Re: [PATCH net-next] xen-netback: Rework rx_work_todo

From: Zoltan Kiss
Date: Wed Jan 15 2014 - 06:47:12 EST


On 15/01/14 10:37, Wei Liu wrote:
On Tue, Jan 14, 2014 at 07:28:39PM +0000, Zoltan Kiss wrote:
The recent patch to fix receive side flow control (11b57f) solved the spinning
thread problem, however caused an another one. The receive side can stall, if:
- xenvif_rx_action sets rx_queue_stopped to false
- interrupt happens, and sets rx_event to true
- then xenvif_kthread sets rx_event to false


If you mean "rx_work_todo" returns false.

In this case

(!skb_queue_empty(&vif->rx_queue) && !vif->rx_queue_stopped) || vif->rx_event;

can still be true, can't it?
Sorry, I should wrote rx_queue_stopped to true


Also, through rx_event a malicious guest can force the RX thread to spin. This
patch ditch that two variable, and rework rx_work_todo. If the thread finds it

This seems to be a bigger problem. Can you elaborate?
My mistake too. I forgot that rx_action set it to false, so it's not really a spinning. However the thread should still run xenvif_rx_action to figure out there is no space in the ring before it sets rx_event to false. In my patch we can quit earlier.

Zoli
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