Subject: Re: [PATCH v3 5/6] pv-qspinlock: use cmpxchg_release in __pv_queued_spin_unlock

From: Peter Zijlstra <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 26 May 2016 18:57:12 +0200

On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 06:47:29PM +0200, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> On Wed, May 25, 2016 at 04:18:08PM +0800, Pan Xinhui wrote:
> > cmpxchg_release is light-wight than cmpxchg, we can gain a better
> > performace then. On some arch like ppc, barrier impact the performace
> > too much.
> > 
> > Suggested-by:  Boqun Feng <[email-masked]>
> > Signed-off-by: Pan Xinhui <[email-masked]>
> > ---
> >  kernel/locking/qspinlock_paravirt.h | 2 +-
> >  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
> > 
> > diff --git a/kernel/locking/qspinlock_paravirt.h b/kernel/locking/qspinlock_paravirt.h
> > index a5b1248..2bbffe4 100644
> > --- a/kernel/locking/qspinlock_paravirt.h
> > +++ b/kernel/locking/qspinlock_paravirt.h
> > @@ -614,7 +614,7 @@ __visible void __pv_queued_spin_unlock(struct qspinlock *lock)
> >  	 * unhash. Otherwise it would be possible to have multiple @lock
> >  	 * entries, which would be BAD.
> >  	 */
> > -	locked = cmpxchg(&l->locked, _Q_LOCKED_VAL, 0);
> > +	locked = cmpxchg_release(&l->locked, _Q_LOCKED_VAL, 0);
> >  	if (likely(locked == _Q_LOCKED_VAL))
> >  		return;
> 
> This patch fails to explain _why_ it can be relaxed.
> 
> And seeing how this cmpxchg() can actually unlock the lock, I don't see
> how this can possibly be correct. Maybe cmpxchg_release(), but relaxed
> seems very wrong.

Clearly I need to stop working for the day, I cannea read. You're doing
release, not relaxed.

Still Changelog needs improvement.