib/Kconfig.kcsan`` for more info).
+
+Error reports
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+A typical data race report looks like this::
+
+ ==================================================================
+ BUG: KCSAN: data-race in test_kernel_read / test_kernel_write
+
+ write to 0xffffffffc009a628 of 8 bytes by task 487 on cpu 0:
+ test_kernel_write+0x1d/0x30
+ access_thread+0x89/0xd0
+ kthread+0x23e/0x260
+ ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30
+
+ read to 0xffffffffc009a628 of 8 bytes by task 488 on cpu 6:
+ test_kernel_read+0x10/0x20
+ access_thread+0x89/0xd0
+ kthread+0x23e/0x260
+ ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30
+
+ value changed: 0x00000000000009a6 -> 0x00000000000009b2
+
+ Reported by Kernel Concurrency Sanitizer on:
+ CPU: 6 PID: 488 Comm: access_thread Not tainted 5.12.0-rc2+ #1
+ Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.14.0-2 04/01/2014
+ ==================================================================
+
+The header of the report provides a short summary of the functions involved in
+the race. It is followed by the access types and stack traces of the 2 threads
+involved in the data race. If KCSAN also observed a value change, the observed
+old value and new value are shown on the "value changed" line respectively.
+
+The other less common type of data race report looks like this::
+
+ ==================================================================
+ BUG: KCSAN: data-race in test_kernel_rmw_array+0x71/0xd0
+
+ race at unknown origin, with read to 0xffffffffc009bdb0 of 8 bytes by task 515 on cpu 2:
+ test_kernel_rmw_array+0x71/0xd0
+ access_thread+0x89/0xd0
+ kthread+0x23e/0x260
+ ret_from_fork+0x22/0x30
+
+ value changed: 0x0000000000002328 -> 0x0000000000002329
+
+ Reported by Kernel Concurrency Sanitizer on:
+ CPU: 2 PID: 515 Comm: access_thread Not tainted 5.12.0-rc2+ #1
+ Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.14.0-2 04/01/2014
+ ==================================================================
+
+This report is generated where it was not possible to determine the other
+racing thread, but a race was inferred due to the data value of the watched
+memory location having changed. These reports always show a "value changed"
+line. A common reason for reports of this type are missing instrumentation in
+the racing thread, but could also occur due to e.g. DMA accesses. Such reports
+are shown only if ``CONFIG_KCSAN_REPORT_RACE_UNKNOWN_ORIGIN=y``, which is
+enabled by default.
+
+Selective analysis
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+It may be desirable to disable data race detection for specific accesses,
+functions, compilation units, or entire subsystems. For static blacklisting,
+the below options are available:
+
+* KCSAN understands the ``data_race(expr)`` annotation, which tells KCSAN that
+ any data races due to accesses in ``expr`` should be ignored and resulting
+ behaviour when encountering a data race is deemed safe. Please see
+ `"Marking Shared-Memory Accesses" in the LKMM`_ for more information.
+
+* Disabling data race detection for entire functions can be accomplished by
+ using the function attribute ``__no_kcsan``::
+
+ __no_kcsan
+ void foo(void) {
+ ...
+
+ To dynamically limit for which functions to generate reports, see the
+ `DebugFS interface`_ blacklist/whitelist feature.
+
+* To disable data race detection for a particular compilation unit, add to the
+ ``Makefile``::
+
+ KCSAN_SANITIZE_file.o := n
+
+* To disable data race detection for all compilation units listed in a
+ ``Makefile``, add to the respective ``Makefile``::
+
+ KCSAN_SANITIZE := n
+
+.. _"Marking Shared-Memory Accesses" in the LKMM: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/tools/memory-model/Documentation/access-marking.txt
+
+Furthermore, it is possible to tell KCSAN to show or hide entire classes of
+data races, depending on preferences. These can be changed via the following
+Kconfig options:
+
+* ``CONFIG_KCSAN_REPORT_VALUE_CHANGE_ONLY``: If enabled and a conflicting write
+ is observed via a watchpoint, but the data value of the memory location was
+ observed to remain unchanged, do not report the data race.
