Re: [PATCH v7 0/3] Introduce put_task_struct_atomic_sleep()

From: Waiman Long
Date: Wed Apr 26 2023 - 13:45:35 EST


On 4/25/23 07:43, Wander Lairson Costa wrote:
The put_task_struct() function reduces a usage counter and invokes
__put_task_struct() when the counter reaches zero.

In the case of __put_task_struct(), it indirectly acquires a spinlock,
which operates as a sleeping lock under the PREEMPT_RT configuration.
As a result, invoking put_task_struct() within an atomic context is
not feasible for real-time (RT) kernels.

One practical example is a splat inside inactive_task_timer(), which is
called in a interrupt context:

CPU: 1 PID: 2848 Comm: life Kdump: loaded Tainted: G W ---------
Hardware name: HP ProLiant DL388p Gen8, BIOS P70 07/15/2012
Call Trace:
dump_stack_lvl+0x57/0x7d
mark_lock_irq.cold+0x33/0xba
? stack_trace_save+0x4b/0x70
? save_trace+0x55/0x150
mark_lock+0x1e7/0x400
mark_usage+0x11d/0x140
__lock_acquire+0x30d/0x930
lock_acquire.part.0+0x9c/0x210
? refill_obj_stock+0x3d/0x3a0
? rcu_read_lock_sched_held+0x3f/0x70
? trace_lock_acquire+0x38/0x140
? lock_acquire+0x30/0x80
? refill_obj_stock+0x3d/0x3a0
rt_spin_lock+0x27/0xe0
? refill_obj_stock+0x3d/0x3a0
refill_obj_stock+0x3d/0x3a0
? inactive_task_timer+0x1ad/0x340
kmem_cache_free+0x357/0x560
inactive_task_timer+0x1ad/0x340
? switched_from_dl+0x2d0/0x2d0
__run_hrtimer+0x8a/0x1a0
__hrtimer_run_queues+0x91/0x130
hrtimer_interrupt+0x10f/0x220
__sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x7b/0xd0
sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x4f/0xd0
? asm_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0xa/0x20
asm_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x12/0x20
RIP: 0033:0x7fff196bf6f5

To address this issue, this patch series introduces a new function
called put_task_struct_atomic_safe(). When compiled with the
PREEMPT_RT configuration, this function defers the call to
__put_task_struct() to a process context.

Additionally, the patch series rectifies known problematic call sites
to ensure smooth functioning.

Changelog
=========

v1:
* Initial implementation fixing the splat.

v2:
* Isolate the logic in its own function.
* Fix two more cases caught in review.

v3:
* Change __put_task_struct() to handle the issue internally.

v4:
* Explain why call_rcu() is safe to call from interrupt context.

v5:
* Explain why __put_task_struct() doesn't conflict with
put_task_sruct_rcu_user.

v6:
* As per Sebastian's review, revert back the implementation of v2
with a distinct function.
* Add a check in put_task_struct() to warning when called from a
non-sleepable context.
* Address more call sites.

v7:
* Fix typos.
* Add an explanation why the new function doesn't conflict with
delayed_free_task().

Wander Lairson Costa (3):
sched/core: warn on call put_task_struct in invalid context
sched/task: Add the put_task_struct_atomic_safe() function
treewide: replace put_task_struct() with the atomic safe version

include/linux/sched/task.h | 49 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
kernel/events/core.c | 6 ++---
kernel/fork.c | 8 +++++++
kernel/locking/rtmutex.c | 10 ++++----
kernel/sched/core.c | 6 ++---
kernel/sched/deadline.c | 16 ++++++-------
kernel/sched/rt.c | 4 ++--
7 files changed, 78 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-)

This patch series looks good to me.

Acked-by: Waiman Long <longman@xxxxxxxxxx>

I notice that __put_task_struct() invokes quite a bit of cleanup works from different subsystems. So it may burn quite a bit of cpu cycles to complete. This may not be something we want in an atomic context, maybe we should call call_rcu() irrespective of the PREEMPT_RT setting. Anyway, this can be a follow-up patch if we want to do that.

Cheers,
Longman