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Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.txt | 145 |
1 files changed, 120 insertions, 25 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.txt b/Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.txt index 96170824a71..49b8551a3b6 100644 --- a/Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.txt +++ b/Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.txt @@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ to start learning about RCU: 1. What is RCU, Fundamentally? http://lwn.net/Articles/262464/ 2. What is RCU? Part 2: Usage http://lwn.net/Articles/263130/ 3. RCU part 3: the RCU API http://lwn.net/Articles/264090/ +4. The RCU API, 2010 Edition http://lwn.net/Articles/418853/ What is RCU? @@ -136,10 +137,10 @@ rcu_read_lock() Used by a reader to inform the reclaimer that the reader is entering an RCU read-side critical section. It is illegal to block while in an RCU read-side critical section, though - kernels built with CONFIG_PREEMPT_RCU can preempt RCU read-side - critical sections. Any RCU-protected data structure accessed - during an RCU read-side critical section is guaranteed to remain - unreclaimed for the full duration of that critical section. + kernels built with CONFIG_TREE_PREEMPT_RCU can preempt RCU + read-side critical sections. Any RCU-protected data structure + accessed during an RCU read-side critical section is guaranteed to + remain unreclaimed for the full duration of that critical section. Reference counts may be used in conjunction with RCU to maintain longer-term references to data structures. @@ -264,9 +265,9 @@ rcu_dereference() rcu_read_lock(); p = rcu_dereference(head.next); rcu_read_unlock(); - x = p->address; + x = p->address; /* BUG!!! */ rcu_read_lock(); - y = p->data; + y = p->data; /* BUG!!! */ rcu_read_unlock(); Holding a reference from one RCU read-side critical section @@ -323,14 +324,17 @@ used as follows: Defer Protect a. synchronize_rcu() rcu_read_lock() / rcu_read_unlock() - call_rcu() + call_rcu() rcu_dereference() -b. call_rcu_bh() rcu_read_lock_bh() / rcu_read_unlock_bh() +b. synchronize_rcu_bh() rcu_read_lock_bh() / rcu_read_unlock_bh() + call_rcu_bh() rcu_dereference_bh() -c. synchronize_sched() preempt_disable() / preempt_enable() +c. synchronize_sched() rcu_read_lock_sched() / rcu_read_unlock_sched() + call_rcu_sched() preempt_disable() / preempt_enable() local_irq_save() / local_irq_restore() hardirq enter / hardirq exit NMI enter / NMI exit + rcu_dereference_sched() These three mechanisms are used as follows: @@ -495,6 +499,8 @@ The foo_reclaim() function might appear as follows: { struct foo *fp = container_of(rp, struct foo, rcu); + foo_cleanup(fp->a); + kfree(fp); } @@ -517,6 +523,12 @@ o Use call_rcu() -after- removing a data element from an read-side critical sections that might be referencing that data item. +If the callback for call_rcu() is not doing anything more than calling +kfree() on the structure, you can use kfree_rcu() instead of call_rcu() +to avoid having to write your own callback: + + kfree_rcu(old_fp, rcu); + Again, see checklist.txt for additional rules governing the use of RCU. @@ -769,8 +781,8 @@ a single atomic update, converting to RCU will require special care. Also, the presence of synchronize_rcu() means that the RCU version of delete() can now block. If this is a problem, there is a callback-based -mechanism that never blocks, namely call_rcu(), that can be used in -place of synchronize_rcu(). +mechanism that never blocks, namely call_rcu() or kfree_rcu(), that can +be used in place of synchronize_rcu(). 