Re: [PATCH] cpuset: fix possible deadlock inasync_rebuild_sched_domains

From: Andrew Morton
Date: Fri Jan 16 2009 - 15:58:18 EST


On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:33:34 +0800
Lai Jiangshan <laijs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> But queuing a work to an other thread is adding some overhead for cpuset.
> And a new separate workqueue thread is wasteful, this thread is sleeping
> at most time.
>
> This is an effective fix:
>
> This patch add cgroup_queue_defer_work(). And the works will be deferring
> processed with cgroup_mutex released. And this patch just add very very
> little overhead for cgroup_unlock()'s fast path.
>
> Lai
>
> From: Lai Jiangshan <laijs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Lockdep reported some possible circular locking info when we tested cpuset on
> NUMA/fake NUMA box.
>
> =======================================================
> [ INFO: possible circular locking dependency detected ]
> 2.6.29-rc1-00224-ga652504 #111
> -------------------------------------------------------
> bash/2968 is trying to acquire lock:
> (events){--..}, at: [<ffffffff8024c8cd>] flush_work+0x24/0xd8
>
> but task is already holding lock:
> (cgroup_mutex){--..}, at: [<ffffffff8026ad1e>] cgroup_lock_live_group+0x12/0x29
>
> which lock already depends on the new lock.
> ......
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> Steps to reproduce:
> # mkdir /dev/cpuset
> # mount -t cpuset xxx /dev/cpuset
> # mkdir /dev/cpuset/0
> # echo 0 > /dev/cpuset/0/cpus
> # echo 0 > /dev/cpuset/0/mems
> # echo 1 > /dev/cpuset/0/memory_migrate
> # cat /dev/zero > /dev/null &
> # echo $! > /dev/cpuset/0/tasks
>
> This is because async_rebuild_sched_domains has the following lock sequence:
> run_workqueue(async_rebuild_sched_domains)
> -> do_rebuild_sched_domains -> cgroup_lock
>
> But, attaching tasks when memory_migrate is set has following:
> cgroup_lock_live_group(cgroup_tasks_write)
> -> do_migrate_pages -> flush_work
>
> This can be fixed by using a separate workqueue thread.
>
> But queuing a work to an other thread is adding some overhead for cpuset.
> And a new separate workqueue thread is wasteful, this thread is sleeping
> at most time.
>
> This patch add cgroup_queue_defer_work(). And the works will be deferring
> processed with cgroup_mutex released. And this patch just add very very
> little overhead for cgroup_unlock()'s fast path.

hm. There's little discussion for such a large-looking patch?

> --- a/include/linux/cgroup.h
> +++ b/include/linux/cgroup.h
> @@ -437,6 +437,19 @@ void cgroup_iter_end(struct cgroup *cgrp, struct cgroup_iter *it);
> int cgroup_scan_tasks(struct cgroup_scanner *scan);
> int cgroup_attach_task(struct cgroup *, struct task_struct *);
>
> +struct cgroup_defer_work {
> + struct list_head list;
> + void (*func)(struct cgroup_defer_work *);
> +};
> +
> +#define CGROUP_DEFER_WORK(name, function) \
> + struct cgroup_defer_work name = { \
> + .list = LIST_HEAD_INIT((name).list), \
> + .func = (function), \
> + };
> +
> +int cgroup_queue_defer_work(struct cgroup_defer_work *defer_work);

These should be called "cgroup_deferred_work" and
"queue_deferred_work", I think? Maybe not.

> +static void cgroup_flush_defer_work_locked(void);

cgroup_flush_deferred_work_locked()?

> /**
> * cgroup_unlock - release lock on cgroup changes
> *
> @@ -547,9 +548,67 @@ void cgroup_lock(void)
> */
> void cgroup_unlock(void)
> {
> + cgroup_flush_defer_work_locked();
> mutex_unlock(&cgroup_mutex);
> }
>
> +static LIST_HEAD(defer_work_list);

Please add a comment telling readers what the locking protocol is for
this list.

> +/* flush deferred works with cgroup_mutex released */
> +static void cgroup_flush_defer_work_locked(void)
> +{
> + static bool running_dely_work;

"running_delayed_work"

> + if (likely(list_empty(&defer_work_list)))
> + return;
> +
> + /*
> + * Insure it's not recursive and also
> + * insure deferred works are run orderly.

"ensure"

> + */
> + if (running_dely_work)
> + return;
> + running_dely_work = true;
> +
> + for ( ; ; ) {
> + struct cgroup_defer_work *defer_work;
> +
> + defer_work = list_first_entry(&defer_work_list,
> + struct cgroup_defer_work, list);
> + list_del_init(&defer_work->list);
> + mutex_unlock(&cgroup_mutex);
> +
> + defer_work->func(defer_work);
> +
> + mutex_lock(&cgroup_mutex);
> + if (list_empty(&defer_work_list))
> + break;
> + }
> +
> + running_dely_work = false;
> +}
> +
> +/**
> + * cgroup_queue_defer_work - queue a deferred work
> + * @defer_work: work to queue
> + *
> + * Returns 0 if @defer_work was already on the queue, non-zero otherwise.
> + *
> + * Must called when cgroup_mutex held.

"must be"

> + * The defered work will be run after cgroup_mutex released.

"deferred"

> + */
> +int cgroup_queue_defer_work(struct cgroup_defer_work *defer_work)
> +{
> + int ret = 0;
> +
> + if (list_empty(&defer_work->list)) {
> + list_add_tail(&defer_work->list, &defer_work_list);
> + ret = 1;
> + }
> +
> + return ret;
> +}
> +
> /*
> * A couple of forward declarations required, due to cyclic reference loop:
> * cgroup_mkdir -> cgroup_create -> cgroup_populate_dir ->
> @@ -616,7 +675,7 @@ static void cgroup_diput(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *inode)
> * agent */
> synchronize_rcu();
>
> - mutex_lock(&cgroup_mutex);
> + cgroup_lock();

All these changes add rather a lot of noise. It would be better to do
this as two patches:

1: "convert open-coded mutex_lock(&cgroup_mutex) calls into cgroup_lock() calls"
2: "cpuset: fix possible deadlock in async_rebuild_sched_domains"

Although it doesn't matter a lot.


Also, as it now appears to be compulsory to use cgroup_lock(), you
should rename cgroup_mutex to something else, to prevent accidental
direct usage of the lock.

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