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| author | Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@kernel.org> | 2026-08-14 15:43:51 -0700 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@kernel.org> | 2026-08-14 15:43:51 -0700 |
| commit | 9cc63f8bcd560c760d0b12e15bba8f81c86237cf (patch) | |
| tree | 3b5269b1bcf6714171754946367c51e0590f64da /Documentation/driver-api/sync_file.rst | |
| download | linux-stable-9cc63f8bcd560c760d0b12e15bba8f81c86237cf.tar.gz linux-stable-9cc63f8bcd560c760d0b12e15bba8f81c86237cf.zip | |
Merge branches 'expcb.2026.07.24a', 'misc.2026.07.30a', 'rcu-tasks.2026.07.30a', 'srcu.2026.08.11a' and 'torture.2026.08.14a' into HEADgrafted
Changes:
Make expedited grace periods expedite normal RCU callbacks
Miscellaneous fixes:
* Improve diagnostic output with character task states.
* Mark accesses to inform KCSAN of concurrency design.
* Move from kmalloc() to kmalloc_obj().
* Documentation updates.
* Improve handling of RCU deferred quiescent states.
* Clean up unused function arguments and structure fields.
* Reduce show_rcu_gp_kthreads() stack space.
Tasks RCU updates:
* Clean up after SRCU re-implementation of Tasks Trace RCU.
* Mark accesses to inform KCSAN of concurrency design.
* Add ->lazy_timer status to diagnostic output.
* Remove an unnecessary memory barrier.
* Fix a data race, courtesy of KCSAN.
* Documentation updates.
* Convert cond_resched_tasks_rcu_qs() from macro to static inline
function.
SRCU updates:
* Add Rust helpers for SRCU.
* Avoid losing queued work at cleanup_srcu_struct() time.
Torture-test updates:
* Preparation work for immediate RCU priority deboosting.
* Test RCU readers from real interrupt handlers (as opposed to softirq).
* Simplify code through use of cpumask_next_wrap().
* Improve diagnostic output with character task states.
* Add rcutorture.nwriters parameter to allow lightweight stall testing,
and rcutorture.stall_only to make doing so easier.
* Test an RCU Tasks Trace grace period implying an RCU grace period.
* Make RCU Tasks Trace torturing track reader batches.
* Fix a data race, courtesy of KCSAN.
* Plug a shuffle_tmp_mask memory leak on kthread spawn failure.
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/driver-api/sync_file.rst')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/driver-api/sync_file.rst | 86 |
1 files changed, 86 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/sync_file.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/sync_file.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..496fb2c3b --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/driver-api/sync_file.rst @@ -0,0 +1,86 @@ +=================== +Sync File API Guide +=================== + +:Author: Gustavo Padovan <gustavo at padovan dot org> + +This document serves as a guide for device drivers writers on what the +sync_file API is, and how drivers can support it. Sync file is the carrier of +the fences(struct dma_fence) that are needed to synchronize between drivers or +across process boundaries. + +The sync_file API is meant to be used to send and receive fence information +to/from userspace. It enables userspace to do explicit fencing, where instead +of attaching a fence to the buffer a producer driver (such as a GPU or V4L +driver) sends the fence related to the buffer to userspace via a sync_file. + +The sync_file then can be sent to the consumer (DRM driver for example), that +will not use the buffer for anything before the fence(s) signals, i.e., the +driver that issued the fence is not using/processing the buffer anymore, so it +signals that the buffer is ready to use. And vice-versa for the consumer -> +producer part of the cycle. + +Sync files allows userspace awareness on buffer sharing synchronization between +drivers. + +Sync file was originally added in the Android kernel but current Linux Desktop +can benefit a lot from it. + +in-fences and out-fences +------------------------ + +Sync files can go either to or from userspace. When a sync_file is sent from +the driver to userspace we call the fences it contains 'out-fences'. They are +related to a buffer that the driver is processing or is going to process, so +the driver creates an out-fence to be able to notify, through +dma_fence_signal(), when it has finished using (or processing) that buffer. +Out-fences are fences that the driver creates. + +On the other hand if the driver receives fence(s) through a sync_file from +userspace we call these fence(s) 'in-fences'. Receiving in-fences means that +we need to wait for the fence(s) to signal before using any buffer related to +the in-fences. + +Creating Sync Files +------------------- + +When a driver needs to send an out-fence userspace it creates a sync_file. + +Interface:: + + struct sync_file *sync_file_create(struct dma_fence *fence); + +The caller pass the out-fence and gets back the sync_file. That is just the +first step, next it needs to install an fd on sync_file->file. So it gets an +fd:: + + fd = get_unused_fd_flags(O_CLOEXEC); + +and installs it on sync_file->file:: + + fd_install(fd, sync_file->file); + +The sync_file fd now can be sent to userspace. + +If the creation process fail, or the sync_file needs to be released by any +other reason fput(sync_file->file) should be used. + +Receiving Sync Files from Userspace +----------------------------------- + +When userspace needs to send an in-fence to the driver it passes file descriptor +of the Sync File to the kernel. The kernel can then retrieve the fences +from it. + +Interface:: + + struct dma_fence *sync_file_get_fence(int fd); + + +The returned reference is owned by the caller and must be disposed of +afterwards using dma_fence_put(). In case of error, a NULL is returned instead. + +References: + +1. struct sync_file in include/linux/sync_file.h +2. All interfaces mentioned above defined in include/linux/sync_file.h |
