Re: [PATCH 1/2] irq_work: Fix racy IRQ_WORK_BUSY flag setting

[Steven Rostedt]

On Fri, 2012-11-02 at 18:35 +0100, Frederic Weisbecker wrote:
> The IRQ_WORK_BUSY flag is set right before we execute the
> work. Once this flag value is set, the work enters a
> claimable state again.
> 
> So if we have specific data to compute in our work, we ensure it's
> either handled by another CPU or locally by enqueuing the work again.
> This state machine is guanranteed by atomic operations on the flags.
> 
> So when we set IRQ_WORK_BUSY without using an xchg-like operation,
> we break this guarantee as in the following summarized scenario:
> 
>         CPU 1                                   CPU 2
>         -----                                   -----
>                                                 (flags = 0)
>                                                 old_flags = flags;
>         (flags = 0)
>         cmpxchg(flags, old_flags,
>                 old_flags | IRQ_WORK_FLAGS)
>         (flags = 3)
>         [...]
>         flags = IRQ_WORK_BUSY
>         (flags = 2)
>         func()
>                                                 (sees flags = 3)
>                                                 cmpxchg(flags, old_flags,
>                                                         old_flags | IRQ_WORK_FLAGS)
>                                                 (give up)
> 
>         cmpxchg(flags, 2, 0);
>         (flags = 0)
> 
> CPU 1 claims a work and executes it, so it sets IRQ_WORK_BUSY and
> the work is again in a claimable state. Now CPU 2 has new data to process
> and try to claim that work but it may see a stale value of the flags
> and think the work is still pending somewhere that will handle our data.
> This is because CPU 1 doesn't set IRQ_WORK_BUSY atomically.
> 
> As a result, the data expected to be handle by CPU 2 won't get handled.
> 
> To fix this, use xchg() to set IRQ_WORK_BUSY, this way we ensure the CPU 2
> will see the correct value with cmpxchg() using the expected ordering.
> 
> Changelog-heavily-inspired-by: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Signed-off-by: Frederic Weisbecker <fweisbec@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Ingo Molnar <mingo@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Acked-by: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>

-- Steve

> Cc: Paul Gortmaker <paul.gortmaker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Anish Kumar <anish198519851985@xxxxxxxxx>
> ---
>  kernel/irq_work.c |    5 ++++-
>  1 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/kernel/irq_work.c b/kernel/irq_work.c
> index 1588e3b..57be1a6 100644
> --- a/kernel/irq_work.c
> +++ b/kernel/irq_work.c
> @@ -119,8 +119,11 @@ void irq_work_run(void)
>  		/*
>  		 * Clear the PENDING bit, after this point the @work
>  		 * can be re-used.
> +		 * Make it immediately visible so that other CPUs trying
> +		 * to claim that work don't rely on us to handle their data
> +		 * while we are in the middle of the func.
>  		 */
> -		work->flags = IRQ_WORK_BUSY;
> +		xchg(&work->flags, IRQ_WORK_BUSY);
>  		work->func(work);
>  		/*
>  		 * Clear the BUSY bit and return to the free state if


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