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authorPaul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>2010-04-09 18:39:12 -0400
committerIngo Molnar <mingo@elte.hu>2010-04-14 06:20:12 -0400
commit50aec0024eccb1d5f540ab64a1958eebcdb9340c (patch)
tree82527de1628c348349361bf8350ea37d04fc31d5 /Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt
parentc08c68dd76bd6b776bc0eb45a5e8f354ed772cdf (diff)
rcu: Update docs for rcu_access_pointer and rcu_dereference_protected
Update examples and lists of APIs to include these new primitives. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com> Cc: laijs@cn.fujitsu.com Cc: dipankar@in.ibm.com Cc: mathieu.desnoyers@polymtl.ca Cc: josh@joshtriplett.org Cc: dvhltc@us.ibm.com Cc: niv@us.ibm.com Cc: peterz@infradead.org Cc: rostedt@goodmis.org Cc: Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu Cc: dhowells@redhat.com Cc: eric.dumazet@gmail.com LKML-Reference: <1270852752-25278-3-git-send-email-paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com> Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@elte.hu>
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt')
-rw-r--r--Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt39
1 files changed, 22 insertions, 17 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt b/Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt
index a6d32e65d222..a8536cb88091 100644
--- a/Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt
+++ b/Documentation/RCU/NMI-RCU.txt
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ NMI handler.
34 cpu = smp_processor_id(); 34 cpu = smp_processor_id();
35 ++nmi_count(cpu); 35 ++nmi_count(cpu);
36 36
37 if (!rcu_dereference(nmi_callback)(regs, cpu)) 37 if (!rcu_dereference_sched(nmi_callback)(regs, cpu))
38 default_do_nmi(regs); 38 default_do_nmi(regs);
39 39
40 nmi_exit(); 40 nmi_exit();
@@ -47,12 +47,13 @@ function pointer. If this handler returns zero, do_nmi() invokes the
47default_do_nmi() function to handle a machine-specific NMI. Finally, 47default_do_nmi() function to handle a machine-specific NMI. Finally,
48preemption is restored. 48preemption is restored.
49 49
50Strictly speaking, rcu_dereference() is not needed, since this code runs 50In theory, rcu_dereference_sched() is not needed, since this code runs
51only on i386, which does not need rcu_dereference() anyway. However, 51only on i386, which in theory does not need rcu_dereference_sched()
52it is a good documentation aid, particularly for anyone attempting to 52anyway. However, in practice it is a good documentation aid, particularly
53do something similar on Alpha. 53for anyone attempting to do something similar on Alpha or on systems
54with aggressive optimizing compilers.
54 55
55Quick Quiz: Why might the rcu_dereference() be necessary on Alpha, 56Quick Quiz: Why might the rcu_dereference_sched() be necessary on Alpha,
56 given that the code referenced by the pointer is read-only? 57 given that the code referenced by the pointer is read-only?
57 58
58 59
@@ -99,17 +100,21 @@ invoke irq_enter() and irq_exit() on NMI entry and exit, respectively.
99 100
100Answer to Quick Quiz 101Answer to Quick Quiz
101 102
102 Why might the rcu_dereference() be necessary on Alpha, given 103 Why might the rcu_dereference_sched() be necessary on Alpha, given
103 that the code referenced by the pointer is read-only? 104 that the code referenced by the pointer is read-only?
104 105
105 Answer: The caller to set_nmi_callback() might well have 106 Answer: The caller to set_nmi_callback() might well have
106 initialized some data that is to be used by the 107 initialized some data that is to be used by the new NMI
107 new NMI handler. In this case, the rcu_dereference() 108 handler. In this case, the rcu_dereference_sched() would
108 would be needed, because otherwise a CPU that received 109 be needed, because otherwise a CPU that received an NMI
109 an NMI just after the new handler was set might see 110 just after the new handler was set might see the pointer
110 the pointer to the new NMI handler, but the old 111 to the new NMI handler, but the old pre-initialized
111 pre-initialized version of the handler's data. 112 version of the handler's data.
112 113
113 More important, the rcu_dereference() makes it clear 114 This same sad story can happen on other CPUs when using
114 to someone reading the code that the pointer is being 115 a compiler with aggressive pointer-value speculation
115 protected by RCU. 116 optimizations.
117
118 More important, the rcu_dereference_sched() makes it
119 clear to someone reading the code that the pointer is
120 being protected by RCU-sched.