lkml.org 
[lkml]   [2010]   [Jun]   [21]   [last100]   RSS Feed
Views: [wrap][no wrap]   [headers]  [forward] 
 
Messages in this thread
/
From
Date
SubjectRe: while_each_thread() under rcu_read_lock() is broken?
"Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com> writes:

> On Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 07:09:19PM +0200, Oleg Nesterov wrote:
>> On 06/18, Paul E. McKenney wrote:
>> >
>> > On Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 09:34:03PM +0200, Oleg Nesterov wrote:
>> > >
>> > > #define XXX(t) ({
>> > > struct task_struct *__prev = t;
>> > > t = next_thread(t);
>> > > t != g && t != __prev;
>> > > })
>> > >
>> > > #define while_each_thread(g, t) \
>> > > while (XXX(t))
>> >
>> > Isn't the above vulnerable to a pthread_create() immediately following
>> > the offending exec()? Especially if the task doing the traversal is
>> > preempted?
>>
>> Yes, thanks!
>>
>> > here are some techniques that might (or might not) help:
>>
>> To simplify, let's consider the concrete example,
>
> Sounds very good!
>
>> rcu_read_lock();
>>
>> g = t = returns_the_rcu_safe_task_struct_ptr();
>
> This returns a pointer to the task struct of the current thread?
> Or might this return a pointer some other thread's task struct?
>
>> do {
>> printk("%d\n", t->pid);
>> } while_each_thread(g, t);
>>
>> rcu_read_unlock();
>>
>> Whatever we do, without tasklist/siglock this can obviously race
>> with fork/exit/exec. It is OK to miss a thread, or print the pid
>> of the already exited/released task.
>>
>> But it should not loop forever (the subject), and it should not
>> print the same pid twice (ignoring pid reuse, of course).
>>
>> And, afaics, there are no problems with rcu magic per se, next_thread()
>> always returns the task_struct we can safely dereference. The only
>> problem is that while_each_thread() assumes that sooner or later
>> next_thread() must reach the starting point, g.
>>
>> (zap_threads() is different, it must not miss a thread with ->mm
>> we are going to dump, but it holds mmap_sem).
>
> Indeed, the tough part is figuring out when you are done given that things
> can come and go at will. Some additional tricks, in no particular order:
>
> 1. Always start at the group leader. Of course, the group leader
> is probably permitted to leave any time it wants to, so this
> is not sufficient in and of itself.

No. The group leader must exist as long as the group exists.
Modulo de_thread weirdness. The group_leader can be a zombie but
it can not go away completely.

> 2. Maintain a separate task structure that flags the head of the
> list. This separate structure is freed one RCU grace period
> following the disappearance of the current group leader. This
> should be quite robust, but "holy overhead, Batman!!!" (Apologies
> for the American pop culture reference, but nothing else seemed
> appropriate.)

That is roughly what we have in the group leader right now.

Eric


\
 
 \ /
  Last update: 2010-06-21 23:25    [W:0.785 / U:0.012 seconds]
©2003-2020 Jasper Spaans|hosted at Digital Ocean and TransIP|Read the blog|Advertise on this site