docs: ntsync: Add documentation for the ntsync uAPI.

Add an overall explanation of the driver architecture, and complete and precise
specification for its intended behaviour.

Signed-off-by: Elizabeth Figura <[e-mail]>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/[e-mail]
Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <[e-mail]>

Documentation/userspace-api/index.rst

···
    vduse
    futex2
    perf_ring_buffer
+   ntsync
 
 .. only::  subproject and html
 

Documentation/userspace-api/ntsync.rst

···
+===================================
+NT synchronization primitive driver
+===================================
+
+This page documents the user-space API for the ntsync driver.
+
+ntsync is a support driver for emulation of NT synchronization
+primitives by user-space NT emulators. It exists because implementation
+in user-space, using existing tools, cannot match Windows performance
+while offering accurate semantics. It is implemented entirely in
+software, and does not drive any hardware device.
+
+This interface is meant as a compatibility tool only, and should not
+be used for general synchronization. Instead use generic, versatile
+interfaces such as futex(2) and poll(2).
+
+Synchronization primitives
+==========================
+
+The ntsync driver exposes three types of synchronization primitives:
+semaphores, mutexes, and events.
+
+A semaphore holds a single volatile 32-bit counter, and a static 32-bit
+integer denoting the maximum value. It is considered signaled (that is,
+can be acquired without contention, or will wake up a waiting thread)
+when the counter is nonzero. The counter is decremented by one when a
+wait is satisfied. Both the initial and maximum count are established
+when the semaphore is created.
+
+A mutex holds a volatile 32-bit recursion count, and a volatile 32-bit
+identifier denoting its owner. A mutex is considered signaled when its
+owner is zero (indicating that it is not owned). The recursion count is
+incremented when a wait is satisfied, and ownership is set to the given
+identifier.
+
+A mutex also holds an internal flag denoting whether its previous owner
+has died; such a mutex is said to be abandoned. Owner death is not
+tracked automatically based on thread death, but rather must be
+communicated using ``NTSYNC_IOC_MUTEX_KILL``. An abandoned mutex is
+inherently considered unowned.
+
+Except for the "unowned" semantics of zero, the actual value of the
+owner identifier is not interpreted by the ntsync driver at all. The
+intended use is to store a thread identifier; however, the ntsync
+driver does not actually validate that a calling thread provides
+consistent or unique identifiers.
+
+An event is similar to a semaphore with a maximum count of one. It holds
+a volatile boolean state denoting whether it is signaled or not. There
+are two types of events, auto-reset and manual-reset. An auto-reset
+event is designaled when a wait is satisfied; a manual-reset event is
+not. The event type is specified when the event is created.
+
+Unless specified otherwise, all operations on an object are atomic and
+totally ordered with respect to other operations on the same object.
+
+Objects are represented by files. When all file descriptors to an
+object are closed, that object is deleted.
+
+Char device
+===========
+
+The ntsync driver creates a single char device /dev/ntsync. Each file
+description opened on the device represents a unique instance intended
+to back an individual NT virtual machine. Objects created by one ntsync
+instance may only be used with other objects created by the same
+instance.
+
+ioctl reference
+===============
+
+All operations on the device are done through ioctls. There are four
+structures used in ioctl calls::
+
+   struct ntsync_sem_args {
+   	__u32 count;
+   	__u32 max;
+   };
+
+   struct ntsync_mutex_args {
+   	__u32 owner;
+   	__u32 count;
+   };
+
+   struct ntsync_event_args {
+   	__u32 signaled;
+   	__u32 manual;
+   };
+
+   struct ntsync_wait_args {
+   	__u64 timeout;
+   	__u64 objs;
+   	__u32 count;
+   	__u32 owner;
+   	__u32 index;
+   	__u32 alert;
+   	__u32 flags;
+   	__u32 pad;
+   };
+
+Depending on the ioctl, members of the structure may be used as input,
+output, or not at all.
+
+The ioctls on the device file are as follows:
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_CREATE_SEM
+
+  Create a semaphore object. Takes a pointer to struct
+  :c:type:`ntsync_sem_args`, which is used as follows:
+
+  .. list-table::
+
+     * - ``count``
+       - Initial count of the semaphore.
+     * - ``max``
+       - Maximum count of the semaphore.
+
+  Fails with ``EINVAL`` if ``count`` is greater than ``max``.
+  On success, returns a file descriptor the created semaphore.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_CREATE_MUTEX
+
+  Create a mutex object. Takes a pointer to struct
+  :c:type:`ntsync_mutex_args`, which is used as follows:
+
+  .. list-table::
+
+     * - ``count``
+       - Initial recursion count of the mutex.
+     * - ``owner``
+       - Initial owner of the mutex.
+
+  If ``owner`` is nonzero and ``count`` is zero, or if ``owner`` is
+  zero and ``count`` is nonzero, the function fails with ``EINVAL``.
+  On success, returns a file descriptor the created mutex.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_CREATE_EVENT
+
+  Create an event object. Takes a pointer to struct
