Documentation/sparse.txt: document context annotations for lock checking

The context feature of sparse is used with the Linux kernel sources to check for imbalanced uses of locks. Document the annotations defined in include/linux/compiler.h that tell sparse what to expect when a lock is held on function entry, exit, or both.

Signed-off-by Ed Cashin <[email protected]>

 Documentation/sparse.txt |   18 ++++++++++++++++++
 1 files changed, 18 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)

Documentation/sparse.txt +18 -0

index 4909d41..eceab13 100644
@@ -49,6 +49,24 @@ be generated without __CHECK_ENDIAN__.
 __bitwise - noisy stuff; in particular, __le*/__be* are that.  We really
 don't want to drown in noise unless we'd explicitly asked for it.
 
+Using sparse for lock checking
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The following macros are undefined for gcc and defined during a sparse
+run to use the "context" tracking feature of sparse, applied to
+locking.  These annotations tell sparse when a lock is held, with
+regard to the annotated function's entry and exit.
+
+__must_hold - The specified lock is held on function entry and exit.
+
+__acquires - The specified lock is held on function exit, but not entry.
+
+__releases - The specified lock is held on function entry, but not exit.
+
+If the function enters and exits without the lock held, acquiring and
+releasing the lock inside the function in a balanced way, no
+annotation is needed.  The tree annotations above are for cases where
+sparse would otherwise report a context imbalance.
 
 Getting sparse
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Signature · 1 line

1.7.1

The context feature of sparse is used with the Linux kernel sources to check for imbalanced uses of locks. Document the annotations defined in include/linux/compiler.h that tell sparse what to expect when a lock is held on function entry, exit, or both.

Signed-off-by Ed Cashin <[email protected]>