rust-raspberrypi-OS-tutorials/04_safe_globals

Tutorial 04 - Safe Globals

tl;dr

• A pseudo-lock is introduced.
• It is a first showcase of OS synchronization primitives and enables safe access to a global data structure.

Mutable globals in Rust

When we introduced the globally usable print! macros in tutorial 03, we cheated a bit. Calling core::fmt's write_fmt() function, which takes an &mut self, was only working because on each call, a new instance of QEMUOutput was created.

If we would want to preserve some state, e.g. statistics about the number of characters written, we need to make a single global instance of QEMUOutput (in Rust, using the static keyword).

A static QEMU_OUTPUT, however, would not allow to call functions taking &mut self. For that, we would need a static mut, but calling functions that mutate state on static muts is unsafe. The Rust compiler's reasoning for this is that it can then not prevent anymore that multiple cores/threads are mutating the data concurrently (it is a global, so everyone can reference it from anywhere. The borrow checker can't help here).

The solution to this problem is to wrap the global into a synchronization primitive. In our case, a variant of a MUTual EXclusion primitive. Mutex is introduced as a trait in synchronization.rs, and implemented by the NullLock in the same file. In order to make the code lean for teaching purposes, it leaves out the actual architecture-specific logic for protection against concurrent access, since we don't need it as long as the kernel only executes on a single core with interrupts disabled.

The NullLock focuses on showcasing the Rust core concept of interior mutability. Make sure to read up on it. I also recommend to read this article about an accurate mental model for Rust's reference types.

If you want to compare the NullLock to some real-world mutex implementations, you can check out implemntations in the spin crate or the parking lot crate.

Test it

$ make qemu
[...]

[0] Hello from Rust!
[1] Chars written: 22
[2] Stopping here.

Diff to previous

diff -uNr 03_hacky_hello_world/Cargo.toml 04_safe_globals/Cargo.toml
--- 03_hacky_hello_world/Cargo.toml
+++ 04_safe_globals/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "mingo"
-version = "0.3.0"
+version = "0.4.0"
 authors = ["Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>"]
 edition = "2021"


diff -uNr 03_hacky_hello_world/src/bsp/raspberrypi/console.rs 04_safe_globals/src/bsp/raspberrypi/console.rs
--- 03_hacky_hello_world/src/bsp/raspberrypi/console.rs
+++ 04_safe_globals/src/bsp/raspberrypi/console.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@

 //! BSP console facilities.

-use crate::console;
+use crate::{console, synchronization, synchronization::NullLock};
 use core::fmt;

 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -12,25 +12,64 @@
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 /// A mystical, magical device for generating QEMU output out of the void.
-struct QEMUOutput;
+///
+/// The mutex protected part.
+struct QEMUOutputInner {
+    chars_written: usize,
+}
+
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Public Definitions
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// The main struct.
+pub struct QEMUOutput {
+    inner: NullLock<QEMUOutputInner>,
+}
+
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Global instances
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+static QEMU_OUTPUT: QEMUOutput = QEMUOutput::new();

 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Private Code
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+impl QEMUOutputInner {
+    const fn new() -> QEMUOutputInner {
+        QEMUOutputInner { chars_written: 0 }
+    }
+
+    /// Send a character.
+    fn write_char(&mut self, c: char) {
+        unsafe {
+            core::ptr::write_volatile(0x3F20_1000 as *mut u8, c as u8);
+        }
+
+        self.chars_written += 1;
+    }
+}
+
 /// Implementing `core::fmt::Write` enables usage of the `format_args!` macros, which in turn are
 /// used to implement the `kernel`'s `print!` and `println!` macros. By implementing `write_str()`,
 /// we get `write_fmt()` automatically.
 ///
+/// The function takes an `&mut self`, so it must be implemented for the inner struct.
+///
 /// See [`src/print.rs`].
 ///
 /// [`src/print.rs`]: ../../print/index.html
-impl fmt::Write for QEMUOutput {
+impl fmt::Write for QEMUOutputInner {
     fn write_str(&mut self, s: &str) -> fmt::Result {
         for c in s.chars() {
-            unsafe {
-                core::ptr::write_volatile(0x3F20_1000 as *mut u8, c as u8);
+            // Convert newline to carrige return + newline.
+            if c == '\n' {
+                self.write_char('\r')
             }
+
+            self.write_char(c);
         }

         Ok(())
@@ -41,7 +80,39 @@
 // Public Code
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+impl QEMUOutput {
+    /// Create a new instance.
+    pub const fn new() -> QEMUOutput {
+        QEMUOutput {
+            inner: NullLock::new(QEMUOutputInner::new()),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Return a reference to the console.
-pub fn console() -> impl console::interface::Write {
-    QEMUOutput {}
+pub fn console() -> &'static dyn console::interface::All {
+    &QEMU_OUTPUT
 }
+
+//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// OS Interface Code
+//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+use synchronization::interface::Mutex;
+
+/// Passthrough of `args` to the `core::fmt::Write` implementation, but guarded by a Mutex to
+/// serialize access.
+impl console::interface::Write for QEMUOutput {
+    fn write_fmt(&self, args: core::fmt::Arguments) -> fmt::Result {
+        // Fully qualified syntax for the call to `core::fmt::Write::write_fmt()` to increase
+        // readability.
+        self.inner.lock(|inner| fmt::Write::write_fmt(inner, args))
+    }
+}
+
+impl console::interface::Statistics for QEMUOutput {
+    fn chars_written(&self) -> usize {
+        self.inner.lock(|inner| inner.chars_written)
+    }
+}
+
+impl console::interface::All for QEMUOutput {}

diff -uNr 03_hacky_hello_world/src/console.rs 04_safe_globals/src/console.rs
--- 03_hacky_hello_world/src/console.rs
+++ 04_safe_globals/src/console.rs
@@ -12,12 +12,24 @@

