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2016-08-22documentation: Record reason for rcu_head two-byte alignmentPaul E. McKenney
There is an assertion in __call_rcu() that checks only the bottom bit of the rcu_head pointer, rather than the bottom two (as might be expected for 32-bit systems) or the bottom three (as might be expected for 64-bit systems). This choice might be a bit surprising in these days of ubiquitous 32-bit and 64-bit systems. This commit therefore records the reason for this odd alignment check, namely that m68k guarantees only two-byte alignment despite being a 32-bit architectures. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2016-06-14documentation: Add RCU_NONIDLE() restrictions to requirementsPaul E. McKenney
Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2016-04-19documentation: Add documentation for RCU's major data structuresPaul E. McKenney
This commit adds documentation for RCU's major data structures, including rcu_state, rcu_node, rcu_data, rcu_dynticks, and rcu_head. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2016-03-31documentation: Emphasize the call_rcu() is illegal from idlePaul E. McKenney
Although call_rcu()'s fastpath works just fine on an idle CPU, some branches of the slowpath invoke the scheduler, which uses RCU. Therefore, this commit emphasizes the fact that call_rcu() must not be invoked from an idle CPU. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2016-03-31documentation: Sharpen up the no-readers quick quizPaul E. McKenney
Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2016-03-31documentation: Get rid of duplicate .htmlx filePaul E. McKenney
This commit uses colors to obscure the quick-quiz answers, thus getting rid of the .htmlx file. Use your mouse to select the answer in order to see the text. Alternatively, use your favorite scripting language to remove all occurences of "<font color="ffffff">" from the file. Reported-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2016-03-31documentation: Remove unnecessary images from requirementsPaul E. McKenney
This commit removes a cutesy cartoon and also a diagram that can just as easily be represented by text. Reported-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2016-03-31documentation: Document illegality of call_rcu() from offline CPUsPaul E. McKenney
There is already a blanket statement about no member of RCU's API being legal from an offline CPU, but add an explicit note where it states that it is illegal to invoke call_rcu() from an NMI handler. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2016-03-31documentation: Explain why rcu_read_lock() needs no barrier()Paul E. McKenney
This commit adds a Quick Quiz whose answer explains why the compiler code reordering enabled by CONFIG_PREEMPT=n's empty rcu_read_lock() and rcu_read_unlock() functions does not hinder RCU's ability to figure out which RCU read-side critical sections have completed and not. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2016-03-31documentation: Add synchronize_rcu_mult() to the requirementsPaul E. McKenney
Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2016-03-31documentation: Add real-time requirements from CPU-bound workloadsPaul E. McKenney
This commit records RCU's responsibility to avoid degrading latencies of CPUs running tight loops within properly configured workloads, both in kernel and in userspace. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2015-12-05documentation: Update RCU requirements based on expedited changesPaul E. McKenney
Because RCU-sched expedited grace periods now use IPIs and interact with rcu_read_unlock(), it is no longer sufficient to disable preemption across RCU read-side critical sections that acquire and hold scheduler locks. It is now necessary to instead disable interrupts. This commit documents this change. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2015-12-05documentation: Clarify RCU memory barriers and requirementsPaul E. McKenney
The RCU requirements do not make it absolutely clear that the memory-barrier requirements are not intended to replace the fundamental requirement that all pre-existing RCU readers complete before a grace period completes. This commit therefore pulls the memory-barrier requirements into a separate section and explicitly calls out the relationship between the memory-barrier requirements and the fundamental requirement. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2015-12-05documentation: Expand on scheduler/RCU deadlock requirementsPaul E. McKenney
This commit adds a second option for avoiding scheduler/RCU deadlocks, namely that preemption be disabled across the entire RCU read-side critical section in question. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2015-12-05documentation: Composability analogiesPaul E. McKenney
This commit expands on RCU's composability by comparing it to that of transactional memory and of locking. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2015-12-05documentation: Cover requirements controlling stall warningsPaul E. McKenney
This commit adds verbiage on boot and sysfs parameters that can be used to control RCU CPU stall warnings, both to change the timeout and to suppress these warnings entirely. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
2015-12-05Documentation: Record bottom-bit-zero guarantee for ->nextPaul E. McKenney
This commit records RCU's guarantee that the bottom bit of the rcu_head structure's ->next field will remain zero for callbacks posted via call_rcu(), but not necessarily for <tt>kfree_rcu()</tt> or some possible future call_rcu_lazy() variant that might one day be created for energy-efficiency purposese. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com> [ paulmck: Updates URLs as suggested by Josh Triplett. ]
2015-12-05documentation: Record RCU requirementsPaul E. McKenney
This commit adds RCU requirements as published in a 2015 LWN series. Bringing these requirements in-tree allows them to be updated as changes are discovered. Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com> [ paulmck: Updates to charset and URLs as suggested by Josh Triplett. ]