[PATCH rcu 3/5] doc: Clarify RCU Tasks reader/updater checklist

From: Neeraj Upadhyay (AMD)
Date: Tue Dec 12 2023 - 12:27:40 EST


From: "Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxx>

Currently, the reader/updater compatibility rules for the three RCU
Tasks flavors are squished together in a single paragraph, which can
result in confusion. This commit therefore splits them out into a list,
clearly showing the distinction between these flavors.

Link: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20231002211936.5948253e@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/

Reported-by: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxx>
Reviewed-by: Mathieu Desnoyers <mathieu.desnoyers@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reviewed-by: Steven Rostedt (Google) <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Neeraj Upadhyay (AMD) <neeraj.iitr10@xxxxxxxxx>
---
Documentation/RCU/checklist.rst | 25 ++++++++++++++++---------
1 file changed, 16 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/RCU/checklist.rst b/Documentation/RCU/checklist.rst
index bd3c58c44bef..c432899aff22 100644
--- a/Documentation/RCU/checklist.rst
+++ b/Documentation/RCU/checklist.rst
@@ -241,15 +241,22 @@ over a rather long period of time, but improvements are always welcome!
srcu_struct. The rules for the expedited RCU grace-period-wait
primitives are the same as for their non-expedited counterparts.

- If the updater uses call_rcu_tasks() or synchronize_rcu_tasks(),
- then the readers must refrain from executing voluntary
- context switches, that is, from blocking. If the updater uses
- call_rcu_tasks_trace() or synchronize_rcu_tasks_trace(), then
- the corresponding readers must use rcu_read_lock_trace() and
- rcu_read_unlock_trace(). If an updater uses call_rcu_tasks_rude()
- or synchronize_rcu_tasks_rude(), then the corresponding readers
- must use anything that disables preemption, for example,
- preempt_disable() and preempt_enable().
+ Similarly, it is necssary to correctly use the RCU Tasks flavors:
+
+ a. If the updater uses synchronize_rcu_tasks() or
+ call_rcu_tasks(), then the readers must refrain from
+ executing voluntary context switches, that is, from
+ blocking.
+
+ b. If the updater uses call_rcu_tasks_trace()
+ or synchronize_rcu_tasks_trace(), then the
+ corresponding readers must use rcu_read_lock_trace()
+ and rcu_read_unlock_trace().
+
+ c. If an updater uses call_rcu_tasks_rude() or
+ synchronize_rcu_tasks_rude(), then the corresponding
+ readers must use anything that disables preemption,
+ for example, preempt_disable() and preempt_enable().

Mixing things up will result in confusion and broken kernels, and
has even resulted in an exploitable security issue. Therefore,
--
2.40.1