 /// Console interfaces.
 pub mod interface {
+    use core::fmt;
+
     /// Console write functions.
-    ///
-    /// `core::fmt::Write` is exactly what we need for now. Re-export it here because
-    /// implementing `console::Write` gives a better hint to the reader about the
-    /// intention.
-    pub use core::fmt::Write;
+    pub trait Write {
+        /// Write a Rust format string.
+        fn write_fmt(&self, args: fmt::Arguments) -> fmt::Result;
+    }
+
+    /// Console statistics.
+    pub trait Statistics {
+        /// Return the number of characters written.
+        fn chars_written(&self) -> usize {
+            0
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Trait alias for a full-fledged console.
+    pub trait All: Write + Statistics {}
 }

 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -27,6 +39,6 @@
 /// Return a reference to the console.
 ///
 /// This is the global console used by all printing macros.
-pub fn console() -> impl interface::Write {
+pub fn console() -> &'static dyn interface::All {
     bsp::console::console()
 }

diff -uNr 03_hacky_hello_world/src/main.rs 04_safe_globals/src/main.rs
--- 03_hacky_hello_world/src/main.rs
+++ 04_safe_globals/src/main.rs
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@
 #![feature(asm_const)]
 #![feature(format_args_nl)]
 #![feature(panic_info_message)]
+#![feature(trait_alias)]
 #![no_main]
 #![no_std]

@@ -117,6 +118,7 @@
 mod cpu;
 mod panic_wait;
 mod print;
+mod synchronization;

 /// Early init code.
 ///
@@ -124,7 +126,12 @@
 ///
 /// - Only a single core must be active and running this function.
 unsafe fn kernel_init() -> ! {
-    println!("Hello from Rust!");
+    use console::console;

-    panic!("Stopping here.")
+    println!("[0] Hello from Rust!");
+
+    println!("[1] Chars written: {}", console().chars_written());
+
+    println!("[2] Stopping here.");
+    cpu::wait_forever()
 }

diff -uNr 03_hacky_hello_world/src/print.rs 04_safe_globals/src/print.rs
--- 03_hacky_hello_world/src/print.rs
+++ 04_safe_globals/src/print.rs
@@ -13,8 +13,6 @@

 #[doc(hidden)]
 pub fn _print(args: fmt::Arguments) {
-    use console::interface::Write;
-
     console::console().write_fmt(args).unwrap();
 }


diff -uNr 03_hacky_hello_world/src/synchronization.rs 04_safe_globals/src/synchronization.rs
--- 03_hacky_hello_world/src/synchronization.rs
+++ 04_safe_globals/src/synchronization.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+//
+// Copyright (c) 2020-2023 Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>
+
+//! Synchronization primitives.
+//!
+//! # Resources
+//!
+//!   - <https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch16-04-extensible-concurrency-sync-and-send.html>
+//!   - <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59428096/understanding-the-send-trait>
+//!   - <https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/cell/index.html>
+
+use core::cell::UnsafeCell;
+
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Public Definitions
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// Synchronization interfaces.
+pub mod interface {
+
+    /// Any object implementing this trait guarantees exclusive access to the data wrapped within
+    /// the Mutex for the duration of the provided closure.
+    pub trait Mutex {
+        /// The type of the data that is wrapped by this mutex.
+        type Data;
+
+        /// Locks the mutex and grants the closure temporary mutable access to the wrapped data.
+        fn lock<'a, R>(&'a self, f: impl FnOnce(&'a mut Self::Data) -> R) -> R;
+    }
+}
+
+/// A pseudo-lock for teaching purposes.
+///
+/// In contrast to a real Mutex implementation, does not protect against concurrent access from
+/// other cores to the contained data. This part is preserved for later lessons.
+///
+/// The lock will only be used as long as it is safe to do so, i.e. as long as the kernel is
+/// executing single-threaded, aka only running on a single core with interrupts disabled.
+pub struct NullLock<T>
+where
+    T: ?Sized,
+{
+    data: UnsafeCell<T>,
+}
+
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Public Code
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+unsafe impl<T> Send for NullLock<T> where T: ?Sized + Send {}
+unsafe impl<T> Sync for NullLock<T> where T: ?Sized + Send {}
+
+impl<T> NullLock<T> {
+    /// Create an instance.
+    pub const fn new(data: T) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            data: UnsafeCell::new(data),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// OS Interface Code
+//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+impl<T> interface::Mutex for NullLock<T> {
+    type Data = T;
+
+    fn lock<'a, R>(&'a self, f: impl FnOnce(&'a mut Self::Data) -> R) -> R {
+        // In a real lock, there would be code encapsulating this line that ensures that this
+        // mutable reference will ever only be given out once at a time.
+        let data = unsafe { &mut *self.data.get() };
+
+        f(data)
+    }
+}