[2/8] doc: Make whatisRCU.rst note that spinlocks are RCU readers

Commit Message

Boqun Feng Jan. 26, 2024, 3:58 a.m. UTC

From: "Paul E. McKenney" <[e-mail]>

In kernels built with CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT=n, spinlock critical sections
are RCU readers because they disable preemption.  However, they are also
RCU readers in CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT=y because in that case the locking
primitives contain rcu_read_lock() and rcu_read_unlock().  Therefore,
upgrade whatisRCU.rst to document this non-obvious case.

Signed-off-by: Paul E. McKenney <[e-mail]>
---
 Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.rst | 15 +++++++++++++--
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

Patch

diff --git a/Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.rst b/Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.rst
index 60ce02475142..246ce0d0b4d1 100644
--- a/Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.rst
+++ b/Documentation/RCU/whatisRCU.rst
@@ -172,14 +172,25 @@  rcu_read_lock()
 	critical section.  Reference counts may be used in conjunction
 	with RCU to maintain longer-term references to data structures.
 
+	Note that anything that disables bottom halves, preemption,
+	or interrupts also enters an RCU read-side critical section.
+	Acquiring a spinlock also enters an RCU read-side critical
+	sections, even for spinlocks that do not disable preemption,
+	as is the case in kernels built with CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT=y.
+	Sleeplocks do *not* enter RCU read-side critical sections.
+
 rcu_read_unlock()
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 	void rcu_read_unlock(void);
 
 	This temporal primitives is used by a reader to inform the
 	reclaimer that the reader is exiting an RCU read-side critical
-	section.  Note that RCU read-side critical sections may be nested
-	and/or overlapping.
+	section.  Anything that enables bottom halves, preemption,
+	or interrupts also exits an RCU read-side critical section.
+	Releasing a spinlock also exits an RCU read-side critical section.
+
+	Note that RCU read-side critical sections may be nested and/or
+	overlapping.
 
 synchronize_rcu()
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^