+
+* ``CONFIG_KCSAN_ASSUME_PLAIN_WRITES_ATOMIC``: Assume that plain aligned writes
+ up to word size are atomic by default. Assumes that such writes are not
+ subject to unsafe compiler optimizations resulting in data races. The option
+ causes KCSAN to not report data races due to conflicts where the only plain
+ accesses are aligned writes up to word size.
+
+* ``CONFIG_KCSAN_PERMISSIVE``: Enable additional permissive rules to ignore
+ certain classes of common data races. Unlike the above, the rules are more
+ complex involving value-change patterns, access type, and address. This
+ option depends on ``CONFIG_KCSAN_REPORT_VALUE_CHANGE_ONLY=y``. For details
+ please see the ``kernel/kcsan/permissive.h``. Testers and maintainers that
+ only focus on reports from specific subsystems and not the whole kernel are
+ recommended to disable this option.
+
+To use the strictest possible rules, select ``CONFIG_KCSAN_STRICT=y``, which
+configures KCSAN to follow the Linux-kernel memory consistency model (LKMM) as
+closely as possible.
+
+DebugFS interface
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The file ``/sys/kernel/debug/kcsan`` provides the following interface:
+
+* Reading ``/sys/kernel/debug/kcsan`` returns various runtime statistics.
+
+* Writing ``on`` or ``off`` to ``/sys/kernel/debug/kcsan`` allows turning KCSAN
+ on or off, respectively.
+
+* Writing ``!some_func_name`` to ``/sys/kernel/debug/kcsan`` adds
+ ``some_func_name`` to the report filter list, which (by default) blacklists
+ reporting data races where either one of the top stackframes are a function
+ in the list.
+
+* Writing either ``blacklist`` or ``whitelist`` to ``/sys/kernel/debug/kcsan``
+ changes the report filtering behaviour. For example, the blacklist feature
+ can be used to silence frequently occurring data races; the whitelist feature
+ can help with reproduction and testing of fixes.
+
+Tuning performance
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Core parameters that affect KCSAN's overall performance and bug detection
+ability are exposed as kernel command-line arguments whose defaults can also be
+changed via the corresponding Kconfig options.
+
+* ``kcsan.skip_watch`` (``CONFIG_KCSAN_SKIP_WATCH``): Number of per-CPU memory
+ operations to skip, before another watchpoint is set up. Setting up
+ watchpoints more frequently will result in the likelihood of races to be
+ observed to increase. This parameter has the most significant impact on
+ overall system performance and race detection ability.
+
+* ``kcsan.udelay_task`` (``CONFIG_KCSAN_UDELAY_TASK``): For tasks, the
+ microsecond delay to stall execution after a watchpoint has been set up.
+ Larger values result in the window in which we may observe a race to
+ increase.
+
+* ``kcsan.udelay_interrupt`` (``CONFIG_KCSAN_UDELAY_INTERRUPT``): For
+ interrupts, the microsecond delay to stall execution after a watchpoint has
+ been set up. Interrupts have tighter latency requirements, and their delay
+ should generally be smaller than the one chosen for tasks.
+
+They may be tweaked at runtime via ``/sys/module/kcsan/parameters/``.
+
+Data Races
+----------
+
+In an execution, two memory accesses form a *data race* if they *conflict*,
+they happen concurrently in different threads, and at least one of them is a
+*plain access*; they *conflict* if both access the same memory location, and at
+least one is a write. For a more thorough discussion and definition, see `"Plain
+Accesses and Data Races" in the LKMM`_.
+
+.. _"Plain Accesses and Data Races" in the LKMM: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/tools/memory-model/Documentation/explanation.txt#n1922
+
+Relationship with the Linux-Kernel Memory Consistency Model (LKMM)
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The LKMM defines the propagation and ordering rules of various memory
+operations, which gives developers the ability to reason about concurrent code.
