include/linux/gfp.h: clarify usage of GFP_ATOMIC in !preemptible contexts
There is a general understanding that GFP_ATOMIC/GFP_NOWAIT are to be used
from atomic contexts. E.g. from within a spin lock or from the IRQ
context. This is correct but there are some atomic contexts where the
above doesn't hold. One of them would be an NMI context. Page allocator
has never supported that and the general fear of this context didn't let
anybody to actually even try to use the allocator there. Good, but let's
be more specific about that.
Another such a context, and that is where people seem to be more daring,
is raw_spin_lock. Mostly because it simply resembles regular spin lock
which is supported by the allocator and there is not any implementation
difference with !RT kernels in the first place. Be explicit that such a
context is not supported by the allocator. The underlying reason is that
zone->lock would have to become raw_spin_lock as well and that has turned
out to be a problem for RT
(http://lkml.kernel.org/r/87mu305c1w.fsf@nanos.tec.linutronix.de).
Signed-off-by: Michal Hocko <mhocko@suse.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Reviewed-by: David Hildenbrand <david@redhat.com>
Reviewed-by: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de>
Reviewed-by: Uladzislau Rezki <urezki@gmail.com>
Cc: "Paul E. McKenney" <paulmck@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
Link: https://lkml.kernel.org/r/20200929123010.5137-1-mhocko@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
1 file changed