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[PATCH] cpuset exit NULL dereference fix

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There is a race in the kernel cpuset code, between the code
to handle notify_on_release, and the code to remove a cpuset.
The notify_on_release code can end up trying to access a
cpuset that has been removed.  In the most common case, this
causes a NULL pointer dereference from the routine cpuset_path.
However all manner of bad things are possible, in theory at least.

The existing code decrements the cpuset use count, and if the
count goes to zero, processes the notify_on_release request,
if appropriate.  However, once the count goes to zero, unless we
are holding the global cpuset_sem semaphore, there is nothing to
stop another task from immediately removing the cpuset entirely,
and recycling its memory.

The obvious fix would be to always hold the cpuset_sem
semaphore while decrementing the use count and dealing with
notify_on_release.  However we don't want to force a global
semaphore into the mainline task exit path, as that might create
a scaling problem.

The actual fix is almost as easy - since this is only an issue
for cpusets using notify_on_release, which the top level big
cpusets don't normally need to use, only take the cpuset_sem
for cpusets using notify_on_release.

This code has been run for hours without a hiccup, while running
a cpuset create/destroy stress test that could crash the existing
kernel in seconds.  This patch applies to the current -linus
git kernel.

Signed-off-by: Paul Jackson <pj@sgi.com>
Acked-by: Simon Derr <simon.derr@bull.net>
Acked-by: Dinakar Guniguntala <dino@in.ibm.com>
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>
This commit is contained in:
Paul Jackson 2005-05-27 02:02:43 -07:00 committed by Linus Torvalds
parent 88c1834633
commit 2efe86b809
1 changed files with 19 additions and 5 deletions
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24
kernel/cpuset.c
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@ -166,9 +166,8 @@ static struct super_block *cpuset_sb = NULL;
* The hooks from fork and exit, cpuset_fork() and cpuset_exit(), don't
* (usually) grab cpuset_sem. These are the two most performance
* critical pieces of code here. The exception occurs on exit(),
* if the last task using a cpuset exits, and the cpuset was marked
* notify_on_release. In that case, the cpuset_sem is taken, the
* path to the released cpuset calculated, and a usermode call made
* when a task in a notify_on_release cpuset exits. Then cpuset_sem
* is taken, and if the cpuset count is zero, a usermode call made
* to /sbin/cpuset_release_agent with the name of the cpuset (path
* relative to the root of cpuset file system) as the argument.
*
@ -1404,6 +1403,18 @@ void cpuset_fork(struct task_struct *tsk)
*
* Description: Detach cpuset from @tsk and release it.
*
* Note that cpusets marked notify_on_release force every task
* in them to take the global cpuset_sem semaphore when exiting.
* This could impact scaling on very large systems. Be reluctant
* to use notify_on_release cpusets where very high task exit
* scaling is required on large systems.
*
* Don't even think about derefencing 'cs' after the cpuset use
* count goes to zero, except inside a critical section guarded
* by the cpuset_sem semaphore. If you don't hold cpuset_sem,
* then a zero cpuset use count is a license to any other task to
* nuke the cpuset immediately.
*
**/
void cpuset_exit(struct task_struct *tsk)
@ -1415,10 +1426,13 @@ void cpuset_exit(struct task_struct *tsk)
tsk->cpuset = NULL;
task_unlock(tsk);
if (atomic_dec_and_test(&cs->count)) {
if (notify_on_release(cs)) {
down(&cpuset_sem);
check_for_release(cs);
if (atomic_dec_and_test(&cs->count))
check_for_release(cs);
up(&cpuset_sem);
} else {
atomic_dec(&cs->count);
}
}