From a9e3760b0838299649c0d57cca44daaf40ba3c33 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Tejun Heo Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2026 22:12:34 -1000 Subject: sched_ext: Maintain an online cid mask in the scheduler arena Schedulers on the default cid mapping treat [0, nr_online_cids) as the online set and restart on hotplug. Schedulers that install their own mapping with scx_bpf_cid_override() have no way to learn which cids are online: the count no longer identifies members and the CPU-form cpumask is unusable from cid programs. This is an obvious hole in the cid API. Add scx_bpf_online_cmask(), a kernel-maintained cmask in the scheduler's arena, allocated alongside the per-CPU scratch masks and populated after the cid mapping is finalized and before ops.init(), for child schedulers too. The pointer stays valid through ops.exit() with no reference to take. It is the arena offset as a void pointer, the same form struct_ops arena arguments arrive in. The verifier types the void return as a scalar for the program's arena cast. The mask follows the SCX hotplug notifications: seeded from cpu_active_mask and updated before ops.cid_online/offline() runs, so it lags cpu_online_mask only inside a hotplug transition. Updates walk the scheduler list under the lock that also serializes unlinking. Reads are live, not atomic snapshots. Root initialization excludes hotplug. v2: Reworded the getter kerneldoc (Andrea Righi). Signed-off-by: Tejun Heo Reviewed-by: Andrea Righi --- Documentation/driver-api/sync_file.rst | 86 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 86 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Documentation/driver-api/sync_file.rst (limited to 'Documentation/driver-api/sync_file.rst') 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 + +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 -- cgit v1.3.1