xref: /netbsd-src/share/man/man9/pserialize.9 (revision 627f7eb200a4419d89b531d55fccd2ee3ffdcde0)
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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 must be additionally serialized with a separate mechanism,
71e.g.
72.Xr mutex 9 .
73Operation blocks and it may only be performed from thread context.
74.El
75.\" -----
76.Sh EXAMPLES
77Given a global database of frotz records:
78.Bd -literal
79	struct frotz {
80		...
81		struct frotz	*f_next;
82	};
83
84	static struct {
85		kmutex_t	lock;
86		pserialize_t	psz;
87		struct frotz	*first;
88	} frobbotzim __cacheline_aligned;
89.Ed
90.Pp
91Create a frotz and publish it, as a writer:
92.Bd -literal
93	struct frotz *f = pool_get(&frotz_pool, PR_WAITOK);
94
95	/* Initialize f.  */
96	...
97
98	mutex_enter(&frobbotzim.lock);
99	f->f_next = frobbotzim.first;
100	/*
101	 * Publish the contents of f->f_next before we publish the
102	 * pointer to f in frobbotzim.first.
103	 */
104	membar_producer();
105	frobbotzim.first = f;
106	mutex_exit(&frobbotzim.lock);
107.Ed
108.Pp
109Find a frotz, as a reader:
110.Bd -literal
111	struct frotz *f;
112	int error = ENOENT;
113	int s;
114
115	s = pserialize_read_enter();
116	for (f = frobbotzim.first; f != NULL; f = f->f_next) {
117		/* Fetch f before we fetch anything f points to.  */
118		membar_datadep_consumer();
119		if (f->f_... == key) {
120			/*
121			 * Grab whatever part of the frotz we need.
122			 * Note that we can't use the frotz after
123			 * pserialize_read_exit, without a stronger
124			 * kind of reference, say a reference count
125			 * managed by atomic_ops(3).
126			 */
127			*resultp = f->f_...;
128			error = 0;
129			break;
130		}
131	}
132	pserialize_read_exit(s);
133
134	return error;
135.Ed
136.Pp
137Remove a frotz, as a writer, and free it once there are no more
138readers:
139.Bd -literal
140	struct frotz **fp, *f;
141
142	mutex_enter(&frobbotzim.lock);
143	for (fp = &frobbotzim.first; (f = *fp) != NULL; fp = &f->f_next) {
144		if (f->f_... == key) {
145			/*
146			 * Unhook it from the list.  Readers may still
147			 * be traversing the list at this point, so
148			 * the next pointer must remain valid and
149			 * memory must remain allocated.
150			 */
151			*fp = f->f_next;
152			break;
153		}
154	}
155	/*
156	 * Wait for all existing readers to complete.  New readers will
157	 * not see f because the list no longer points to it.
158	 */
159	pserialize_perform(frobbotzim.psz);
160	/* Now nobody else can be touching f, so it is safe to free.  */
161	mutex_exit(&frobbotzim.lock);
162
163	if (f != NULL)
164		pool_put(&frotz_pool, f);
165.Ed
166.\" -----
167.Sh CODE REFERENCES
168The
169.Nm
170is implemented within the file
171.Pa sys/kern/subr_pserialize.c .
172.Sh SEE ALSO
173.Xr membar_ops 3 ,
174.Xr condvar 9 ,
175.Xr mutex 9 ,
176.Xr rwlock 9
177.Rs
178.%A Hennessy, et al.
179.%T "Passive serialization in a multitasking environment"
180.%I US Patent and Trademark Office
181.%D February 28, 1989
182.%N US Patent 4809168
183.Re
184.Sh HISTORY
185Passive serialization mechanism first appeared in
186.Nx 6.0 .
187