Re: [dpdk-dev] [PATCH] kni: fix kernel deadlock when using mlx devices

This fixes a deadlock when using KNI with bifurcated drivers.
Bringing kni device up always times out when using Mellanox
devices.

The kernel KNI driver sends message to userspace to complete
the request. For the case of bifurcated driver, this may involve
an additional request to kernel to change state. This request
would deadlock because KNI was holding the RTNL mutex.

This was a bad design which goes back to the original code.
A workaround is for KNI driver to drop RTNL while waiting.
To prevent the device from disappearing while the operation
is in progress, it needs to hold reference to network device
while waiting.

As an added benefit, an useless error check can also be removed.

Fixes: 3fc5ca2f6352 ("kni: initial import")
Cc: stable@dpdk.org
Signed-off-by: Stephen Hemminger <stephen@networkplumber.org>
---
 kernel/linux/kni/kni_net.c | 34 ++++++++++++++++++----------------
 1 file changed, 18 insertions(+), 16 deletions(-)

diff --git a/kernel/linux/kni/kni_net.c b/kernel/linux/kni/kni_net.c
index 1ba9b1b99f66..b7337c1410b8 100644
--- a/kernel/linux/kni/kni_net.c
+++ b/kernel/linux/kni/kni_net.c

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include <linux/skbuff.h>
 #include <linux/kthread.h>
 #include <linux/delay.h>
+#include <linux/rtnetlink.h>
 
 #include <rte_kni_common.h>
 #include <kni_fifo.h>

@@ -102,17 +103,15 @@ get_data_kva(struct kni_dev *kni, void *pkt_kva)
  * It can be called to process the request.
  */
 static int
-kni_net_process_request(struct kni_dev *kni, struct rte_kni_request *req)
+kni_net_process_request(struct net_device *dev, struct rte_kni_request *req)
 {
+	struct kni_dev *kni = netdev_priv(dev);
 	int ret = -1;
 	void *resp_va;
 	uint32_t num;
 	int ret_val;
 
-	if (!kni || !req) {
-		pr_err("No kni instance or request\n");
-		return -EINVAL;
-	}
+	ASSERT_RTNL();
 
 	mutex_lock(&kni->sync_lock);
 

@@ -125,8 +124,17 @@ kni_net_process_request(struct kni_dev *kni, struct rte_kni_request *req)
 		goto fail;
 	}
 
+	/* Since we need to wait and RTNL mutex is held
+	 * drop the mutex and hold refernce to keep device
+	 */
+	dev_hold(dev);
+	rtnl_unlock();
+
 	ret_val = wait_event_interruptible_timeout(kni->wq,
 			kni_fifo_count(kni->resp_q), 3 * HZ);
+	rtnl_lock();
+	dev_put(dev);
+
 	if (signal_pending(current) || ret_val <= 0) {
 		ret = -ETIME;
 		goto fail;