Linux Kernel Memory Consistency Model Going Into The 4.17 Kernel

A new "subsystem" going into the Linux 4.17 kernel is LKMM, the Linux Kernel Memory Consistency Model.

The Linux Kernel Memory Consistency Model is a set of tools to describe the Linux memory coherency model and in effect litmus tests for the kernel code. The Linux Kernel Memory Consistency Model has come about to overcome shortcomings of the memory barriers documentation.

The LKMM tests have already been successful in uncovering bugs within the kernel's locking primitives and for better documenting the Linux memory model.

Ingo Molnar sent in the pull request including the Linux Kernel Memory Consistency Model subsystem as part of the locking changes pull request on this first day of the Linux 4.17 kernel merge window. These changes add in five thousand new lines of code and documentation.