mm: clean up get_user_pages_fast() documentation

Move more documentation for get_user_pages_fast into the new kerneldoc comment.
Add some comments for get_user_pages as well.

Also, move get_user_pages_fast declaration up to get_user_pages. It wasn't
there initially because it was once a static inline function.

[akpm@linux-foundation.org: coding-style fixes]
Signed-off-by: Nick Piggin <npiggin@suse.de>
Cc: Andy Grover <andy.grover@oracle.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>

2 files changed, 62 insertions, 4 deletions

diff --git a/mm/memory.c b/mm/memory.c
index 4126dd16778c..891bad0613f4 100644
--- a/mm/memory.c
+++ b/mm/memory.c
@@ -1360,6 +1360,56 @@ int __get_user_pages(struct task_struct *tsk, struct mm_struct *mm,
         return i;
 }
 
+/**
+ * get_user_pages() - pin user pages in memory
+ * @tsk:        task_struct of target task
+ * @mm:         mm_struct of target mm
+ * @start:      starting user address
+ * @len:        number of pages from start to pin
+ * @write:      whether pages will be written to by the caller
+ * @force:      whether to force write access even if user mapping is
+ *              readonly. This will result in the page being COWed even
+ *              in MAP_SHARED mappings. You do not want this.
+ * @pages:      array that receives pointers to the pages pinned.
+ *              Should be at least nr_pages long. Or NULL, if caller
+ *              only intends to ensure the pages are faulted in.
+ * @vmas:       array of pointers to vmas corresponding to each page.
+ *              Or NULL if the caller does not require them.
+ *
+ * Returns number of pages pinned. This may be fewer than the number
+ * requested. If len is 0 or negative, returns 0. If no pages
+ * were pinned, returns -errno. Each page returned must be released
+ * with a put_page() call when it is finished with. vmas will only
+ * remain valid while mmap_sem is held.
+ *
+ * Must be called with mmap_sem held for read or write.
+ *
+ * get_user_pages walks a process's page tables and takes a reference to
+ * each struct page that each user address corresponds to at a given
+ * instant. That is, it takes the page that would be accessed if a user
+ * thread accesses the given user virtual address at that instant.
+ *
+ * This does not guarantee that the page exists in the user mappings when
+ * get_user_pages returns, and there may even be a completely different
+ * page there in some cases (eg. if mmapped pagecache has been invalidated
+ * and subsequently re faulted). However it does guarantee that the page
+ * won't be freed completely. And mostly callers simply care that the page
+ * contains data that was valid *at some point in time*. Typically, an IO
+ * or similar operation cannot guarantee anything stronger anyway because
+ * locks can't be held over the syscall boundary.
+ *
+ * If write=0, the page must not be written to. If the page is written to,
+ * set_page_dirty (or set_page_dirty_lock, as appropriate) must be called
+ * after the page is finished with, and before put_page is called.
+ *
+ * get_user_pages is typically used for fewer-copy IO operations, to get a
+ * handle on the memory by some means other than accesses via the user virtual
+ * addresses. The pages may be submitted for DMA to devices or accessed via
+ * their kernel linear mapping (via the kmap APIs). Care should be taken to
+ * use the correct cache flushing APIs.
+ *
+ * See also get_user_pages_fast, for performance critical applications.
+ */
 int get_user_pages(struct task_struct *tsk, struct mm_struct *mm,
                 unsigned long start, int len, int write, int force,
                 struct page **pages, struct vm_area_struct **vmas)
diff --git a/mm/util.c b/mm/util.c
index abc65aa7cdfc..d5d2213728c5 100644
--- a/mm/util.c
+++ b/mm/util.c
@@ -233,13 +233,21 @@ void arch_pick_mmap_layout(struct mm_struct *mm)
  * @pages:      array that receives pointers to the pages pinned.
  *              Should be at least nr_pages long.
  *
- * Attempt to pin user pages in memory without taking mm->mmap_sem.
- * If not successful, it will fall back to taking the lock and
- * calling get_user_pages().
- *
  * Returns number of pages pinned. This may be fewer than the number
  * requested. If nr_pages is 0 or negative, returns 0. If no pages
  * were pinned, returns -errno.
+ *
+ * get_user_pages_fast provides equivalent functionality to get_user_pages,
+ * operating on current and current->mm, with force=0 and vma=NULL. However
+ * unlike get_user_pages, it must be called without mmap_sem held.
+ *
+ * get_user_pages_fast may take mmap_sem and page table locks, so no
+ * assumptions can be made about lack of locking. get_user_pages_fast is to be
+ * implemented in a way that is advantageous (vs get_user_pages()) when the
+ * user memory area is already faulted in and present in ptes. However if the
+ * pages have to be faulted in, it may turn out to be slightly slower so
+ * callers need to carefully consider what to use. On many architectures,
+ * get_user_pages_fast simply falls back to get_user_pages.
  */
 int __attribute__((weak)) get_user_pages_fast(unsigned long start,
                                 int nr_pages, int write, struct page **pages)