rcu: Clarify memory-ordering properties of grace-period primitives

This commit explicitly states the memory-ordering properties of the
RCU grace-period primitives.  Although these properties were in some
sense implied by the fundmental property of RCU ("a grace period must
wait for all pre-existing RCU read-side critical sections to complete"),
stating it explicitly will be a great labor-saving device.

Reported-by: Oleg Nesterov <oleg@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
Reviewed-by: Oleg Nesterov <oleg@redhat.com>

2 files changed, 33 insertions, 4 deletions

diff --git a/kernel/rcutree.c b/kernel/rcutree.c
index e4c2192b47c..15a2beec320 100644
--- a/kernel/rcutree.c
+++ b/kernel/rcutree.c
@@ -2228,10 +2228,28 @@ static inline int rcu_blocking_is_gp(void)
  * rcu_read_lock_sched().
  *
  * This means that all preempt_disable code sequences, including NMI and
- * hardware-interrupt handlers, in progress on entry will have completed
- * before this primitive returns.  However, this does not guarantee that
- * softirq handlers will have completed, since in some kernels, these
- * handlers can run in process context, and can block.
+ * non-threaded hardware-interrupt handlers, in progress on entry will
+ * have completed before this primitive returns.  However, this does not
+ * guarantee that softirq handlers will have completed, since in some
+ * kernels, these handlers can run in process context, and can block.
+ *
+ * Note that this guarantee implies further memory-ordering guarantees.
+ * On systems with more than one CPU, when synchronize_sched() returns,
+ * each CPU is guaranteed to have executed a full memory barrier since the
+ * end of its last RCU-sched read-side critical section whose beginning
+ * preceded the call to synchronize_sched().  In addition, each CPU having
+ * an RCU read-side critical section that extends beyond the return from
+ * synchronize_sched() is guaranteed to have executed a full memory barrier
+ * after the beginning of synchronize_sched() and before the beginning of
+ * that RCU read-side critical section.  Note that these guarantees include
+ * CPUs that are offline, idle, or executing in user mode, as well as CPUs
+ * that are executing in the kernel.
+ *
+ * Furthermore, if CPU A invoked synchronize_sched(), which returned
+ * to its caller on CPU B, then both CPU A and CPU B are guaranteed
+ * to have executed a full memory barrier during the execution of
+ * synchronize_sched() -- even if CPU A and CPU B are the same CPU (but
+ * again only if the system has more than one CPU).
  *
  * This primitive provides the guarantees made by the (now removed)
  * synchronize_kernel() API.  In contrast, synchronize_rcu() only
@@ -2259,6 +2277,9 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(synchronize_sched);
  * read-side critical sections have completed.  RCU read-side critical
  * sections are delimited by rcu_read_lock_bh() and rcu_read_unlock_bh(),
  * and may be nested.
+ *
+ * See the description of synchronize_sched() for more detailed information
+ * on memory ordering guarantees.
  */
 void synchronize_rcu_bh(void)
 {
diff --git a/kernel/rcutree_plugin.h b/kernel/rcutree_plugin.h
index f9211548818..57e0ef8ed72 100644
--- a/kernel/rcutree_plugin.h
+++ b/kernel/rcutree_plugin.h
@@ -670,6 +670,9 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(kfree_call_rcu);
  * concurrently with new RCU read-side critical sections that began while
  * synchronize_rcu() was waiting.  RCU read-side critical sections are
  * delimited by rcu_read_lock() and rcu_read_unlock(), and may be nested.
+ *
+ * See the description of synchronize_sched() for more detailed information
+ * on memory ordering guarantees.
  */
 void synchronize_rcu(void)
 {
@@ -875,6 +878,11 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(synchronize_rcu_expedited);
 
 /**
  * rcu_barrier - Wait until all in-flight call_rcu() callbacks complete.
+ *
+ * Note that this primitive does not necessarily wait for an RCU grace period
+ * to complete.  For example, if there are no RCU callbacks queued anywhere
+ * in the system, then rcu_barrier() is within its rights to return
+ * immediately, without waiting for anything, much less an RCU grace period.
  */
 void rcu_barrier(void)
 {