Re: [PATCH] NFC: Driver for Inside Secure MicroRead NFC chip

From: Arnd Bergmann
Date: Thu Mar 17 2011 - 09:55:00 EST


On Thursday 17 March 2011, Waldemar.Rymarkiewicz@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> >This is not very different from opening the file descriptor in
> >multiple processes, which you prevent using your logic.
>
> but in the case when two independent applications try to open
> my device I can't let the second to access. They obviously won't
> synch the access.

My point was that you don't need to worry.

> >You can of course argue that you try your best to prevent the
> >race. Traditionally, e.g. on serial ports and the like, we
> >don't do this but instead rely on user space synchronizing the
> >access. What you have to make sure of course is that multiple
> >threads calling read on the same file can never bring the
> >kernel driver into an invalid state.
>
> I assume, if an application shares the file pointer deliberately
> it have to sync the access. In other cases, the driver needs to
> secure it.

As I said, it's not important if you do it and it certainly doesn't
cause harm to prevent multiple open. It's just that generally
we don't care too much about this problem.

Arnd
--
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/