On Thu, 9 Jan 2014 15:45:37 -0800 "Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > static void inode_free_security(struct inode *inode) > > { > > struct inode_security_struct *isec = inode->i_security; > > @@ -244,8 +252,7 @@ static void inode_free_security(struct i > > list_del_init(&isec->list); > > spin_unlock(&sbsec->isec_lock); > > > > - inode->i_security = NULL; > > - kmem_cache_free(sel_inode_cache, isec); > > + call_rcu(&isec->rcu, inode_free_rcu); > > Does not clearing ->i_security mean that RCU readers can traverse > this pointer after the invocation of call_rcu()? If so, this is > problematic. (If something else already prevents readers from getting > here, no problem.) This is called when we are about to free the inode. Look at destroy_inode(). Basically, this is the same as doing: call_rcu(&isec->rcu, inode_free_rcu); call_rcu(&inode->i_rcu, i_callback); Where i_callback() does the free of the inode. If you can access inode->i_security, after a call_rcu, then you can also access the inode itself that has just been freed. Yes, technically, having two separate call_rcu(), the first grace period can end before the second, but everything to remove the inode from sight has already been set up before that first call_rcu() is made. That means when the first call_rcu() is executed, the inode should already be invisible to the readers. - Steve > > Thanx, Paul > > > } > > -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe stable" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html