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SubjectRe: [PATCH 1/5] ftrace: Synchronize variable setting with breakpoints
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On Thu, 2012-05-31 at 10:08 -0400, Steven Rostedt wrote:
> On Thu, 2012-05-31 at 13:06 +0200, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> > On Wed, 2012-05-30 at 21:28 -0400, Steven Rostedt wrote:
> > > From: Steven Rostedt <srostedt@redhat.com>
> > >
> > > When the function tracer starts modifying the code via breakpoints
> > > it sets a variable (modifying_ftrace_code) to inform the breakpoint
> > > handler to call the ftrace int3 code.
> > >
> > > But there's no synchronization between setting this code and the
> > > handler, thus it is possible for the handler to be called on another
> > > CPU before it sees the variable. This will cause a kernel crash as
> > > the int3 handler will not know what to do with it.
> > >
> > > I originally added smp_mb()'s to force the visibility of the variable
> > > but H. Peter Anvin suggested that I just make it atomic.
> >
> > Uhm,. maybe. atomic_{inc,dec}() implies a full memory barrier on x86,
>
> Yeah, I believe (and H. Peter can correct me) that this is all that's
> required for x86.
>
> > but atomic_read() never has the smp_rmb() required.
> >
> > Now smp_rmb() is mostly a nop on x86, except for CONFIG_X86_PPRO_FENCE.
>
> No rmb() is required, as that's supplied by the breakpoint itself.
> Basically, rmb() is used for ordering:
>
> load(A);
> rmb();
> loab(B);
>
> To keep the machine from actually doing:
>
> load(B);
> load(A);

I know what rmb is for.. I also know you need to pair barriers. Hiding
them in atomic doesn't make the ordering any more obvious.

> But what this is:
>
> <breakpoint>
> |
> +---------> <handler>
> |
> load(A);
>
> We need the load(A) to be after the breakpoint. Is it possible for the
> machine to do it before?:
>
> load(A)
> |
> |
> <breakpoint>
> +----------> test(A)

I don't know, nor did you explain the implicit ordering there. Also in
such diagrams you need the other side as well.

> If another breakpoint is hit (one other than one put in by ftrace) then
> we don't care. It wont crash the system whether or not A is 1 or 0. We
> just need to make sure that a ftrace breakpoint that is hit knows that
> it was a ftrace breakpoint (calls the ftrace handler). No other
> breakpoint should be on a ftrace nop anyway.

So the ordering is like:

---

CPU-0 CPU-1


lock inc mod-count /* implicit (w)mb */
write int3
<trap-int3> /* implicit (r)mb */
load mod-count

sync-ipi-broadcast
write rest-of-instruction
sync-ipi-broadcast
write head-of-instruction
sync-ipi-broadcast
lock dec mod-count /* implicit (w)mb */


Such that when we observe the int3 on CPU-1 we also must see the
increment on mod-count.

---

A simple something like the above makes it very clear what we're doing
and what we're expecting. I think a (local) trap should imply a barrier
of sorts but will have to defer to others (hpa?) to confirm. But at the
very least write it down someplace that you are assuming that.



fwiw run_sync() could do with a much bigger comment on why its sane to
enable interrupts.. That simply reeks, enabling interrupts too early can
wreck stuff properly.


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