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    [PATCH] Add initial implementation of klist helpers. · 9a19fea4
    Patrick Mochel authored
    
    
    This klist interface provides a couple of structures that wrap around
    struct list_head to provide explicit list "head" (struct klist) and
    list "node" (struct klist_node) objects. For struct klist, a spinlock
    is included that protects access to the actual list itself. struct
    klist_node provides a pointer to the klist that owns it and a kref
    reference count that indicates the number of current users of that node
    in the list.
    
    The entire point is to provide an interface for iterating over a list
    that is safe and allows for modification of the list during the
    iteration (e.g. insertion and removal), including modification of the
    current node on the list.
    
    It works using a 3rd object type - struct klist_iter - that is declared
    and initialized before an iteration. klist_next() is used to acquire the
    next element in the list. It returns NULL if there are no more items.
    This klist interface provides a couple of structures that wrap around
    struct list_head to provide explicit list "head" (struct klist) and
    list "node" (struct klist_node) objects. For struct klist, a spinlock
    is included that protects access to the actual list itself. struct
    klist_node provides a pointer to the klist that owns it and a kref
    reference count that indicates the number of current users of that node
    in the list.
    
    The entire point is to provide an interface for iterating over a list
    that is safe and allows for modification of the list during the
    iteration (e.g. insertion and removal), including modification of the
    current node on the list.
    
    It works using a 3rd object type - struct klist_iter - that is declared
    and initialized before an iteration. klist_next() is used to acquire the
    next element in the list. It returns NULL if there are no more items.
    Internally, that routine takes the klist's lock, decrements the reference
    count of the previous klist_node and increments the count of the next
    klist_node. It then drops the lock and returns.
    
    There are primitives for adding and removing nodes to/from a klist.
    When deleting, klist_del() will simply decrement the reference count.
    Only when the count goes to 0 is the node removed from the list.
    klist_remove() will try to delete the node from the list and block
    until it is actually removed. This is useful for objects (like devices)
    that have been removed from the system and must be freed (but must wait
    until all accessors have finished).
    
    Internally, that routine takes the klist's lock, decrements the reference
    count of the previous klist_node and increments the count of the next
    klist_node. It then drops the lock and returns.
    
    There are primitives for adding and removing nodes to/from a klist.
    When deleting, klist_del() will simply decrement the reference count.
    Only when the count goes to 0 is the node removed from the list.
    klist_remove() will try to delete the node from the list and block
    until it is actually removed. This is useful for objects (like devices)
    that have been removed from the system and must be freed (but must wait
    until all accessors have finished).
    
    Signed-off-by: default avatarPatrick Mochel <mochel@digitalimplant.org>
    Signed-off-by: default avatarGreg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@suse.de>
    
    diff -Nru a/include/linux/klist.h b/include/linux/klist.h
    9a19fea4