On Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:10:18 -0400 Tony Krowiak <akrowiak@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > On 4/14/20 8:08 AM, Cornelia Huck wrote: > > On Tue, 7 Apr 2020 15:20:03 -0400 > > Tony Krowiak <akrowiak@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > >> @@ -995,9 +996,11 @@ int ap_parse_mask_str(const char *str, > >> newmap = kmalloc(size, GFP_KERNEL); > >> if (!newmap) > >> return -ENOMEM; > >> - if (mutex_lock_interruptible(lock)) { > >> - kfree(newmap); > >> - return -ERESTARTSYS; > >> + if (lock) { > >> + if (mutex_lock_interruptible(lock)) { > >> + kfree(newmap); > >> + return -ERESTARTSYS; > >> + } > > This whole function is a bit odd. It seems all masks we want to > > manipulate are always guarded by the ap_perms_mutex, and the need for > > allowing lock == NULL comes from wanting to call this function with the > > ap_perms_mutex already held. > > > > That would argue for a locked/unlocked version of this function... but > > looking at it, why do we lock the way we do? The one thing this > > function (prior to this patch) does outside of the holding of the mutex > > is the allocation and freeing of newmap. But with this patch, we do the > > allocation and freeing of newmap while holding the mutex. Something > > seems a bit weird here. > > Note that the ap_parse_mask function copies the newmap > to the bitmap passed in as a parameter to the function. > Prior to the introduction of this patch, the calling functions - i.e., > apmask_store(), aqmask_store() and ap_perms_init() - passed > in the actual bitmap (i.e., ap_perms.apm or ap_perms aqm), > so the ap_perms were changed directly by this function. > > With this patch, the apmask_store() and aqmask_store() > functions now pass in a copy of those bitmaps. This is so > we can verify that any APQNs being removed are not > in use by the vfio_ap device driver before committing the > change to ap_perms. Consequently, it is now necessary > to take the lock for the until the changes are committed. Yes, but every caller actually takes the mutex before calling this function already :) > Having explained that, you make a valid argument that > this calls for a locked/unlocked version of this function, so > I will modify this patch to that effect. Ok. The other thing I found weird is that the function does alloc newmap -> grab mutex -> do manipulation -> release mutex -> free newmap while the new callers do (mutex already held) -> alloc newmap so why grab/release the mutex the way the function does now? IOW, why not have an unlocked __ap_parse_mask_string() and do int ap_parse_mask_string(...) { int rc; if (mutex_lock_interruptible(&ap_perms_mutex)) return -ERESTARTSYS; rc = __ap_parse_mask_string(...); mutex_unlock(&ap_perms_mutex); return rc; }