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authorLinus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>2014-12-09 20:23:19 -0800
committerLinus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>2014-12-09 20:23:19 -0800
commitc30110608cfba7efff3a5e71914aee7c816115c5 (patch)
treebd7fca47f16826fb4521e16ada1c25971fa42ff2 /Documentation/memory-barriers.txt
parent9c37f95936b6c169e89733747504879b06e77c24 (diff)
parentd360b78f99e5d1724279644c8eb51d5cf0de4027 (diff)
Merge branch 'core-rcu-for-linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tip/tip
Pull RCU updates from Ingo Molnar: "These are the main changes in this cycle: - Streamline RCU's use of per-CPU variables, shifting from "cpu" arguments to functions to "this_"-style per-CPU variable accessors. - signal-handling RCU updates. - real-time updates. - torture-test updates. - miscellaneous fixes. - documentation updates" * 'core-rcu-for-linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tip/tip: (34 commits) rcu: Fix FIXME in rcu_tasks_kthread() rcu: More info about potential deadlocks with rcu_read_unlock() rcu: Optimize cond_resched_rcu_qs() rcu: Add sparse check for RCU_INIT_POINTER() documentation: memory-barriers.txt: Correct example for reorderings documentation: Add atomic_long_t to atomic_ops.txt documentation: Additional restriction for control dependencies documentation: Document RCU self test boot params rcutorture: Fix rcu_torture_cbflood() memory leak rcutorture: Remove obsolete kversion param in kvm.sh rcutorture: Remove stale test configurations rcutorture: Enable RCU self test in configs rcutorture: Add early boot self tests torture: Run Linux-kernel binary out of results directory cpu: Avoid puts_pending overflow rcu: Remove "cpu" argument to rcu_cleanup_after_idle() rcu: Remove "cpu" argument to rcu_prepare_for_idle() rcu: Remove "cpu" argument to rcu_needs_cpu() rcu: Remove "cpu" argument to rcu_note_context_switch() rcu: Remove "cpu" argument to rcu_preempt_check_callbacks() ...
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/memory-barriers.txt')
-rw-r--r--Documentation/memory-barriers.txt40
1 files changed, 29 insertions, 11 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/memory-barriers.txt b/Documentation/memory-barriers.txt
index 4af4cea8cff0..7ee2ae6d5451 100644
--- a/Documentation/memory-barriers.txt
+++ b/Documentation/memory-barriers.txt
@@ -121,22 +121,22 @@ For example, consider the following sequence of events:
The set of accesses as seen by the memory system in the middle can be arranged
in 24 different combinations:
- STORE A=3, STORE B=4, x=LOAD A->3, y=LOAD B->4
- STORE A=3, STORE B=4, y=LOAD B->4, x=LOAD A->3
- STORE A=3, x=LOAD A->3, STORE B=4, y=LOAD B->4
- STORE A=3, x=LOAD A->3, y=LOAD B->2, STORE B=4
- STORE A=3, y=LOAD B->2, STORE B=4, x=LOAD A->3
- STORE A=3, y=LOAD B->2, x=LOAD A->3, STORE B=4
- STORE B=4, STORE A=3, x=LOAD A->3, y=LOAD B->4
+ STORE A=3, STORE B=4, y=LOAD A->3, x=LOAD B->4
+ STORE A=3, STORE B=4, x=LOAD B->4, y=LOAD A->3
+ STORE A=3, y=LOAD A->3, STORE B=4, x=LOAD B->4
+ STORE A=3, y=LOAD A->3, x=LOAD B->2, STORE B=4
+ STORE A=3, x=LOAD B->2, STORE B=4, y=LOAD A->3
+ STORE A=3, x=LOAD B->2, y=LOAD A->3, STORE B=4
+ STORE B=4, STORE A=3, y=LOAD A->3, x=LOAD B->4
STORE B=4, ...
...
and can thus result in four different combinations of values:
- x == 1, y == 2
- x == 1, y == 4
- x == 3, y == 2
- x == 3, y == 4
+ x == 2, y == 1
+ x == 2, y == 3
+ x == 4, y == 1
+ x == 4, y == 3
Furthermore, the stores committed by a CPU to the memory system may not be
@@ -694,6 +694,24 @@ Please note once again that the stores to 'b' differ. If they were
identical, as noted earlier, the compiler could pull this store outside
of the 'if' statement.
+You must also be careful not to rely too much on boolean short-circuit
+evaluation. Consider this example:
+
+ q = ACCESS_ONCE(a);
+ if (a || 1 > 0)
+ ACCESS_ONCE(b) = 1;
+
+Because the second condition is always true, the compiler can transform
+this example as following, defeating control dependency:
+
+ q = ACCESS_ONCE(a);
+ ACCESS_ONCE(b) = 1;
+
+This example underscores the need to ensure that the compiler cannot
+out-guess your code. More generally, although ACCESS_ONCE() does force
+the compiler to actually emit code for a given load, it does not force
+the compiler to use the results.
+
Finally, control dependencies do -not- provide transitivity. This is
demonstrated by two related examples, with the initial values of
x and y both being zero: