Add notes about memory ordering to futex parker implementation.

1 files changed, 20 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/library/std/src/thread/parker/futex.rs b/library/std/src/thread/parker/futex.rs
index 2d7a7770508..a5d4927dcc5 100644
--- a/library/std/src/thread/parker/futex.rs
+++ b/library/std/src/thread/parker/futex.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,26 @@ pub struct Parker {
     state: AtomicI32,
 }
 
+// Notes about memory ordering:
+//
+// Memory ordering is only relevant for the relative ordering of operations
+// between different variables. Even Ordering::Relaxed guarantees a
+// monotonic/consistent order when looking at just a single atomic variable.
+//
+// So, since this parker is just a single atomic variable, we only need to look
+// at the ordering guarantees we need to provide to the 'outside world'.
+//
+// The only memory ordering guarantee that parking and unparking provide, is
+// that things which happened before unpark() are visible on the thread
+// returning from park() afterwards. Otherwise, it was effectively unparked
+// before unpark() was called while still consuming the 'token'.
+//
+// In other words, unpark() needs to synchronize with the part of park() that
+// consumes the token and returns.
+//
+// This is done with a release-acquire synchronization, by using
+// Ordering::Release when writing NOTIFIED (the 'token') in unpark(), and using
+// Ordering::Acquire when checking for this state in park().
 impl Parker {
     #[inline]
     pub const fn new() -> Self {