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Date:   Wed, 13 Nov 2019 10:04:14 +0100 (CET)
From:   Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de>
To:     "Harris, Robert" <robert.harris@alertlogic.com>
cc:     Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>,
        "peterz@infradead.org" <peterz@infradead.org>,
        "dvhart@infradead.org" <dvhart@infradead.org>,
        "linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: Help requested: futex(..., FUTEX_WAIT_PRIVATE, ...) returns
 EPERM
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Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.21.1911130956150.1833@nanos.tec.linutronix.de>
References: <E0332978-739B-4546-9C3F-975216C349D2@alertlogic.com>
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On Tue, 12 Nov 2019, Harris, Robert wrote:

> I am investigating an issue on 4.9.184 in which futex() returns EPERM
> intermittently for
> 
> futex(uaddr, FUTEX_WAIT_PRIVATE, val, &timeout, NULL, 0)
> 
> The failure affects an application in an AWS lambda;  traditional
> debugging approaches vary from difficult to impossible.  I cannot
> reproduce the problem at will, instrument the kernel, install a new
> kernel or get an application core dump.
> 
> Understanding the circumstances under which EPERM can be returned for
> FUTEX_WAIT_PRIVATE would be useful but it is not a documented failure
> mode.  I have spent some time looking through futex.c but have not
> found anything yet.  I would be grateful for a hint from someone more
> knowledgeable.

sys_futex(FUTEX_WAIT_PRIVATE) does not return -EPERM. Only the PI variants
do that.

Thanks,

	tglx