7. FULL LIST OF RCU APIs @@ -780,14 +792,24 @@ Linux-kernel source code, but it helps to have a full list of the APIs, since there does not appear to be a way to categorize them in docbook. Here is the list, by category. -RCU pointer/list traversal: +RCU list traversal: - rcu_dereference + list_entry_rcu + list_first_entry_rcu + list_next_rcu list_for_each_entry_rcu + list_for_each_entry_continue_rcu + hlist_first_rcu + hlist_next_rcu + hlist_pprev_rcu hlist_for_each_entry_rcu - - list_for_each_continue_rcu (to be deprecated in favor of new - list_for_each_entry_continue_rcu) + hlist_for_each_entry_rcu_bh + hlist_for_each_entry_continue_rcu + hlist_for_each_entry_continue_rcu_bh + hlist_nulls_first_rcu + hlist_nulls_for_each_entry_rcu + hlist_bl_first_rcu + hlist_bl_for_each_entry_rcu RCU pointer/list update: @@ -796,41 +818,114 @@ RCU pointer/list update: list_add_tail_rcu list_del_rcu list_replace_rcu - hlist_del_rcu hlist_add_after_rcu hlist_add_before_rcu hlist_add_head_rcu + hlist_del_rcu + hlist_del_init_rcu hlist_replace_rcu list_splice_init_rcu() + hlist_nulls_del_init_rcu + hlist_nulls_del_rcu + hlist_nulls_add_head_rcu + hlist_bl_add_head_rcu + hlist_bl_del_init_rcu + hlist_bl_del_rcu + hlist_bl_set_first_rcu RCU: Critical sections Grace period Barrier rcu_read_lock synchronize_net rcu_barrier rcu_read_unlock synchronize_rcu - call_rcu - + rcu_dereference synchronize_rcu_expedited + rcu_read_lock_held call_rcu + rcu_dereference_check kfree_rcu + rcu_dereference_protected bh: Critical sections Grace period Barrier rcu_read_lock_bh call_rcu_bh rcu_barrier_bh - rcu_read_unlock_bh - + rcu_read_unlock_bh synchronize_rcu_bh + rcu_dereference_bh synchronize_rcu_bh_expedited + rcu_dereference_bh_check + rcu_dereference_bh_protected + rcu_read_lock_bh_held sched: Critical sections Grace period Barrier - [preempt_disable] synchronize_sched rcu_barrier_sched - [and friends] call_rcu_sched + rcu_read_lock_sched synchronize_sched rcu_barrier_sched + rcu_read_unlock_sched call_rcu_sched + [preempt_disable] synchronize_sched_expedited + [and friends] + rcu_read_lock_sched_notrace + rcu_read_unlock_sched_notrace + rcu_dereference_sched + rcu_dereference_sched_check + rcu_dereference_sched_protected + rcu_read_lock_sched_held SRCU: Critical sections Grace period Barrier - srcu_read_lock synchronize_srcu N/A - srcu_read_unlock + srcu_read_lock synchronize_srcu srcu_barrier + srcu_read_unlock call_srcu + srcu_dereference synchronize_srcu_expedited + srcu_dereference_check + srcu_read_lock_held + +SRCU: Initialization/cleanup + init_srcu_struct + cleanup_srcu_struct + +All: lockdep-checked RCU-protected pointer access + rcu_access_index + rcu_access_pointer + rcu_dereference_index_check + rcu_dereference_raw + rcu_lockdep_assert + rcu_sleep_check + RCU_NONIDLE See the comment headers in the source code (or the docbook generated from them) for more information. +However, given that there are no fewer than four families of RCU APIs +in the Linux kernel, how do you choose which one to use? The following +list can be helpful: + +a. Will readers need to block? If so, you need SRCU. + +b. What about the -rt patchset? If readers would need to block + in an non-rt kernel, you need SRCU. If readers would block + in a -rt kernel, but not in a non-rt kernel, SRCU is not + necessary. + +c. Do you need to treat NMI handlers, hardirq handlers, + and code segments with preemption disabled (whether + via preempt_disable(), local_irq_save(), local_bh_disable(), + or some other mechanism) as if they were explicit RCU readers? + If so, RCU-sched is the only choice that will work for you. + +d. Do you need RCU grace periods to complete even in the face + of softirq monopolization of one or more of the CPUs? For + example, is your code subject to network-based denial-of-service + attacks? If so, you need RCU-bh. + +e. Is your workload too update-intensive for normal use of + RCU, but inappropriate for other synchronization mechanisms? + If so, consider SLAB_DESTROY_BY_RCU. But please be careful! + +f. Do you need read-side critical sections that are respected + even though they are in the middle of the idle loop, during + user-mode execution, or on an offlined CPU? If so, SRCU is the + only choice that will work for you. + +g. Otherwise, use RCU. + +Of course, this all assumes that you have determined that RCU is in fact +the right tool for your job. + 8. ANSWERS TO QUICK QUIZZES |