CCF locking problems
Russell King - ARM Linux
linux at arm.linux.org.uk
Fri Dec 12 09:37:26 PST 2014
CCF is causing lockdep problems elsewhere in the kernel...
During kernel boot, the following lock chain is established via CCF when
debugfs is enabled:
clk_register()
`-> __clk_init() (takes prepare_lock)
`-> clk_debug_register() (takes clk_debug_lock)
`-> debugfs_create_dir()
`-> __create_file() (takes i_mutex)
So, prepare_lock ends up being a parent of the i_mutex class.
Generic kernel code creates a dependency between i_mutex and mmap_sem:
iterate_dir() (takes i_mutex)
`-> dcache_readdir()
`-> filldir64()
`-> might_fault() (marks mmap_sem as potentially taken by
a fault)
This means prepare_lock is also a parent lock of mmap_sem.
The kernel mmap() implementation of takes the mmap_sem, before calling
into drivers. DRM's drm_gem_mmap() function which will be called as a
result of a mmap() takes the dev->struct_mutex mutex - which ends up as
a child of mmap_sem.
Now, if a DRM driver _then_ wants to use runtime PM, it may need to
call runtime PM functions beneath DRM's dev->struct_mutex (since, eg,
it may be protecting other DRM data while deciding which GPU to forward
to.) This ends up creating a circular dependency between dev->struct_mutex
and prepare_lock, involving all the above mentioned locks.
I believe it is totally unreasonable for CCF to allow the prepare lock
to depend on something as fundamental as core kernel locks - in fact,
looking at __clk_init(), it looks like this fails in a very basic aspect
of kernel programming: do setup first, then publish. If it did follow
that principle, it probably would not need to take the prepare lock
while calling clk_debug_register(), which would mean that prepare_lock
would not end up being a parent of potentially a lot of core kernel locks.
When you consider what prepare_lock is supposed to be doing, it's quite
clear that it should not be a parent to those.
Another interesting point is that clk_debug_create_one() has a comment
above it which is untrue:
/* caller must hold prepare_lock */
... except when it's called by clk_debug_init().
--
FTTC broadband for 0.8mile line: currently at 9.5Mbps down 400kbps up
according to speedtest.net.
More information about the linux-arm-kernel
mailing list