[PATCH 1/8] doc: Spinlocks are implied RCU readers

From: Boqun Feng
Date: Thu Jan 25 2024 - 22:59:31 EST


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

In kernels built with CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT=n, spinlock critical sections
are RCU readers because they disable preemption. However, they are also
RCU readers in CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT=y because the -rt locking primitives
contain rcu_read_lock() and rcu_read_unlock(). Therefore, upgrade
rcu_dereference.rst to document this non-obvious case.

Reported-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAHk-=whGKvjHCtJ6W4pQ0_h_k9fiFQ8V2GpM=BqYnB2X=SJ+XQ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx/
Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
Documentation/RCU/rcu_dereference.rst | 5 ++++-
1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/RCU/rcu_dereference.rst b/Documentation/RCU/rcu_dereference.rst
index 659d5913784d..2524dcdadde2 100644
--- a/Documentation/RCU/rcu_dereference.rst
+++ b/Documentation/RCU/rcu_dereference.rst
@@ -408,7 +408,10 @@ member of the rcu_dereference() to use in various situations:
RCU flavors, an RCU read-side critical section is entered
using rcu_read_lock(), anything that disables bottom halves,
anything that disables interrupts, or anything that disables
- preemption.
+ preemption. Please note that spinlock critical sections
+ are also implied RCU read-side critical sections, even when
+ they are preemptible, as they are in kernels built with
+ CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT=y.

2. If the access might be within an RCU read-side critical section
on the one hand, or protected by (say) my_lock on the other,
--
2.43.0