Re: [PATCH] unserialized task->files changing (v2)

From: Kirill Korotaev
Date: Tue Aug 08 2006 - 11:49:15 EST


Eric,

Sorry but there is something I dont understand. You ignored my point.
Sorry, I missed it thinking that you are talking about another thing...
Pavel described the race in more details and why barrier doesn't help.
Hope, it became more clear now.

+void reset_files_struct(struct task_struct *tsk, struct files_struct *files)
+{
+ struct files_struct *old;
+
+ old = tsk->files;
+ task_lock(tsk);
+ tsk->files = files;
+ task_unlock(tsk);
+ put_files_struct(old);
+}

Its seems very strange to protect tsk->files = files with a task_lock()/task_unlock(). What is it supposed to guard against ???

If this patch corrects the 'bug', then a simpler fix would be to use a memory barrier between "tsk->files = files" and "put_files_struct(old);"

No need to perform 2 atomics ops on the task lock.

old = tsk->files;
tsk->files = files;
smp_mb();
put_files_struct(old);

That would be enough to guard against proc code (because this code only needs to read tsk->files of course)

The same remark can be said for __exit_files() from kernel/exit.c

If this task_lock()/task_unlock() patch is really needed, then a comment in the source would be very fair.

Kirill
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