+  :c:type:`ntsync_event_args`, which is used as follows:
+
+  .. list-table::
+
+     * - ``signaled``
+       - If nonzero, the event is initially signaled, otherwise
+         nonsignaled.
+     * - ``manual``
+       - If nonzero, the event is a manual-reset event, otherwise
+         auto-reset.
+
+  On success, returns a file descriptor the created event.
+
+The ioctls on the individual objects are as follows:
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_SEM_POST
+
+  Post to a semaphore object. Takes a pointer to a 32-bit integer,
+  which on input holds the count to be added to the semaphore, and on
+  output contains its previous count.
+
+  If adding to the semaphore's current count would raise the latter
+  past the semaphore's maximum count, the ioctl fails with
+  ``EOVERFLOW`` and the semaphore is not affected. If raising the
+  semaphore's count causes it to become signaled, eligible threads
+  waiting on this semaphore will be woken and the semaphore's count
+  decremented appropriately.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_MUTEX_UNLOCK
+
+  Release a mutex object. Takes a pointer to struct
+  :c:type:`ntsync_mutex_args`, which is used as follows:
+
+  .. list-table::
+
+     * - ``owner``
+       - Specifies the owner trying to release this mutex.
+     * - ``count``
+       - On output, contains the previous recursion count.
+
+  If ``owner`` is zero, the ioctl fails with ``EINVAL``. If ``owner``
+  is not the current owner of the mutex, the ioctl fails with
+  ``EPERM``.
+
+  The mutex's count will be decremented by one. If decrementing the
+  mutex's count causes it to become zero, the mutex is marked as
+  unowned and signaled, and eligible threads waiting on it will be
+  woken as appropriate.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_SET_EVENT
+
+  Signal an event object. Takes a pointer to a 32-bit integer, which on
+  output contains the previous state of the event.
+
+  Eligible threads will be woken, and auto-reset events will be
+  designaled appropriately.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_RESET_EVENT
+
+  Designal an event object. Takes a pointer to a 32-bit integer, which
+  on output contains the previous state of the event.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_PULSE_EVENT
+
+  Wake threads waiting on an event object while leaving it in an
+  unsignaled state. Takes a pointer to a 32-bit integer, which on
+  output contains the previous state of the event.
+
+  A pulse operation can be thought of as a set followed by a reset,
+  performed as a single atomic operation. If two threads are waiting on
+  an auto-reset event which is pulsed, only one will be woken. If two
+  threads are waiting a manual-reset event which is pulsed, both will
+  be woken. However, in both cases, the event will be unsignaled
+  afterwards, and a simultaneous read operation will always report the
+  event as unsignaled.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_READ_SEM
+
+  Read the current state of a semaphore object. Takes a pointer to
+  struct :c:type:`ntsync_sem_args`, which is used as follows:
+
+  .. list-table::
+
+     * - ``count``
+       - On output, contains the current count of the semaphore.
+     * - ``max``
+       - On output, contains the maximum count of the semaphore.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_READ_MUTEX
+
+  Read the current state of a mutex object. Takes a pointer to struct
+  :c:type:`ntsync_mutex_args`, which is used as follows:
+
+  .. list-table::
+
+     * - ``owner``
+       - On output, contains the current owner of the mutex, or zero
+         if the mutex is not currently owned.
+     * - ``count``
+       - On output, contains the current recursion count of the mutex.
+
+  If the mutex is marked as abandoned, the function fails with
+  ``EOWNERDEAD``. In this case, ``count`` and ``owner`` are set to
+  zero.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_READ_EVENT
+
+  Read the current state of an event object. Takes a pointer to struct
+  :c:type:`ntsync_event_args`, which is used as follows:
+
+  .. list-table::
+
+     * - ``signaled``
+       - On output, contains the current state of the event.
+     * - ``manual``
+       - On output, contains 1 if the event is a manual-reset event,
+         and 0 otherwise.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_KILL_OWNER
+
+  Mark a mutex as unowned and abandoned if it is owned by the given
+  owner. Takes an input-only pointer to a 32-bit integer denoting the
+  owner. If the owner is zero, the ioctl fails with ``EINVAL``. If the
+  owner does not own the mutex, the function fails with ``EPERM``.
+
+  Eligible threads waiting on the mutex will be woken as appropriate
+  (and such waits will fail with ``EOWNERDEAD``, as described below).
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_WAIT_ANY
+
+  Poll on any of a list of objects, atomically acquiring at most one.
+  Takes a pointer to struct :c:type:`ntsync_wait_args`, which is
+  used as follows:
+
+  .. list-table::
+
+     * - ``timeout``
+       - Absolute timeout in nanoseconds. If ``NTSYNC_WAIT_REALTIME``
+         is set, the timeout is measured against the REALTIME clock;
+         otherwise it is measured against the MONOTONIC clock. If the
+         timeout is equal to or earlier than the current time, the
