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Tejun Heo 1d9bd5161b blk-mq: replace timeout synchronization with a RCU and generation based scheme
Currently, blk-mq timeout path synchronizes against the usual
issue/completion path using a complex scheme involving atomic
bitflags, REQ_ATOM_*, memory barriers and subtle memory coherence
rules.  Unfortunately, it contains quite a few holes.

There's a complex dancing around REQ_ATOM_STARTED and
REQ_ATOM_COMPLETE between issue/completion and timeout paths; however,
they don't have a synchronization point across request recycle
instances and it isn't clear what the barriers add.
blk_mq_check_expired() can easily read STARTED from N-2'th iteration,
deadline from N-1'th, blk_mark_rq_complete() against Nth instance.

In fact, it's pretty easy to make blk_mq_check_expired() terminate a
later instance of a request.  If we induce 5 sec delay before
time_after_eq() test in blk_mq_check_expired(), shorten the timeout to
2s, and issue back-to-back large IOs, blk-mq starts timing out
requests spuriously pretty quickly.  Nothing actually timed out.  It
just made the call on a recycle instance of a request and then
terminated a later instance long after the original instance finished.
The scenario isn't theoretical either.

This patch replaces the broken synchronization mechanism with a RCU
and generation number based one.

1. Each request has a u64 generation + state value, which can be
   updated only by the request owner.  Whenever a request becomes
   in-flight, the generation number gets bumped up too.  This provides
   the basis for the timeout path to distinguish different recycle
   instances of the request.

   Also, marking a request in-flight and setting its deadline are
   protected with a seqcount so that the timeout path can fetch both
   values coherently.

2. The timeout path fetches the generation, state and deadline.  If
   the verdict is timeout, it records the generation into a dedicated
   request abortion field and does RCU wait.

3. The completion path is also protected by RCU (from the previous
   patch) and checks whether the current generation number and state
   match the abortion field.  If so, it skips completion.

4. The timeout path, after RCU wait, scans requests again and
   terminates the ones whose generation and state still match the ones
   requested for abortion.

   By now, the timeout path knows that either the generation number
   and state changed if it lost the race or the completion will yield
   to it and can safely timeout the request.

While it's more lines of code, it's conceptually simpler, doesn't
depend on direct use of subtle memory ordering or coherence, and
hopefully doesn't terminate the wrong instance.

While this change makes REQ_ATOM_COMPLETE synchronization unnecessary
between issue/complete and timeout paths, REQ_ATOM_COMPLETE isn't
removed yet as it's still used in other places.  Future patches will
move all state tracking to the new mechanism and remove all bitops in
the hot paths.

Note that this patch adds a comment explaining a race condition in
BLK_EH_RESET_TIMER path.  The race has always been there and this
patch doesn't change it.  It's just documenting the existing race.

v2: - Fixed BLK_EH_RESET_TIMER handling as pointed out by Jianchao.
    - s/request->gstate_seqc/request->gstate_seq/ as suggested by Peter.
    - READ_ONCE() added in blk_mq_rq_update_state() as suggested by Peter.

v3: - Fixed possible extended seqcount / u64_stats_sync read looping
      spotted by Peter.
    - MQ_RQ_IDLE was incorrectly being set in complete_request instead
      of free_request.  Fixed.

v4: - Rebased on top of hctx_lock() refactoring patch.
    - Added comment explaining the use of hctx_lock() in completion path.

v5: - Added comments requested by Bart.
    - Note the addition of BLK_EH_RESET_TIMER race condition in the
      commit message.

