On Thu, Jan 10, 2019 at 02:07:18PM -0800, Suren Baghdasaryan wrote: > +/* > + * psi_update_work represents slowpath accounting part while > + * psi_group_change represents hotpath part. > + * There are two potential races between these path: > + * 1. Changes to group->polling when slowpath checks for new stall, then > + * hotpath records new stall and then slowpath resets group->polling > + * flag. This leads to the exit from the polling mode while monitored > + * states are still changing. > + * 2. Slowpath overwriting an immediate update scheduled from the hotpath > + * with a regular update further in the future and missing the > + * immediate update. > + * Both races are handled with a retry cycle in the slowpath: > + * > + * HOTPATH: | SLOWPATH: > + * | > + * A) times[cpu] += delta | E) delta = times[*] > + * B) start_poll = (delta[poll_mask] &&| if delta[poll_mask]: > + * cmpxchg(g->polling, 0, 1) == 0)| F) polling_until = now + > + * | grace_period > + * | if now > polling_until: > + * if start_poll: | if g->polling: > + * C) mod_delayed_work(1) | G) g->polling = polling = 0 > + * else if !delayed_work_pending(): | H) goto SLOWPATH > + * D) schedule_delayed_work(PSI_FREQ)| else: > + * | if !g->polling: > + * | I) g->polling = polling = 1 > + * | J) if delta && first_pass: > + * | next_avg = calculate_averages() > + * | if polling: > + * | next_poll = poll_triggers() > + * | if (delta && first_pass) || polling: > + * | K) mod_delayed_work( > + * | min(next_avg, next_poll)) > + * | if !polling: > + * | first_pass = false > + * | L) goto SLOWPATH > + * > + * Race #1 is represented by (EABGD) sequence in which case slowpath > + * deactivates polling mode because it misses new monitored stall and hotpath > + * doesn't activate it because at (B) g->polling is not yet reset by slowpath > + * in (G). This race is handled by the (H) retry, which in the race described > + * above results in the new sequence of (EABGDHEIK) that reactivates polling > + * mode. > + * > + * Race #2 is represented by polling==false && (JABCK) sequence which > + * overwrites immediate update scheduled at (C) with a later (next_avg) update > + * scheduled at (K). This race is handled by the (L) retry which results in the > + * new sequence of polling==false && (JABCKLEIK) that reactivates polling mode > + * and reschedules next polling update (next_poll). > + * > + * Note that retries can't result in an infinite loop because retry #1 happens > + * only during polling reactivation and retry #2 happens only on the first > + * pass. Constant reactivations are impossible because polling will stay active > + * for at least grace_period. Worst case scenario involves two retries (HEJKLE) > + */ I'm having a fairly hard time with this. There's a distinct lack of memory ordering, and a suspicious mixing of atomic ops (cmpxchg) and regular loads and stores (without READ_ONCE/WRITE_ONCE even). Please clarify. (also, you look to have a whole bunch of line-breaks that are really not needed; concattenated the line would not be over 80 chars).