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Subject: Re: [PATCH 10/10] mm/hmm: add helpers for driver to safely take the
 mmap_sem
To:     <jglisse@redhat.com>, <linux-mm@kvack.org>
CC:     <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>,
        Ralph Campbell <rcampbell@nvidia.com>
References: <20190129165428.3931-1-jglisse@redhat.com>
 <20190129165428.3931-11-jglisse@redhat.com>
From:   John Hubbard <jhubbard@nvidia.com>
Message-ID: <16e62992-c937-6b05-ae37-a287294c0005@nvidia.com>
Date:   Wed, 20 Feb 2019 13:59:13 -0800
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On 1/29/19 8:54 AM, jglisse@redhat.com wrote:
> From: J=C3=A9r=C3=B4me Glisse <jglisse@redhat.com>
>=20
> The device driver context which holds reference to mirror and thus to
> core hmm struct might outlive the mm against which it was created. To
> avoid every driver to check for that case provide an helper that check
> if mm is still alive and take the mmap_sem in read mode if so. If the
> mm have been destroy (mmu_notifier release call back did happen) then
> we return -EINVAL so that calling code knows that it is trying to do
> something against a mm that is no longer valid.
>=20
> Signed-off-by: J=C3=A9r=C3=B4me Glisse <jglisse@redhat.com>
> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
> Cc: Ralph Campbell <rcampbell@nvidia.com>
> Cc: John Hubbard <jhubbard@nvidia.com>
> ---
>   include/linux/hmm.h | 50 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
>   1 file changed, 47 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
>=20
> diff --git a/include/linux/hmm.h b/include/linux/hmm.h
> index b3850297352f..4a1454e3efba 100644
> --- a/include/linux/hmm.h
> +++ b/include/linux/hmm.h
> @@ -438,6 +438,50 @@ struct hmm_mirror {
>   int hmm_mirror_register(struct hmm_mirror *mirror, struct mm_struct *mm=
);
>   void hmm_mirror_unregister(struct hmm_mirror *mirror);
>  =20
> +/*
> + * hmm_mirror_mm_down_read() - lock the mmap_sem in read mode
> + * @mirror: the HMM mm mirror for which we want to lock the mmap_sem
> + * Returns: -EINVAL if the mm is dead, 0 otherwise (lock taken).
> + *
> + * The device driver context which holds reference to mirror and thus to=
 core
> + * hmm struct might outlive the mm against which it was created. To avoi=
d every
> + * driver to check for that case provide an helper that check if mm is s=
till
> + * alive and take the mmap_sem in read mode if so. If the mm have been d=
estroy
> + * (mmu_notifier release call back did happen) then we return -EINVAL so=
 that
> + * calling code knows that it is trying to do something against a mm tha=
t is
> + * no longer valid.
> + */

Hi Jerome,

Are you thinking that, throughout the HMM API, there is a problem that
the mm may have gone away, and so driver code needs to be littered with
checks to ensure that mm is non-NULL? If so, why doesn't HMM take a
reference on mm->count?

This solution here cannot work. I think you'd need refcounting in order
to avoid this kind of problem. Just doing a check will always be open to
races (see below).


> +static inline int hmm_mirror_mm_down_read(struct hmm_mirror *mirror)
> +{
> +	struct mm_struct *mm;
> +
> +	/* Sanity check ... */
> +	if (!mirror || !mirror->hmm)
> +		return -EINVAL;
> +	/*
> +	 * Before trying to take the mmap_sem make sure the mm is still
> +	 * alive as device driver context might outlive the mm lifetime.
> +	 *
> +	 * FIXME: should we also check for mm that outlive its owning
> +	 * task ?
> +	 */
> +	mm =3D READ_ONCE(mirror->hmm->mm);
> +	if (mirror->hmm->dead || !mm)
> +		return -EINVAL;
> +

Nothing really prevents mirror->hmm->mm from changing to NULL right here.

> +	down_read(&mm->mmap_sem);
> +	return 0;
> +}
> +

...maybe better to just drop this patch from the series, until we see a
pattern of uses in the calling code.

thanks,
--=20
John Hubbard
NVIDIA