RFR: 8188858: Caching latestUserDefinedLoader() results in ObjectInputStream.readObject()

[Kazunori Ogata]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for your comments and the fix.  It's a good idea to mark 
cachedLoader with the Thread object.


I think we need to check the marking thread of cachedLoader before 
updating it.  Otherwise, there is a scenario that can leak a CachedLoader 
object:

//1. Thread-A enters readObject() and then call resolveClass()
outerCL-A <- null
cachedLoader <- Thread-A
cachedLoader <- CachedLoader-A

//2. Thread-B enters readObject() and then call resolveClass()
outerCL-B <- CachedLoader-A
cachedLoader <- Thread-B
cachedLoader <- CachedLoader-B1

//3. Thread-B returns from readObject()
cachedLoader is unchanged because outerCL.thread == Thread-A

//4. Thread-B enters readObject() again and then call resolveClass()
outerCL-B <- CachedLoader-B1
cachedLoader <- Thread-B
cachedLoader <- CachedLoader-B2

//5. Thread-A returns from readObject()
cachedLoader <- null

//6. Thread-B returns from readObject()
cachedLoader <- CachedLoader-B1  // Because outerCL-B.thread is Thread-B


By adding checking before updating the mark, Thread-B won't update 
cachedLoader, or it only saves null when race occurs (and always restores 
to null on exit).


Here is the updated webrev: 
http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~horii/8188858/webrev.03/

I also made minor changes to reduce the number of invocation of the JNI 
method Thread.currentThread().


Regards,
Ogata



From:   Peter Levart <peter.levart at gmail.com>
To:     Kazunori Ogata <OGATAK at jp.ibm.com>, Alan Bateman 
<Alan.Bateman at oracle.com>
Cc:     core-libs-dev at openjdk.java.net
Date:   2017/10/16 19:58
Subject:        Re: RFR: 8188858: Caching latestUserDefinedLoader() 
results in ObjectInputStream.readObject()



Hi Ogata,

I found a problem in my last suggestion. See below...

On 10/16/2017 11:36 AM, Peter Levart wrote:
>
>
> On 10/16/2017 11:02 AM, Peter Levart wrote:
>> For example:
>> - let public readObject() / readUnshared() entry and exit points just 
>> clear the cached loader (set it to null).
>
> An alternative would be for entry point to save and clear the cached 
> loader while exit point would restore / clear it if it is from correct 
> thread / when the call was not nested. Like the following:
>
> public Object readObject() {
>     CachedLoader outerCL = cachedLoader;
>     cachedLoader = null;
>     try {
>         ...
>     } finally {
>         if (outerCL == null || outerCL.thread == 
> Thread.currentThread()) {
>             // restore/clear cached loader when nested/outer call ends
>             cachedLoader = outerCL;
>         }
>     }
> }
>
> with resolveClass() fragment repeated here for comparison:
>
>           CachedLoader cl = cachedLoader;
>           Thread curThread = Thread.currentThread();
>           ClassLoader loader;
>           if (cl == null) {
>               loader = latestUserDefinedLoader();
>               cachedLoader = new CachedLoader(loader, curThread);
>           } else if (cl.thread == curThread) {
>               loader = cl.loader;
>           } else {
>               // multi threaded use
>               loader = latestUserDefinedLoader();
>           }
>
>           // and then...
>           return Class.forName(name, false, loader);
>
>
> There are all sorts of races possible when called concurrently from 
> multiple threads, but the worst consequence is that the loader is not 
> cached. I also think that even in the presence of races, the 
> cachedLoader is eventually cleared when all calls to OIS complete. I 
> couldn't think of a situation where such cached loader would remain 
> hanging off the completed OIS because of races.
>
> Well, there is one such situation but for a different reason. For 
> example, if an OIS subclass is constructed solely to override 
> resolveClass method to make it accessible to custom code (for example, 
> make it public and call super.resolveClass()) in order to provide a 
> utility for resolving classes with the default OIS semantics, but such 
> OIS instance is never used for deserialization itself 
> (readObject()/readUnshared() is never called).
>
> To solve this problem, resolveClass() logic, including lazy caching, 
> should be moved to a private method (resolveClass0()) with protected 
> resolveClass() treated like public readObject()/readUnshared() with 
> before/after treatment of cached loader around delegation to 
> resolveClass0(). All OIS internal uses of resolveClass() should then 
> be redirected to resolveClass0().

Oops, this would not work for subclasses that override resolveClass() 
with custom logic. Hm...

The correct and optimal solution is a little bit more involved, I think. 
Here's what I think should work (did not run any tests yet):

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__cr.openjdk.java.net_-7Eplevart_jdk10-2Ddev_8188858-5FOIS.latestUserDefinedLoader.caching_webrev.01_&d=DwIDaQ&c=jf_iaSHvJObTbx-siA1ZOg&r=p-FJcrbNvnCOLkbIdmQ2tigCrcpdU77tlI2EIdaEcJw&m=PbaGqOdJOR6jMQkXDVYmjn6832m7o0LU2bzwt2awUgQ&s=gKz_rwcTcGIw8JvmRqlg1-OtjqFNXmIs4oQmIXlF3Wc&e=



Regards, Peter