Re: [PATCH 1/7] async: Asynchronous function calls to speed upkernel boot

From: Cornelia Huck
Date: Wed Jan 14 2009 - 06:35:22 EST


On Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:48:59 -0700,
Jonathan Corbet <corbet@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> [A somewhat belated question...]
>
> As I read the patch, I find the async_entry structure:
>
> > +struct async_entry {
> > + struct list_head list;
> > + async_cookie_t cookie;
> > + async_func_ptr *func;
> > + void *data;
> > + struct list_head *running;
> > +};
>
> The "running" field is, presumably, meant to hold a pointer to the
> "running" queue to be used when this function is actually run. But, then,
> I see:
>
> > +async_cookie_t async_schedule(async_func_ptr *ptr, void *data)
> > +{
> > + return __async_schedule(ptr, data, &async_pending);
> > +}
> > +EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_schedule);
>
> It seems to me that you wanted &async_running there, no?
>
> However, it doesn't matter in the current form of the patch:
>
> > +/*
> > + * pick the first pending entry and run it
> > + */
> > +static void run_one_entry(void)
> > +{
> > + unsigned long flags;
> > + struct async_entry *entry;
> > + ktime_t calltime, delta, rettime;
> > +
> > + /* 1) pick one task from the pending queue */
> > +
> > + spin_lock_irqsave(&async_lock, flags);
> > + if (list_empty(&async_pending))
> > + goto out;
> > + entry = list_first_entry(&async_pending, struct async_entry, list);
> > +
> > + /* 2) move it to the running queue */
> > + list_del(&entry->list);
> > + list_add_tail(&entry->list, &async_running);
> > + spin_unlock_irqrestore(&async_lock, flags);
>
> Given the way things are designed, don't you want to add the entry to
> entry->running, rather than unconditionally to async_running? If not, I
> don't see how calls to async_synchronize_cookie_special() can work right.
>
> Of course, I'm probably just confused...enlighten me?

No, you're not confused, the code is :)

async_schedule() should pass in async_running as the running
list, and run_one_entry() should put the entry to be run on
the provided running list instead of always on the generic one.

Reported-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@xxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Cornelia Huck <cornelia.huck@xxxxxxxxxx>

---
kernel/async.c | 4 ++--
1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

--- linux-2.6.orig/kernel/async.c
+++ linux-2.6/kernel/async.c
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ static void run_one_entry(void)

/* 2) move it to the running queue */
list_del(&entry->list);
- list_add_tail(&entry->list, &async_running);
+ list_add_tail(&entry->list, entry->running);
spin_unlock_irqrestore(&async_lock, flags);

/* 3) run it (and print duration)*/
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ static async_cookie_t __async_schedule(a

async_cookie_t async_schedule(async_func_ptr *ptr, void *data)
{
- return __async_schedule(ptr, data, &async_pending);
+ return __async_schedule(ptr, data, &async_running);
}
EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_schedule);

--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/