+Ultimately this allows to determine the possible executions of concurrent code,
+and if that code is free from data races.
+
+KCSAN is aware of *marked atomic operations* (``READ_ONCE``, ``WRITE_ONCE``,
+``atomic_*``, etc.), and a subset of ordering guarantees implied by memory
+barriers. With ``CONFIG_KCSAN_WEAK_MEMORY=y``, KCSAN models load or store
+buffering, and can detect missing ``smp_mb()``, ``smp_wmb()``, ``smp_rmb()``,
+``smp_store_release()``, and all ``atomic_*`` operations with equivalent
+implied barriers.
+
+Note, KCSAN will not report all data races due to missing memory ordering,
+specifically where a memory barrier would be required to prohibit subsequent
+memory operation from reordering before the barrier. Developers should
+therefore carefully consider the required memory ordering requirements that
+remain unchecked.
+
+Race Detection Beyond Data Races
+--------------------------------
+
+For code with complex concurrency design, race-condition bugs may not always
+manifest as data races. Race conditions occur if concurrently executing
+operations result in unexpected system behaviour. On the other hand, data races
+are defined at the C-language level. The following macros can be used to check
+properties of concurrent code where bugs would not manifest as data races.
+
+.. kernel-doc:: include/linux/kcsan-checks.h
+ :functions: ASSERT_EXCLUSIVE_WRITER ASSERT_EXCLUSIVE_WRITER_SCOPED
+ ASSERT_EXCLUSIVE_ACCESS ASSERT_EXCLUSIVE_ACCESS_SCOPED
+ ASSERT_EXCLUSIVE_BITS
+
+Implementation Details
+----------------------
+
+KCSAN relies on observing that two accesses happen concurrently. Crucially, we
+want to (a) increase the chances of observing races (especially for races that
+manifest rarely), and (b) be able to actually observe them. We can accomplish
+(a) by injecting various delays, and (b) by using address watchpoints (or
+breakpoints).
+
+If we deliberately stall a memory access, while we have a watchpoint for its
+address set up, and then observe the watchpoint to fire, two accesses to the
+same address just raced. Using hardware watchpoints, this is the approach taken
+in `DataCollider
+<http://usenix.org/legacy/events/osdi10/tech/full_papers/Erickson.pdf>`_.
+Unlike DataCollider, KCSAN does not use hardware watchpoints, but instead
+relies on compiler instrumentation and "soft watchpoints".
+
+In KCSAN, watchpoints are implemented using an efficient encoding that stores
+access type, size, and address in a long; the benefits of using "soft
+watchpoints" are portability and greater flexibility. KCSAN then relies on the
+compiler instrumenting plain accesses. For each instrumented plain access:
+
+1. Check if a matching watchpoint exists; if yes, and at least one access is a
+ write, then we encountered a racing access.
+
+2. Periodically, if no matching watchpoint exists, set up a watchpoint and
+ stall for a small randomized delay.
+
+3. Also check the data value before the delay, and re-check the data value
+ after delay; if the values mismatch, we infer a race of unknown origin.
+
+To detect data races between plain and marked accesses, KCSAN also annotates
+marked accesses, but only to check if a watchpoint exists; i.e. KCSAN never
+sets up a watchpoint on marked accesses. By never setting up watchpoints for
+marked operations, if all accesses to a variable that is accessed concurrently
+are properly marked, KCSAN will never trigger a watchpoint and therefore never
+report the accesses.
+
+Modeling Weak Memory
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+KCSAN's approach to detecting data races due to missing memory barriers is
+based on modeling access reordering (with ``CONFIG_KCSAN_WEAK_MEMORY=y``).
+Each plain memory access for which a watchpoint is set up, is also selected for
+simulated reordering within the scope of its function (at most 1 in-flight
+access).
