Processor Ordering

Recall from Chapter 9 that architectures have varying degrees of processor ordering. Some have very strict ordering constraints in which all loads and stores occur in the order prescribed by the code. Other chips have very weak ordering and loads and stores are reordered as the processor sees fit.

In your code, if you depend on data ordering, ensure that even the weakest ordered processor commits your load and stores in the right order by using the appropriate barriers, such as rmb() and wmb(). Chapter 9 has more information.