[PATCH] kexec/crash: no crash update when kexec in progress

[Sourabh Jain]

On 08/09/24 16:00, Baoquan He wrote:
> On 09/05/24 at 02:07pm, Sourabh Jain wrote:
>> Hello Baoquan,
>>
>> On 05/09/24 08:53, Baoquan He wrote:
>>> On 09/04/24 at 02:55pm, Sourabh Jain wrote:
>>>> Hello Baoquan,
>>>>
>>>> On 30/08/24 16:47, Baoquan He wrote:
>>>>> On 08/20/24 at 12:10pm, Sourabh Jain wrote:
>>>>>> Hello Baoquan,
>>>>>>
>>> ......snip...
>>>>>> 2. A patch to return early from the `crash_handle_hotplug_event()` function
>>>>>> if `kexec_in_progress` is
>>>>>>       set to True. This is essentially my original patch.
>>>>> There's a race gap between the kexec_in_progress checking and the
>>>>> setting it to true which Michael has mentioned.
>>>> The window where kernel is holding kexec_lock to do kexec boot
>>>> but kexec_in_progress is yet not set to True.
>>>>
>>>> If kernel needs to handle crash hotplug event, the function
>>>> crash_handle_hotplug_event()  will not get the kexec_lock and
>>>> error out by printing error message about not able to update
>>>> kdump image.
>>> But you wanted to avoid the erroring out if it's being in
>>> kernel_kexec().  Now you are seeing at least one the noising
>>> message, aren't you?
>> Yes, but it is very rare to encounter.
>>
>> My comments on your updated code are inline below.
>>
>>>> I think it should be fine. Given that lock is already taken for
>>>> kexec kernel boot.
>>>>
>>>> Am I missing something major?
>>>>
>>>>> That's why I think
>>>>> maybe checking kexec_in_progress after failing to retriving
>>>>> __kexec_lock is a little better, not very sure.
>>>> Try for kexec lock before kexec_in_progress check will not solve
>>>> the original problem this patch trying to solve.
>>>>
>>>> You proposed the below changes earlier:
>>>>
>>>> -	if (!kexec_trylock()) {
>>>> +	if (!kexec_trylock() && kexec_in_progress) {
>>>>    		pr_info("kexec_trylock() failed, elfcorehdr may be inaccurate\n");
>>>>    		crash_hotplug_unlock();
>>> Ah, I meant as below, but wrote it mistakenly.
>>>
>>> diff --git a/kernel/crash_core.c b/kernel/crash_core.c
>>> index 63cf89393c6e..e7c7aa761f46 100644
>>> --- a/kernel/crash_core.c
>>> +++ b/kernel/crash_core.c
>>> @@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ int crash_check_hotplug_support(void)
>>>    	crash_hotplug_lock();
>>>    	/* Obtain lock while reading crash information */
>>> -	if (!kexec_trylock()) {
>>> +	if (!kexec_trylock() && !kexec_in_progress) {
>>>    		pr_info("kexec_trylock() failed, elfcorehdr may be inaccurate\n");
>>>    		crash_hotplug_unlock();
>>>    		return 0;
>>>
>>>
>>>> Once the kexec_in_progress is set to True there is no way one can get
>>>> kexec_lock. So kexec_trylock() before kexec_in_progress is not helpful
>>>> for the problem I am trying to solve.
>>> With your patch, you could still get the error message if the race gap
>>> exist. With above change, you won't get it. Please correct me if I am
>>> wrong.
>> The above code will print an error message during the race gap. Here's why:
>>
>> Let’s say the kexec lock is acquired in the kernel_kexec() function,
>> but kexec_in_progress is not yet set to True. In this scenario, the code
>> will print
>> an error message.
>>
>> There is another issue I see with the above code:
>>
>> Consider that the system is on the kexec kernel boot path, and
>> kexec_in_progress
>> is set to True. If crash_hotplug_unlock() is called, the kernel will not
>> only update
>> the kdump image without acquiring the kexec lock, but it will also release
>> the
>> kexec lock in the out label. I believe this is incorrect.
>>
>> Please share your thoughts.
> How about this?
>
> diff --git a/kernel/crash_core.c b/kernel/crash_core.c
> index 63cf89393c6e..8ba7b1da0ded 100644
> --- a/kernel/crash_core.c
> +++ b/kernel/crash_core.c
> @@ -505,7 +505,8 @@ int crash_check_hotplug_support(void)
>   	crash_hotplug_lock();
>   	/* Obtain lock while reading crash information */
>   	if (!kexec_trylock()) {
> -		pr_info("kexec_trylock() failed, elfcorehdr may be inaccurate\n");
> +		if (!kexec_in_progress)
> +			pr_info("kexec_trylock() failed, elfcorehdr may be inaccurate\n");
>   		crash_hotplug_unlock();
>   		return 0;
>   	}
> @@ -540,7 +541,8 @@ static void crash_handle_hotplug_event(unsigned int hp_action, unsigned int cpu,
>   	crash_hotplug_lock();
>   	/* Obtain lock while changing crash information */
>   	if (!kexec_trylock()) {
> -		pr_info("kexec_trylock() failed, elfcorehdr may be inaccurate\n");
> +		if (!kexec_in_progress)
> +			pr_info("kexec_trylock() failed, elfcorehdr may be inaccurate\n");
>   		crash_hotplug_unlock();
>   		return;
>   	}

Yes putting pr_info under kexec in progress check would work.

I will rebase the patch on top on next-20240906 to avoid conflict with
https://lore.kernel.org/all/20240812041651.703156-1-sourabhjain@linux.ibm.com/T/#u
and send v2.

Thanks,
Sourabh Jain