Signed-off-by: Tejun Heo <tj@kernel.org>
Cc: "jianchao.wang" <jianchao.w.wang@oracle.com>
Cc: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@infradead.org>
Cc: Christoph Hellwig <hch@lst.de>
Cc: Bart Van Assche <Bart.VanAssche@wdc.com>
Signed-off-by: Jens Axboe <axboe@kernel.dk>
2018-01-09 09:31:15 -07:00
Documentation Merge branch 'overlayfs-linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mszeredi/vfs 2017-12-15 12:46:48 -08:00
arch Revert "mm: replace p??_write with pte_access_permitted in fault + gup paths" 2017-12-15 18:53:22 -08:00
block blk-mq: replace timeout synchronization with a RCU and generation based scheme 2018-01-09 09:31:15 -07:00
certs License cleanup: add SPDX GPL-2.0 license identifier to files with no license 2017-11-02 11:10:55 +01:00
crypto crypto: scompress - use sgl_alloc() and sgl_free() 2018-01-06 09:18:00 -07:00
drivers bcache: fix writeback target calc on large devices 2018-01-08 13:29:00 -07:00
firmware kbuild: remove all dummy assignments to obj- 2017-11-18 11:46:06 +09:00
fs writeback: update comment in inode_io_list_move_locked 2018-01-06 09:18:00 -07:00
include blk-mq: replace timeout synchronization with a RCU and generation based scheme 2018-01-09 09:31:15 -07:00
init main: kernel_start: move housekeeping_init() before workqueue_init_early() 2017-11-27 08:56:57 -08:00
ipc Rename superblock flags (MS_xyz -> SB_xyz) 2017-11-27 13:05:09 -08:00
kernel block: convert to bio_first_bvec_all & bio_first_page_all 2018-01-06 09:18:00 -07:00
lib lib/scatterlist: Introduce sgl_alloc() and sgl_free() 2018-01-06 09:18:00 -07:00
mm block: convert to bio_first_bvec_all & bio_first_page_all 2018-01-06 09:18:00 -07:00
net NFS client fixes for Linux 4.15-rc4 2017-12-16 13:12:53 -08:00
samples Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/bpf/bpf 2017-12-03 13:08:30 -05:00
scripts Merge branch 'locking-urgent-for-linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tip/tip 2017-12-15 11:44:59 -08:00
security KEYS: reject NULL restriction string when type is specified 2017-12-08 15:13:29 +00:00
sound sound fixes for 4.15-rc3 2017-12-06 10:49:14 -08:00
tools Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/davem/net 2017-12-15 13:08:37 -08:00
usr initramfs: fix initramfs rebuilds w/ compression after disabling 2017-11-03 07:39:19 -07:00
virt KVM: x86: fix APIC page invalidation 2017-12-06 16:10:34 +01:00
.cocciconfig scripts: add Linux .cocciconfig for coccinelle 2016-07-22 12:13:39 +02:00
.get_maintainer.ignore
.gitattributes .gitattributes: set git diff driver for C source code files 2016-10-07 18:46:30 -07:00
.gitignore Kbuild misc updates for v4.15 2017-11-17 17:51:33 -08:00
.mailmap Add Jason Gunthorpe as co-maintainer of the RDMA stack 2017-11-17 09:36:18 -08:00
COPYING
CREDITS MAINTAINERS: update TPM driver infrastructure changes 2017-11-09 17:58:40 -08:00
Kbuild Kbuild updates for v4.15 2017-11-17 17:45:29 -08:00
Kconfig License cleanup: add SPDX GPL-2.0 license identifier to files with no license 2017-11-02 11:10:55 +01:00
MAINTAINERS Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/davem/net 2017-12-15 13:08:37 -08:00
Makefile Linux 4.15-rc4 2017-12-17 18:59:59 -08:00
README README: add a new README file, pointing to the Documentation/ 2016-10-24 08:12:35 -02:00

README

Linux kernel
============

This file was moved to Documentation/admin-guide/README.rst

Please notice that there are several guides for kernel developers and users.
These guides can be rendered in a number of formats, like HTML and PDF.

In order to build the documentation, use ``make htmldocs`` or
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There are various text files in the Documentation/ subdirectory,
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See Documentation/00-INDEX for a list of what is contained in each file.

Please read the Documentation/process/changes.rst file, as it contains the
requirements for building and running the kernel, and information about
the problems which may result by upgrading your kernel.