Re: [PATCH 2/2] SHM_UNLOCK: fix Unevictable pages stranded afterswap

[KOSAKI Motohiro]

(1/9/12 5:25 PM), Hugh Dickins wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Jan 2012, KOSAKI Motohiro wrote:
> > 2012/1/6 Hugh Dickins<hughd@xxxxxxxxxx>:
>
> [ check_move_unevictable_page(s) ]
>
> > > Leave out the "rotate unevictable list" block: that's a leftover
> > > from when this was used for /proc/sys/vm/scan_unevictable_pages,
> > > whose flawed handling involved looking at pages at tail of LRU.
> > >
> > > Was there significance to the sequence first ClearPageUnevictable,
> > > then test page_evictable, then SetPageUnevictable here?  I think
> > > not, we're under LRU lock, and have no barriers between those.
> >
> > If I understand correctly, this is not exactly correct. Because of,
>
> Thank you for giving it serious thought:
> such races are hard work to think about.
>
> > PG_mlocked operation is not protected by LRU lock. So, I think we
>
> Right.  But I don't see that I've made a significant change there.
>
> I may be being lazy, and rushing back to answer you, without giving
> constructive thought to what the precise race is that you see, and
> how we might fix it.  If the case you have in mind is easy for you
> to describe in detail, please do so; but don't hesitate to tell me
> to my own work for myself!

Bah! I was moron. I now think your code is right.

spin_lock(lru_lock)
if (page_evictable(page))
	blah blah blah
spin_unlock(lru_lock)

is always safe. Counter part should have following code and
waiting spin_lock(lru_lock) in isolate_lru_page().

                if (!isolate_lru_page(page))
                        putback_lru_page(page);

then, even if check_move_unevictable_pages() observed wrong page status,
putback_lru_page() should put back the page into right lru.

I'm very sorry for annoying you.

	Reviewed-by: KOSAKI Motohiro <kosaki.motohiro@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>



Probably, page_evictable() might be needed some additional comments. But
I have no idea what comment clearly explain this complex rule.....
 
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