Re: [PATCH tip/core/rcu 2/2] rcu: Check for wakeup-safe conditions in rcu_read_unlock_special()

[Peter Zijlstra]

On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 11:26:34AM -0700, Paul E. McKenney wrote:
> When RCU core processing is offloaded from RCU_SOFTIRQ to the rcuc
> kthreads, a full and unconditional wakeup is required to initiate RCU
> core processing.  In contrast, when RCU core processing is carried
> out by RCU_SOFTIRQ, a raise_softirq() suffices.  Of course, there are
> situations where raise_softirq() does a full wakeup, but these do not
> occur with normal usage of rcu_read_unlock().

Do we have a comment somewhere explaining why?

> The initial solution to this problem was to use set_tsk_need_resched() and
> set_preempt_need_resched() to force a future context switch, which allows
> rcu_preempt_note_context_switch() to report the deferred quiescent state
> to RCU's core processing.  Unfortunately for expedited grace periods,
> there can be a significant delay between the call for a context switch
> and the actual context switch.

This is all PREEMPT=y kernels, right? Where is the latency coming from?
Because PREEMPT=y _should_ react quite quickly.

> This commit therefore introduces a ->deferred_qs flag to the task_struct
> structure's rcu_special structure.  This flag is initially false, and
> is set to true by the first call to rcu_read_unlock() requiring special
> attention, then finally reset back to false when the quiescent state is
> finally reported.  Then rcu_read_unlock() attempts full wakeups only when
> ->deferred_qs is false, that is, on the first rcu_read_unlock() requiring
> special attention.  Note that a chain of RCU readers linked by some other
> sort of reader may find that a later rcu_read_unlock() is once again able
> to do a full wakeup, courtesy of an intervening preemption:
> 
> 	rcu_read_lock();
> 	/* preempted */
> 	local_irq_disable();
> 	rcu_read_unlock(); /* Can do full wakeup, sets ->deferred_qs. */
> 	rcu_read_lock();
> 	local_irq_enable();
> 	preempt_disable()
> 	rcu_read_unlock(); /* Cannot do full wakeup, ->deferred_qs set. */
> 	rcu_read_lock();
> 	preempt_enable();
> 	/* preempted, >deferred_qs reset. */

As it would have without ->deferred_sq and just having done the above
which was deemed insufficient.

So I'm really puzzled by the need for all this.

> 	local_irq_disable();
> 	rcu_read_unlock(); /* Can again do full wakeup, sets ->deferred_qs. */
> 
> Such linked RCU readers do not yet seem to appear in the Linux kernel, and
> it is probably best if they don't.  However, RCU needs to handle them, and
> some variations on this theme could make even raise_softirq() unsafe due to
> the possibility of its doing a full wakeup.  This commit therefore also
> avoids invoking raise_softirq() when the ->deferred_qs set flag is set.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Sebastian Andrzej Siewior <bigeasy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
>  include/linux/sched.h    |  2 +-
>  kernel/rcu/tree_plugin.h | 19 ++++++++++++++-----
>  2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/include/linux/sched.h b/include/linux/sched.h
> index 1549584a1538..3164b6798fe5 100644
> --- a/include/linux/sched.h
> +++ b/include/linux/sched.h
> @@ -566,7 +566,7 @@ union rcu_special {
>  		u8			blocked;
>  		u8			need_qs;
>  		u8			exp_hint; /* Hint for performance. */
> -		u8			pad; /* No garbage from compiler! */
> +		u8			deferred_qs;
>  	} b; /* Bits. */
>  	u32 s; /* Set of bits. */
>  };
> diff --git a/kernel/rcu/tree_plugin.h b/kernel/rcu/tree_plugin.h
> index 21611862e083..75110ea75d01 100644
> --- a/kernel/rcu/tree_plugin.h
> +++ b/kernel/rcu/tree_plugin.h
> @@ -455,6 +455,7 @@ rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_irqrestore(struct task_struct *t, unsigned long flags)
>  		local_irq_restore(flags);
>  		return;
>  	}
> +	t->rcu_read_unlock_special.b.deferred_qs = false;
>  	if (special.b.need_qs) {
>  		rcu_qs();
>  		t->rcu_read_unlock_special.b.need_qs = false;
> @@ -605,16 +606,24 @@ static void rcu_read_unlock_special(struct task_struct *t)
>  	local_irq_save(flags);
>  	irqs_were_disabled = irqs_disabled_flags(flags);
>  	if (preempt_bh_were_disabled || irqs_were_disabled) {
> -		WRITE_ONCE(t->rcu_read_unlock_special.b.exp_hint, false);
> -		/* Need to defer quiescent state until everything is enabled. */
> -		if (irqs_were_disabled && use_softirq) {
> -			/* Enabling irqs does not reschedule, so... */
> +		t->rcu_read_unlock_special.b.exp_hint = false;
> +		// Need to defer quiescent state until everything is enabled.
> +		if (irqs_were_disabled && use_softirq &&
> +		    (in_irq() || !t->rcu_read_unlock_special.b.deferred_qs)) {
> +			// Using softirq, safe to awaken, and we get
> +			// no help from enabling irqs, unlike bh/preempt.
>  			raise_softirq_irqoff(RCU_SOFTIRQ);
> +		} else if (irqs_were_disabled && !use_softirq &&
> +			   !t->rcu_read_unlock_special.b.deferred_qs) {
> +			// Safe to awaken and we get no help from enabling
> +			// irqs, unlike bh/preempt.
> +			invoke_rcu_core();
>  		} else {
> -			/* Enabling BH or preempt does reschedule, so... */
> +			// Enabling BH or preempt does reschedule, so...
>  			set_tsk_need_resched(current);
>  			set_preempt_need_resched();
>  		}
> +		t->rcu_read_unlock_special.b.deferred_qs = true;
>  		local_irq_restore(flags);
>  		return;
>  	}

That is all quite horrible and begging for sane solution. Would not
something like:

static void rcu_force_resched(struct irq_work *work)
{
	set_tsk_need_resched(current);
	set_preempt_need_resched();
}


	if (irqs_were_disabled)
		irq_work_queue(&t->irq_work, rcu_force_resched);


Solve the whole thing?