when publicizing a pointer to a structure that can
be traversed by an RCU read-side critical section.
-5. If call_rcu(), or a related primitive such as call_rcu_bh(),
- call_rcu_sched(), or call_srcu() is used, the callback function
- will be called from softirq context. In particular, it cannot
- block.
+5. If call_rcu() or call_srcu() is used, the callback function will
+ be called from softirq context. In particular, it cannot block.
-6. Since synchronize_rcu() can block, it cannot be called from
- any sort of irq context. The same rule applies for
- synchronize_rcu_bh(), synchronize_sched(), synchronize_srcu(),
- synchronize_rcu_expedited(), synchronize_rcu_bh_expedited(),
- synchronize_sched_expedite(), and synchronize_srcu_expedited().
+6. Since synchronize_rcu() can block, it cannot be called
+ from any sort of irq context. The same rule applies
+ for synchronize_srcu(), synchronize_rcu_expedited(), and
+ synchronize_srcu_expedited().
The expedited forms of these primitives have the same semantics
as the non-expedited forms, but expediting is both expensive and
of the system, especially to real-time workloads running on
the rest of the system.
-7. If the updater uses call_rcu() or synchronize_rcu(), then the
- corresponding readers must use rcu_read_lock() and
- rcu_read_unlock(). If the updater uses call_rcu_bh() or
- synchronize_rcu_bh(), then the corresponding readers must
- use rcu_read_lock_bh() and rcu_read_unlock_bh(). If the
- updater uses call_rcu_sched() or synchronize_sched(), then
- the corresponding readers must disable preemption, possibly
- by calling rcu_read_lock_sched() and rcu_read_unlock_sched().
- If the updater uses synchronize_srcu() or call_srcu(), then
- the corresponding readers must use srcu_read_lock() and
+7. As of v4.20, a given kernel implements only one RCU flavor,
+ which is RCU-sched for PREEMPT=n and RCU-preempt for PREEMPT=y.
+ If the updater uses call_rcu() or synchronize_rcu(),
+ then the corresponding readers my use rcu_read_lock() and
+ rcu_read_unlock(), rcu_read_lock_bh() and rcu_read_unlock_bh(),
+ or any pair of primitives that disables and re-enables preemption,
+ for example, rcu_read_lock_sched() and rcu_read_unlock_sched().
+ If the updater uses synchronize_srcu() or call_srcu(),
+ then the corresponding readers must use srcu_read_lock() and
srcu_read_unlock(), and with the same srcu_struct. The rules for
the expedited primitives are the same as for their non-expedited
counterparts. Mixing things up will result in confusion and
- broken kernels.
+ broken kernels, and has even resulted in an exploitable security
+ issue.
One exception to this rule: rcu_read_lock() and rcu_read_unlock()
may be substituted for rcu_read_lock_bh() and rcu_read_unlock_bh()
d. Periodically invoke synchronize_rcu(), permitting a limited
number of updates per grace period.
- The same cautions apply to call_rcu_bh(), call_rcu_sched(),
- call_srcu(), and kfree_rcu().
+ The same cautions apply to call_srcu() and kfree_rcu().
Note that although these primitives do take action to avoid memory
exhaustion when any given CPU has too many callbacks, a determined
to safely access and/or modify that data structure.
RCU callbacks are -usually- executed on the same CPU that executed
- the corresponding call_rcu(), call_rcu_bh(), or call_rcu_sched(),
- but are by -no- means guaranteed to be. For example, if a given
- CPU goes offline while having an RCU callback pending, then that
- RCU callback will execute on some surviving CPU. (If this was
- not the case, a self-spawning RCU callback would prevent the
- victim CPU from ever going offline.)
+ the corresponding call_rcu() or call_srcu(). but are by -no-
+ means guaranteed to be. For example, if a given CPU goes offline
+ while having an RCU callback pending, then that RCU callback
+ will execute on some surviving CPU. (If this was not the case,
+ a self-spawning RCU callback would prevent the victim CPU from
+ ever going offline.)
13. Unlike other forms of RCU, it -is- permissible to block in an
SRCU read-side critical section (demarked by srcu_read_lock()
SRCU's expedited primitive (synchronize_srcu_expedited())
never sends IPIs to other CPUs, so it is easier on
- real-time workloads than is synchronize_rcu_expedited(),
- synchronize_rcu_bh_expedited() or synchronize_sched_expedited().
