[Intel-gfx] [PATCH 21/22] drm/i915: Enable lockless lookup of request tracking via RCU

[Daniel Vetter]

On Fri, Jul 29, 2016 at 10:43:17AM +0100, Chris Wilson wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 29, 2016 at 09:49:54AM +0100, Chris Wilson wrote:
> > On Fri, Jul 29, 2016 at 10:41:14AM +0200, Daniel Vetter wrote:
> > > I guess it doesn't hurt to make this really, really clear. Perfect! Well
> > > almost, one nit:
> > > 
> > > > 
> > > >                 /* What stops the following rcu_dereference() from occuring
> > > >                  * before the above i915_gem_request_get_rcu()? If we were
> > > >                  * to read the value before pausing to get the reference to
> > > >                  * the request, we may not notice a change in the active
> > > >                  * tracker.
> > > >                  *
> > > >                  * The rcu_dereference() is a mere read barrier, which means
> > > 
> > > s/read barrier/barrier of depending reads/, rcu_dereference is not even a
> > > full rmb!
> > > 
> > > >                  * that operations after it will appear after, neither the
> > > 
> > > hence also: s/operations/any operations through the read pointer/
> > 
> > Ah right, that needs to be dependent reads. Changes look good.
> 
> 
>        do {
>                 struct drm_i915_gem_request *request;
> 
>                 request = rcu_dereference(active->request);
>                 if (!request || i915_gem_request_completed(request))
>                         return NULL;
> 
>                 request = i915_gem_request_get_rcu(request);
> 
>                 /* What stops the following rcu_access_pointer() from occurring
>                  * before the above i915_gem_request_get_rcu()? If we were
>                  * to read the value before pausing to get the reference to
>                  * the request, we may not notice a change in the active
>                  * tracker.
>                  *
>                  * The rcu_access_pointer() is a mere compiler barrier, which
>                  * means both the CPU and compiler are free to perform the
>                  * memory read without constraint. The compiler only has to
>                  * ensure that any operations after the rcu_access_pointer()
>                  * occur afterwards in program order. This means the read may
>                  * be performed earlier by an out-of-order CPU, or adventurous
>                  * compiler.
>                  *
>                  * The atomic operation at the heart of
>                  * i915_gem_request_get_rcu(), see fence_get_rcu(), is
>                  * atomic_inc_not_zero() which is only a full memory barrier
>                  * when successful. That is, if i915_gem_request_get_rcu()
>                  * returns the request (and so with the reference counted
>                  * incremented) then the following read for rcu_access_pointer()
>                  * must occur after the atomic operation and so confirm
>                  * that this request is the one currently being tracked.
>                  */
>                 if (!request || request == rcu_access_pointer(active->request))
>                         return rcu_pointer_handoff(request);
> 
>                 i915_gem_request_put(request);
>         } while (1);

lgtm now, Reviewed-by: Daniel Vetter <daniel.vetter at ffwll.ch>
-- 
Daniel Vetter
Software Engineer, Intel Corporation
http://blog.ffwll.ch