xref: /netbsd-src/share/man/man9/pserialize.9 (revision 97eadbd13ea6a86f61fc06089c65e2f5dffb0c83)
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27.Dd January 26, 2016
28.Dt PSERIALIZE 9
29.Os
30.Sh NAME
31.Nm pserialize
32.Nd passive serialization mechanism
33.Sh SYNOPSIS
34.In sys/pserialize.h
35.Ft pserialize_t
36.Fn pserialize_create "void"
37.Ft void
38.Fn pserialize_destroy "pserialize_t psz"
39.Ft int
40.Fn pserialize_read_enter "void"
41.Ft void
42.Fn pserialize_read_exit "int s"
43.Ft void
44.Fn pserialize_perform "pserialize_t psz"
45.\" -----
46.Sh DESCRIPTION
47Passive serialization is a reader / writer synchronisation mechanism
48designed for lock-less read operations.
49The read operations may happen from software interrupt at
50.Dv IPL_SOFTCLOCK .
51.Sh FUNCTIONS
52.Bl -tag -width compact
53.It Fn pserialize_create
54Allocate a new synchronisation object.
55.It Fn pserialize_destroy
56Destroy the synchronisation object.
57No synchronisation activity should happen at this point.
58.It Fn pserialize_read_enter
59Enter the critical path of the reader side.
60Returns an IPL value, which must be passed to
61.Xr pserialize_read_exit 9 .
62Protected code path is not allowed to block.
63.It Fn pserialize_read_exit
64Exit the critical path of the reader side.
65Takes the IPL value returned by
66.Xr pserialize_read_enter 9 .
67.It Fn pserialize_perform
68Perform the passive serialization on the writer side.
69Passing of this function ensures that no readers are in action.
70Writers are typically additionally serialized with a separate
71mechanism, e.g.
72.Xr mutex 9 ,
73to remove objects used by readers from a published list.
74Operation blocks and it may only be performed from thread context.
75.El
76.\" -----
77.Sh EXAMPLES
78Given a global database of frotz records:
79.Bd -literal
80	struct frotz {
81		...
82		struct frotz	*f_next;
83	};
84
85	static struct {
86		kmutex_t	lock;
87		pserialize_t	psz;
88		struct frotz	*first;
89	} frobbotzim __cacheline_aligned;
90.Ed
91.Pp
92Create a frotz and publish it, as a writer:
93.Bd -literal
94	struct frotz *f = pool_get(&frotz_pool, PR_WAITOK);
95
96	/* Initialize f.  */
97	...
98
99	mutex_enter(&frobbotzim.lock);
100	f->f_next = frobbotzim.first;
101	/*
102	 * Publish the contents of f->f_next before we publish the
103	 * pointer to f in frobbotzim.first.
104	 */
105	membar_producer();
106	frobbotzim.first = f;
107	mutex_exit(&frobbotzim.lock);
108.Ed
109.Pp
110Find a frotz, as a reader:
111.Bd -literal
112	struct frotz *f;
113	int error = ENOENT;
114	int s;
115
116	s = pserialize_read_enter();
117	for (f = frobbotzim.first; f != NULL; f = f->f_next) {
118		/* Fetch f before we fetch anything f points to.  */
119		membar_datadep_consumer();
120		if (f->f_... == key) {
121			/*
122			 * Grab whatever part of the frotz we need.
123			 * Note that we can't use the frotz after
124			 * pserialize_read_exit, without a stronger
125			 * kind of reference, say a reference count
126			 * managed by atomic_ops(3).
127			 */
128			*resultp = f->f_...;
129			error = 0;
130			break;
131		}
132	}
133	pserialize_read_exit(s);
134
135	return error;
136.Ed
137.Pp
138Remove a frotz, as a writer, and free it once there are no more
139readers:
140.Bd -literal
141	struct frotz **fp, *f;
142
143	mutex_enter(&frobbotzim.lock);
144	for (fp = &frobbotzim.first; (f = *fp) != NULL; fp = &f->f_next) {
145		if (f->f_... == key) {
146			/*
147			 * Unhook it from the list.  Readers may still
148			 * be traversing the list at this point, so
149			 * the next pointer must remain valid and
150			 * memory must remain allocated.
151			 */
152			*fp = f->f_next;
153			break;
154		}
155	}
156	mutex_exit(&frobbotzim.lock);
157
158	/*
159	 * Wait for all existing readers to complete.  New readers will
160	 * not see f because the list no longer points to it.
161	 */
162	pserialize_perform(frobbotzim.psz);
163
164	/* Now nobody else can be touching f, so it is safe to free.  */
165	if (f != NULL)
166		pool_put(&frotz_pool, f);
167.Ed
168.\" -----
169.Sh CODE REFERENCES
170The
171.Nm
172is implemented within the file
173.Pa sys/kern/subr_pserialize.c .
174.Sh SEE ALSO
175.Xr membar_ops 3 ,
176.Xr condvar 9 ,
177.Xr mutex 9 ,
178.Xr rwlock 9
179.Rs
180.%A Hennessy, et al.
181.%T "Passive serialization in a multitasking environment"
182.%I US Patent and Trademark Office
183.%D February 28, 1989
184.%N US Patent 4809168
185.Re
186.Sh HISTORY
187Passive serialization mechanism first appeared in
188.Nx 6.0 .
189