+ real-time workloads than is synchronize_rcu_expedited().
Note that rcu_dereference() and rcu_assign_pointer() relate to
SRCU just as they do to other forms of RCU.
These debugging aids can help you find problems that are
otherwise extremely difficult to spot.
-17. If you register a callback using call_rcu(), call_rcu_bh(),
- call_rcu_sched(), or call_srcu(), and pass in a function defined
- within a loadable module, then it in necessary to wait for
- all pending callbacks to be invoked after the last invocation
- and before unloading that module. Note that it is absolutely
- -not- sufficient to wait for a grace period! The current (say)
- synchronize_rcu() implementation waits only for all previous
- callbacks registered on the CPU that synchronize_rcu() is running
- on, but it is -not- guaranteed to wait for callbacks registered
- on other CPUs.
+17. If you register a callback using call_rcu() or call_srcu(),
+ and pass in a function defined within a loadable module,
+ then it in necessary to wait for all pending callbacks to
+ be invoked after the last invocation and before unloading
+ that module. Note that it is absolutely -not- sufficient to
+ wait for a grace period! The current (say) synchronize_rcu()
+ implementation waits only for all previous callbacks registered
+ on the CPU that synchronize_rcu() is running on, but it is -not-
+ guaranteed to wait for callbacks registered on other CPUs.
You instead need to use one of the barrier functions:
o call_rcu() -> rcu_barrier()
- o call_rcu_bh() -> rcu_barrier()
- o call_rcu_sched() -> rcu_barrier()
o call_srcu() -> srcu_barrier()
However, these barrier functions are absolutely -not- guaranteed
2. Execute rcu_barrier().
3. Allow the module to be unloaded.
-There are also rcu_barrier_bh(), rcu_barrier_sched(), and srcu_barrier()
-functions for the other flavors of RCU, and you of course must match
-the flavor of rcu_barrier() with that of call_rcu(). If your module
-uses multiple flavors of call_rcu(), then it must also use multiple
+There is also an srcu_barrier() function for SRCU, and you of course
+must match the flavor of rcu_barrier() with that of call_rcu(). If your
+module uses multiple flavors of call_rcu(), then it must also use multiple
flavors of rcu_barrier() when unloading that module. For example, if
-it uses call_rcu_bh(), call_srcu() on srcu_struct_1, and call_srcu() on
+it uses call_rcu(), call_srcu() on srcu_struct_1, and call_srcu() on
srcu_struct_2(), then the following three lines of code will be required
when unloading:
- 1 rcu_barrier_bh();
+ 1 rcu_barrier();
2 srcu_barrier(&srcu_struct_1);
3 srcu_barrier(&srcu_struct_2);
the timers, and only then invoke rcu_barrier() to wait for any remaining
RCU callbacks to complete.
-Of course, if you module uses call_rcu_bh(), you will need to invoke
-rcu_barrier_bh() before unloading. Similarly, if your module uses
-call_rcu_sched(), you will need to invoke rcu_barrier_sched() before
-unloading. If your module uses call_rcu(), call_rcu_bh(), -and-
-call_rcu_sched(), then you will need to invoke each of rcu_barrier(),
-rcu_barrier_bh(), and rcu_barrier_sched().
+Of course, if you module uses call_rcu(), you will need to invoke
+rcu_barrier() before unloading. Similarly, if your module uses
+call_srcu(), you will need to invoke srcu_barrier() before unloading,
+and on the same srcu_struct structure. If your module uses call_rcu()
+-and- call_srcu(), then you will need to invoke rcu_barrier() -and-
+srcu_barrier().
Implementing rcu_barrier()
ensures that all the calls to rcu_barrier_func() will have completed
before on_each_cpu() returns. Line 9 then waits for the completion.
-This code was rewritten in 2008 to support rcu_barrier_bh() and
-rcu_barrier_sched() in addition to the original rcu_barrier().
+This code was rewritten in 2008 and several times thereafter, but this
+still gives the general idea.
The rcu_barrier_func() runs on each CPU, where it invokes call_rcu()
to post an RCU callback, as follows: