From: Jan Kara Subject: Re: [RFC][PATCH] Re: [BUG] ext4: cannot unfreeze a filesystem due to a deadlock Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2011 19:46:17 +0200 Message-ID: <20110406174617.GC28689@quack.suse.cz> References: <4D5C9B1B.2050304@jp.fujitsu.com> <20110217104552.GD4947@quack.suse.cz> <20110328170628.ffe314fb.toshi.okajima@jp.fujitsu.com> <20110330141205.GC22349@quack.suse.cz> <4D946DAB.3010107@jp.fujitsu.com> <4D9AEE28.4000003@jp.fujitsu.com> <20110405225428.GD8531@quack.suse.cz> <4D9BF57A.6030705@jp.fujitsu.com> <20110406055708.GB23285@quack.suse.cz> <4D9C18DF.90803@jp.fujitsu.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Cc: Jan Kara , Ted Ts'o , Masayoshi MIZUMA , Andreas Dilger , linux-ext4@vger.kernel.org, linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org, sandeen@redhat.com To: Toshiyuki Okajima Return-path: Received: from cantor2.suse.de ([195.135.220.15]:42996 "EHLO mx2.suse.de" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752272Ab1DFRqV (ORCPT ); Wed, 6 Apr 2011 13:46:21 -0400 Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <4D9C18DF.90803@jp.fujitsu.com> Sender: linux-ext4-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: Hello, On Wed 06-04-11 16:40:15, Toshiyuki Okajima wrote: > (2011/04/06 14:57), Jan Kara wrote: > >On Wed 06-04-11 14:09:14, Toshiyuki Okajima wrote: > >>(2011/04/06 7:54), Jan Kara wrote: > >>>On Tue 05-04-11 19:25:44, Toshiyuki Okajima wrote: > >>>>(2011/03/31 21:03), Toshiyuki Okajima wrote: > >>>>>Hi, thanks for your reviewing. > >>>>> > >>>>>(2011/03/30 23:12), Jan Kara wrote: > >>>>>>Hello, > >>>>>> > >>>>>>On Mon 28-03-11 17:06:28, Toshiyuki Okajima wrote: > >>>>>>>On Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:45:52 +0100 > >>>>>>>Jan Kara wrote: > >>>>>>>>On Thu 17-02-11 12:50:51, Toshiyuki Okajima wrote: > >>>>>>>>>(2011/02/16 23:56), Jan Kara wrote: > >>>>>>>>>>On Wed 16-02-11 08:17:46, Toshiyuki Okajima wrote: > >>>>>>>>>>>On Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:29:54 +0100 > >>>>>>>>>>>Jan Kara wrote: > >>>>>>>>>>>>On Tue 15-02-11 12:03:52, Ted Ts'o wrote: > >>>>>>>>>>>>>On Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 05:06:30PM +0100, Jan Kara wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>>>>I have deeply continued to examined the root cause of this problem, then > >>>>>>>I found it. > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>>It is that we can write a memory which is mmaped to a file. Then the memory > >>>>>>>becomes "DIRTY" so then the flusher thread (ex. wb_do_writeback) tries to > >>>>>>>"writeback" the memory. > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>>Therefore, the root cause of this hangup is not only ext4 component (with > >>>>>>>delayed allocation feature) but also writeback mechanism for mmap. If you > >>>>>>>use the other filesystem, you can write something to the filesystem though > >>>>>>>you have freezed the filesystem. > >>>>> > >>>>>>Well, you can write something only in the caches, not to the on disk > >>>>>>image. So it's not a problem as such. > >>>>>My reproducer uses the loopback device(/dev/loopX). By using it, I have confirmed that > >>>>>we can write in not only the caches but also the loopback device. However, > >>>>>I don't still confirm that we can write to the real device(/dev/sdaX). > >>>>> > >>>>>> > >>>>>>>A sample problem is attached on this mail. Try to execute it then you can > >>>>>>>confirm that we can write some data to your filesystem while freezing the > >>>>>>>filesystem. > >>>>>>>(If you change FS variable in go.sh from ext3 to ext4 and you execute > >>>>>>>"fsfreeze -u mnt" manually on other prompt, you can also confirm this deadlock.) > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>>I think the best approach to fix this problem is to let users not to write > >>>>>>>memory which is mapped to a certain file while the filesystem is freezing. > >>>>>>>However, it is very difficult to control users not to write memory which has > >>>>>>>been already mapped to the file. > >>>>>>It is actually possible. In case of ext4, you could add a check (+ wait) > >>>>>>in ext4_page_mkwrite() whether the filesystem is frozen or in the process > >>>>>>of being frozen and if so, wait for it to get unfrozen. The only tough > >>>>>>problem here might be the locking as ext4_page_mkwrite() is called with > >>>>>>mmap_sem held and I'm not sure we can take s_umount with mmap_sem held. > >>>>>>But you'd have to fix all filesystems (and all paths possibly creating > >>>>>>dirty data) in this way. > >>>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>>>>Therefore, I think there is only actual method that we stop writeback thread > >>>>>>>to resolve the mmap problem. Also, by this fix, the original problem > >>>>>>>(ext4 delayed write vs unfreeze) can be solved. > >>>>>>Hmm, I had a look at the code again and think we could fix the issue > >>>>>>cleanly (i.e. all possible users of s_umount) as follows: The lock > >>>>>>ordering will be > >>>>>>s_umount -> "fs frozen" > >>>>>>and there will be a new mutex s_freeze_mutex protecting changes of > >>>>>>s_frozen. > >>>>>> > >>>>>>freeze_bdev() already observes this lock ordering, it will only take > >>>>>>s_freeze_mutex for the changes of s_frozen values. The only other code > >>>>>>that is relevant for the lock ordering is thaw_super() (the freezing > >>>>>>process is not expected to reenter kernel for the frozen filesystem). > >>>>>>In thaw_super() we could take s_freeze_mutex, do all the thawing work, > >>>>>>set s_frozen, release s_freeze_mutex and put superblock reference. > >>>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>>>So something like the patch below - it seems to work for me, can you test > >>>>>>it please? > >>>>>I think your patch looks good, so, the original problem seems to be solved. > >>>>>OK, I will test your patch. > >>>>>This weekend I cannot test it. So, I will reply next week. > >>>>I have tested whether Mizuma-san's reproducer can cause to deadlock with your > >>>>patch. And then any problems didn't hit while the reproducer was running. > >>>> > >>>>I think your patch solves the original deadlock problem which is reported by > >>>>Mizuma-san. > >>> Good. Thanks. > >>> > >>>>>Reported-by: Toshiyuki Okajima > >>>>>Signed-off-by: Jan Kara > >>>>>--- > >>>>>fs/super.c | 40 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------ > >>>>>include/linux/fs.h | 1 + > >>>>>2 files changed, 35 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-) > >>>> > >> > >>>>However, I think a write which causes the deadlock is from mmapped dirty > >>>>pages. So, I guess we also need to fix in the mmap path while fsfreezing. > >>> Why? If you dirty a page, writeback thread can come and try to write it - > >>>which blocks - but now that does not matter... > > >>I have not understood the code around writeback thread very much... > >>Please explain me the concrete function name which blocks some writes? > > It would block in ext4_da_writepages() function. > In ext4 with delayed allocation case, I understand it blocks. > (Original deadlock problem is just this case.) > But in ext4 without delayed allocation or other filesystems case, which function > can block writing? For ext3 or ext4 without delayed allocation we block inside writepage() function. But as I wrote to Dave Chinner, ->page_mkwrite() should probably get modified to block while minor-faulting the page on frozen fs because when blocks are already allocated we may skip starting a transaction and so we could possibly modify the filesystem. > >>Mizuma-san's reproducer also writes the data which maps to the file (mmap). > >>The original problem happens after the fsfreeze operation is done. > >>I understand the normal write operation (not mmap) can be blocked while > >>fsfreezing. So, I guess we don't always block all the write operation > >>while fsfreezing. > > Technically speaking, we block all the transaction starts which means we > >end up blocking all the writes from going to disk. But that does not mean > >we block all the writes from going to in-memory cache - as you properly > >note the mmap case is one of such exceptions. > Hm, I also think we can allow the writes to in-memory cache but we can't allow > the writes to disk while fsfreezing. I am considering that mmap path can > write to disk while fsfreezing because this deadlock problem happens after > fsfreeze operation is done... I'm sorry I don't understand now - are you speaking about the case above when writepage() does not wait for filesystem being frozen or something else? Honza -- Jan Kara SUSE Labs, CR