On Mon, 2018-08-06 at 14:14 -0700, Tadeusz Struk wrote: [...] > +static void tpm_async_work(struct work_struct *work) > +{ > + struct file_priv *priv = > + container_of(work, struct file_priv, > async_work); > + ssize_t ret; > + > + ret = tpm_transmit(priv->chip, priv->space, priv- > >data_buffer, > + sizeof(priv->data_buffer), 0); Here' you assume the buffer_mutex was taken in write, which is done (see below). However, here, since there was no change to tpm_transmit, you'll sleep in the context of the worker queue waiting for the command to complete and return. > + tpm_put_ops(priv->chip); > + if (ret > 0) { > + priv->data_pending = ret; > + mod_timer(&priv->user_read_timer, jiffies + (120 * > HZ)); > + } > + mutex_unlock(&priv->buffer_mutex); But you don't release buffer_mutex here until the tpm command has completed. > + wake_up_interruptible(&priv->async_wait); > +} > + [...] > @@ -118,25 +155,48 @@ ssize_t tpm_common_write(struct file *file, > const char __user *buf, > * the char dev is held open. > */ > if (tpm_try_get_ops(priv->chip)) { > - mutex_unlock(&priv->buffer_mutex); > - return -EPIPE; > + ret = -EPIPE; > + goto out; > } > - out_size = tpm_transmit(priv->chip, priv->space, priv- > >data_buffer, > - sizeof(priv->data_buffer), 0); > > - tpm_put_ops(priv->chip); > - if (out_size < 0) { > - mutex_unlock(&priv->buffer_mutex); > - return out_size; > + /* > + * If in nonblocking mode schedule an async job to send > + * the command return the size. > + * In case of error the err code will be returned in > + * the subsequent read call. > + */ > + if (file->f_flags & O_NONBLOCK) { > + queue_work(tpm_dev_wq, &priv->async_work); > + return size; Here you return holding the buffer_mutex, waiting for tpm_async_work to release it. But now I've written my tpm work item and got it queued, I can't write another one without blocking on the buffer_mutex at the top of tpm_common_write(), and since that doesn't get released until the previous command completed, I can only queue one command before I block. For an async interface, shouldn't I be able to queue an arbitrary number of commands without blocking? James