issue #477 / ansible: avoid a race in async job startup.

Ansible 2.3/Python 2.4 work revealed there is no guarantee a slow target
will have written the initial job status file out before a fast
controller makes an initial check for it. Therefore, provide AsyncRunner
with a sender it should send a message to when the initial job file has
been written.

As a bonus, also catch and report exceptions happening early in
AsyncRunner, rather than leaving them to end up in -vvv output.

ansible_mitogen/planner.py

@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ from ansible.executor import module_common
 import ansible.errors
 import ansible.module_utils
 import mitogen.core
+import mitogen.select
 
 import ansible_mitogen.loaders
 import ansible_mitogen.parsing
@@ -416,22 +417,33 @@ def _invoke_async_task(invocation, planner):
     job_id = '%016x' % random.randint(0, 2**64)
     context = invocation.connection.spawn_isolated_child()
     _propagate_deps(invocation, planner, context)
-    context.call_no_reply(
-        ansible_mitogen.target.run_module_async,
-        job_id=job_id,
-        timeout_secs=invocation.timeout_secs,
-        kwargs=planner.get_kwargs(),
-    )
 
-    return {
-        'stdout': json.dumps({
-            # modules/utilities/logic/async_wrapper.py::_run_module().
-            'changed': True,
-            'started': 1,
-            'finished': 0,
-            'ansible_job_id': job_id,
-        })
-    }
+    with mitogen.core.Receiver(context.router) as started_recv:
+        call_recv = context.call_async(
+            ansible_mitogen.target.run_module_async,
+            job_id=job_id,
+            timeout_secs=invocation.timeout_secs,
+            started_sender=started_recv.to_sender(),
+            kwargs=planner.get_kwargs(),
+        )
+
+        # Wait for run_module_async() to crash, or for AsyncRunner to indicate
+        # the job file has been written.
+        for msg in mitogen.select.Select([started_recv, call_recv]):
+            if msg.receiver is call_recv:
+                # It can only be an exception.
+                raise msg.unpickle()
+            break
+
+        return {
+            'stdout': json.dumps({
+                # modules/utilities/logic/async_wrapper.py::_run_module().
+                'changed': True,
+                'started': 1,
+                'finished': 0,
+                'ansible_job_id': job_id,
+            })
+        }
 
 
 def _invoke_isolated_task(invocation, planner):

ansible_mitogen/target.py

@@ -430,9 +430,10 @@ def _get_async_dir():
 
 
 class AsyncRunner(object):
-    def __init__(self, job_id, timeout_secs, econtext, kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, job_id, timeout_secs, started_sender, econtext, kwargs):
         self.job_id = job_id
         self.timeout_secs = timeout_secs
+        self.started_sender = started_sender
         self.econtext = econtext
         self.kwargs = kwargs
         self._timed_out = False
@@ -515,6 +516,7 @@ class AsyncRunner(object):
             'finished': 0,
             'pid': os.getpid()
         })
+        self.started_sender.send(True)
 
         if self.timeout_secs > 0:
             self._install_alarm()
@@ -550,13 +552,26 @@ class AsyncRunner(object):
 
 
 @mitogen.core.takes_econtext
-def run_module_async(kwargs, job_id, timeout_secs, econtext):
+def run_module_async(kwargs, job_id, timeout_secs, started_sender, econtext):
     """
     Execute a module with its run status and result written to a file,
     terminating on the process on completion. This function must run in a child
     forked using :func:`create_fork_child`.
-    """
-    arunner = AsyncRunner(job_id, timeout_secs, econtext, kwargs)
+
+    @param mitogen.core.Sender started_sender:
+        A sender that will receive :data:`True` once the job has reached a
+        point where its initial job file has been written. This is required to
+        avoid a race where an overly eager controller can check for a task
+        before it has reached that point in execution, which is possible at
+        least on Python 2.4, where forking is not available for async tasks.
+    """
+    arunner = AsyncRunner(
+        job_id,
+        timeout_secs,
+        started_sender,
+        econtext,
+        kwargs
+    )
     arunner.run()
 
 

tests/ansible/integration/async/runner_one_job.yml

@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@
       - result1.cmd == "sleep 1;\n echo alldone"
       - result1.delta|length == 14
       - result1.start|length == 26
-      - result1.failed == False
       - result1.finished == 1
       - result1.rc == 0
       - result1.start|length == 26
@@ -48,3 +47,9 @@
       - result1.stderr_lines == []
       - result1.stdout == "alldone"
       - result1.stdout_lines == ["alldone"]
+
+  - assert:
+      that:
+      - result1.failed == False
+    when: ansible_version.full > '2.4'
+