+
+Once an access has been selected for reordering, it is checked along every
+other access until the end of the function scope. If an appropriate memory
+barrier is encountered, the access will no longer be considered for simulated
+reordering.
+
+When the result of a memory operation should be ordered by a barrier, KCSAN can
+then detect data races where the conflict only occurs as a result of a missing
+barrier. Consider the example::
+
+ int x, flag;
+ void T1(void)
+ {
+ x = 1; // data race!
+ WRITE_ONCE(flag, 1); // correct: smp_store_release(&flag, 1)
+ }
+ void T2(void)
+ {
+ while (!READ_ONCE(flag)); // correct: smp_load_acquire(&flag)
+ ... = x; // data race!
+ }
+
+When weak memory modeling is enabled, KCSAN can consider ``x`` in ``T1`` for
+simulated reordering. After the write of ``flag``, ``x`` is again checked for
+concurrent accesses: because ``T2`` is able to proceed after the write of
+``flag``, a data race is detected. With the correct barriers in place, ``x``
+would not be considered for reordering after the proper release of ``flag``,
+and no data race would be detected.
+
+Deliberate trade-offs in complexity but also practical limitations mean only a
+subset of data races due to missing memory barriers can be detected. With
+currently available compiler support, the implementation is limited to modeling
+the effects of "buffering" (delaying accesses), since the runtime cannot
+"prefetch" accesses. Also recall that watchpoints are only set up for plain
+accesses, and the only access type for which KCSAN simulates reordering. This
+means reordering of marked accesses is not modeled.
+
+A consequence of the above is that acquire operations do not require barrier
+instrumentation (no prefetching). Furthermore, marked accesses introducing
+address or control dependencies do not require special handling (the marked
+access cannot be reordered, later dependent accesses cannot be prefetched).
+
+Key Properties
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+1. **Memory Overhead:** The overall memory overhead is only a few MiB
+ depending on configuration. The current implementation uses a small array of
+ longs to encode watchpoint information, which is negligible.
+
+2. **Performance Overhead:** KCSAN's runtime aims to be minimal, using an
+ efficient watchpoint encoding that does not require acquiring any shared
+ locks in the fast-path. For kernel boot on a system with 8 CPUs:
+
+ - 5.0x slow-down with the default KCSAN config;
+ - 2.8x slow-down from runtime fast-path overhead only (set very large
+ ``KCSAN_SKIP_WATCH`` and unset ``KCSAN_SKIP_WATCH_RANDOMIZE``).
+
+3. **Annotation Overheads:** Minimal annotations are required outside the KCSAN
+ runtime. As a result, maintenance overheads are minimal as the kernel
+ evolves.
+
+4. **Detects Racy Writes from Devices:** Due to checking data values upon
+ setting up watchpoints, racy writes from devices can also be detected.
+
+5. **Memory Ordering:** KCSAN is aware of only a subset of LKMM ordering rules;
+ this may result in missed data races (false negatives).
+
+6. **Analysis Accuracy:** For observed executions, due to using a sampling
+ strategy, the analysis is *unsound* (false negatives possible), but aims to
+ be complete (no false positives).
+
+Alternatives Considered
+-----------------------
+
+An alternative data race detection approach for the kernel can be found in the
+`Kernel Thread Sanitizer (KTSAN) <https://github.com/google/ktsan/wiki>`_.
+KTSAN is a happens-before data race detector, which explicitly establishes the
+happens-before order between memory operations, which can then be used to
+determine data races as defined in `Data Races`_.
+
+To build a correct happens-before relation, KTSAN must be aware of all ordering
+rules of the LKMM and synchronization primitives. Unfortunately, any omission
+leads to large numbers of false positives, which is especially detrimental in
+the context of the kernel which includes numerous custom synchronization
+mechanisms. To track the happens-before relation, KTSAN's implementation
+requires metadata for each memory location (shadow memory), which for each page
+corresponds to 4 pages of shadow memory, and can translate into overhead of
+tens of GiB on a large system.