Re: [Xen-devel] [libvirt] [PATCH 00/12] libxl: fork: SIGCHLD flexibility

[Ian Jackson <Ian.Jackson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Daniel P. Berrange writes ("Re: [libvirt] [Xen-devel] [PATCH 00/12] libxl: 
fork: SIGCHLD flexibility"):
> Yes, you are correct. The threading model for libvirtd is that the
> process thread leader executes the event loop, dealing with timer
> and file descriptor I/O callbacks. There are also 'n' worker threads
> which exclusively handle public API calls from libvirt clients. IOW
> all your timer callbacks will be in one thread - which also means
> you want your timer callbacks to be fast to execute.

Right.  Good.  All of libxl's callbacks should be fast.

There is still the problem that libxl functions on other threads may
make an fd deregistration call, while libvirt's event loop is still
polling (or selecting) on the fd in the main loop.

libxl might then close the fd, dup2 something onto it, leave the fd to
be reused for some other object.

Depending on the underlying kernel, that can cause side effects.  I
have reproduced the analogous bug with libxl's event loop, but I had
to use an fd connected to the controlling tty, from a background
process group, when the tty has stty tostop.  polling such a thing for
POLLOUT raises SIGTTOU.

Of course the libvirt xl driver still needs to cope with being told by
libxl to register or modify a timeout, or register deregister or
modify an fd, in other than the master thread.

Ian.

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