+         function returns immediately without sleeping. If ``timeout``
+         is U64_MAX, the function will sleep until an object is
+         signaled, and will not fail with ``ETIMEDOUT``.
+     * - ``objs``
+       - Pointer to an array of ``count`` file descriptors
+         (specified as an integer so that the structure has the same
+         size regardless of architecture). If any object is
+         invalid, the function fails with ``EINVAL``.
+     * - ``count``
+       - Number of objects specified in the ``objs`` array.
+         If greater than ``NTSYNC_MAX_WAIT_COUNT``, the function fails
+         with ``EINVAL``.
+     * - ``owner``
+       - Mutex owner identifier. If any object in ``objs`` is a mutex,
+         the ioctl will attempt to acquire that mutex on behalf of
+         ``owner``. If ``owner`` is zero, the ioctl fails with
+         ``EINVAL``.
+     * - ``index``
+       - On success, contains the index (into ``objs``) of the object
+         which was signaled. If ``alert`` was signaled instead,
+         this contains ``count``.
+     * - ``alert``
+       - Optional event object file descriptor. If nonzero, this
+         specifies an "alert" event object which, if signaled, will
+         terminate the wait. If nonzero, the identifier must point to a
+         valid event.
+     * - ``flags``
+       - Zero or more flags. Currently the only flag is
+         ``NTSYNC_WAIT_REALTIME``, which causes the timeout to be
+         measured against the REALTIME clock instead of MONOTONIC.
+     * - ``pad``
+       - Unused, must be set to zero.
+
+  This function attempts to acquire one of the given objects. If unable
+  to do so, it sleeps until an object becomes signaled, subsequently
+  acquiring it, or the timeout expires. In the latter case the ioctl
+  fails with ``ETIMEDOUT``. The function only acquires one object, even
+  if multiple objects are signaled.
+
+  A semaphore is considered to be signaled if its count is nonzero, and
+  is acquired by decrementing its count by one. A mutex is considered
+  to be signaled if it is unowned or if its owner matches the ``owner``
+  argument, and is acquired by incrementing its recursion count by one
+  and setting its owner to the ``owner`` argument. An auto-reset event
+  is acquired by designaling it; a manual-reset event is not affected
+  by acquisition.
+
+  Acquisition is atomic and totally ordered with respect to other
+  operations on the same object. If two wait operations (with different
+  ``owner`` identifiers) are queued on the same mutex, only one is
+  signaled. If two wait operations are queued on the same semaphore,
+  and a value of one is posted to it, only one is signaled.
+
+  If an abandoned mutex is acquired, the ioctl fails with
+  ``EOWNERDEAD``. Although this is a failure return, the function may
+  otherwise be considered successful. The mutex is marked as owned by
+  the given owner (with a recursion count of 1) and as no longer
+  abandoned, and ``index`` is still set to the index of the mutex.
+
+  The ``alert`` argument is an "extra" event which can terminate the
+  wait, independently of all other objects.
+
+  It is valid to pass the same object more than once, including by
+  passing the same event in the ``objs`` array and in ``alert``. If a
+  wakeup occurs due to that object being signaled, ``index`` is set to
+  the lowest index corresponding to that object.
+
+  The function may fail with ``EINTR`` if a signal is received.
+
+.. c:macro:: NTSYNC_IOC_WAIT_ALL
+
+  Poll on a list of objects, atomically acquiring all of them. Takes a
+  pointer to struct :c:type:`ntsync_wait_args`, which is used
+  identically to ``NTSYNC_IOC_WAIT_ANY``, except that ``index`` is
+  always filled with zero on success if not woken via alert.
+
+  This function attempts to simultaneously acquire all of the given
+  objects. If unable to do so, it sleeps until all objects become
+  simultaneously signaled, subsequently acquiring them, or the timeout
+  expires. In the latter case the ioctl fails with ``ETIMEDOUT`` and no
+  objects are modified.
+
+  Objects may become signaled and subsequently designaled (through
+  acquisition by other threads) while this thread is sleeping. Only
+  once all objects are simultaneously signaled does the ioctl acquire
+  them and return. The entire acquisition is atomic and totally ordered
+  with respect to other operations on any of the given objects.
+
+  If an abandoned mutex is acquired, the ioctl fails with
+  ``EOWNERDEAD``. Similarly to ``NTSYNC_IOC_WAIT_ANY``, all objects are
+  nevertheless marked as acquired. Note that if multiple mutex objects
+  are specified, there is no way to know which were marked as
+  abandoned.
+
+  As with "any" waits, the ``alert`` argument is an "extra" event which
+  can terminate the wait. Critically, however, an "all" wait will
+  succeed if all members in ``objs`` are signaled, *or* if ``alert`` is
+  signaled. In the latter case ``index`` will be set to ``count``. As
+  with "any" waits, if both conditions are filled, the former takes
+  priority, and objects in ``objs`` will be acquired.
+
+  Unlike ``NTSYNC_IOC_WAIT_ANY``, it is not valid to pass the same
+  object more than once, nor is it valid to pass the same object in
+  ``objs`` and in ``alert``. If this is attempted, the function fails
+  with ``EINVAL``.