[Bah: I typoed the LKML address, so I've fixed it for this one] On Thu, Oct 17, 2019 at 12:33:40AM +0100, Will Deacon wrote: > Hi all, > > In an attempt to remove the remaining traces of [smp_]read_barrier_depends() > following my previous patches to strengthen READ_ONCE() for Alpha [1], I > ended up trying to decipher the read_barrier_depends() usage in the vhost > driver: > > --->8 > > // drivers/vhost/vhost.c > static int get_indirect(struct vhost_virtqueue *vq, > struct iovec iov[], unsigned int iov_size, > unsigned int *out_num, unsigned int *in_num, > struct vhost_log *log, unsigned int *log_num, > struct vring_desc *indirect) > { > [...] > > /* We will use the result as an address to read from, so most > * architectures only need a compiler barrier here. */ > read_barrier_depends(); > > --->8 > > Unfortunately, although the barrier is commented (hurrah!), it's not > particularly enlightening about the accesses making up the dependency > chain, and I don't understand the supposed need for a compiler barrier > either (read_barrier_depends() doesn't generally provide this). > > Does anybody know which accesses are being ordered here? Usually you'd need > a READ_ONCE()/rcu_dereference() beginning the chain, but I haven't managed > to find one... > > Thanks, > > Will > > [1] c2bc66082e10 ("locking/barriers: Add implicit smp_read_barrier_depends() to READ_ONCE()") _______________________________________________ Virtualization mailing list Virtualization@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/virtualization