xref: /netbsd-src/share/man/man9/pserialize.9 (revision f89f6560d453f5e37386cc7938c072d2f528b9fa)
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27.Dd November 21, 2014
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	kmutex_t frobbotzim_lock;
85	struct frotz *frobbotzim;
86	pserialize_t frobbotzim_psz;
87.Ed
88.Pp
89Create a frotz and publish it, as a writer:
90.Bd -literal
91	struct frotz *f = pool_get(\*[Am]frotz_pool, PR_WAITOK);
92
93	/* Initialize f.  */
94	...
95
96	mutex_enter(\*[Am]frobbotzim_lock);
97	f->f_next = frobbotzim;
98	/*
99	 * Publish the contents of f->f_next before we publish the
100	 * pointer to f in frobbotzim.
101	 */
102	membar_producer();
103	frobbotzim = f;
104	mutex_exit(\*[Am]frobbotzim_lock);
105.Ed
106.Pp
107Find a frotz, as a reader:
108.Bd -literal
109	struct frotz *f;
110	int error = ENOENT;
111	int s;
112
113	s = pserialize_read_enter();
114	for (f = frobbotzim; f != NULL; f = f->f_next) {
115		/* Fetch f before we fetch anything f points to.  */
116		membar_datadep_consumer();
117		if (f->f_... == key) {
118			*resultp = f->f_...;
119			error = 0;
120			break;
121		}
122	}
123	pserialize_read_exit(s);
124
125	return error;
126.Ed
127.Pp
128Remove a frotz, as a writer, and free it once there are no more
129readers:
130.Bd -literal
131	struct frotz **fp, *f;
132
133	mutex_enter(\*[Am]frobbotzim_lock);
134	for (fp = \*[Am]frobbotzim; (f = *fp) != NULL; fp = &f->f_next) {
135		if (f->f_... == key) {
136			/*
137			 * Unhook it from the list.  Readers may still
138			 * be traversing the list at this point, so
139			 * the next pointer must remain valid and
140			 * memory must remain allocated.
141			 */
142			*fp = f->f_next;
143			break;
144		}
145	}
146	/*
147	 * Wait for all existing readers to complete.  New readers will
148	 * not see f because the list no longer points to it.
149	 */
150	pserialize_perform(frobbotzim_psz);
151	/* Now nobody else can be touching f, so it is safe to free.  */
152	mutex_exit(\*[Am]frobbotzim_lock);
153
154	if (f != NULL)
155		pool_put(\*[Am]frotz_pool, f);
156.Ed
157.\" -----
158.Sh CODE REFERENCES
159The
160.Nm
161is implemented within the file
162.Pa sys/kern/subr_pserialize.c .
163.Sh SEE ALSO
164.Xr membar_ops 3 ,
165.Xr condvar 9 ,
166.Xr mutex 9 ,
167.Xr rwlock 9
168.Rs
169.%A Hennessy, et al.
170.%T "Passive serialization in a multitasking environment"
171.%I US Patent and Trademark Office
172.%D February 28, 1989
173.%N US Patent 4809168
174.Re
175.Sh HISTORY
176Passive serialization mechanism first appeared in
177.Nx 6.0 .
178