Re: [PATCH] mm, dax: VMA with vm_ops->pfn_mkwrite wants to be write-notified

From: Kirill A. Shutemov
Date: Tue Sep 01 2015 - 07:10:46 EST


On Tue, Sep 01, 2015 at 01:54:26PM +0300, Boaz Harrosh wrote:
> On 09/01/2015 01:22 PM, Kirill A. Shutemov wrote:
> > For VM_PFNMAP and VM_MIXEDMAP we use vm_ops->pfn_mkwrite instead of
> > vm_ops->page_mkwrite to notify abort write access. This means we want
> > vma->vm_page_prot to be write-protected if the VMA provides this vm_ops.
> >
>
> Hi Kirill
>
> I will test with this right away and ACK on this.
>
> Hmm so are you saying we might be missing some buffer modifications right now.
>
> What would be a theoretical scenario that will cause these missed events?

On writable mapping with vm_ops->pfn_mkwrite, but without
vm_ops->page_mkwrite: read fault followed by write access to the pfn.
Writable pte will be set up on read fault and write fault will not be
generated.

I found it examining Dave's complain on generic/080:

http://lkml.kernel.org/g/20150831233803.GO3902@dastard

Although I don't think it's the reason.

> I would like to put a test in our test rigs that should fail today and this
> patch fixes.
>
> [In our system every modified pmem block is also RDMAed to a remote
> pmem for HA, a missed modification will make the two copies unsynced]

It shouldn't be a problem for ext2/ext4 as they provide both pfn_mkwrite
and page_mkwrite.

--
Kirill A. Shutemov
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