Re: [PATCH 1/4] jump label - make init_kernel_text() global

From: Mathieu Desnoyers
Date: Thu Oct 01 2009 - 08:58:28 EST


* Ingo Molnar (mingo@xxxxxxx) wrote:
>
> * Jason Baron <jbaron@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > allow usage of init_kernel_text - we need this in jump labeling to
> > avoid attemtpting to patch code that has been freed as in the __init
> > sections
>
> s/attemtpting/attempting
>
> > Signed-off-by: Jason Baron <jbaron@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > ---
> > include/linux/kernel.h | 1 +
> > kernel/extable.c | 2 +-
> > 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/include/linux/kernel.h b/include/linux/kernel.h
> > index f61039e..9d3419f 100644
> > --- a/include/linux/kernel.h
> > +++ b/include/linux/kernel.h
> > @@ -295,6 +295,7 @@ extern int get_option(char **str, int *pint);
> > extern char *get_options(const char *str, int nints, int *ints);
> > extern unsigned long long memparse(const char *ptr, char **retptr);
> >
> > +extern int init_kernel_text(unsigned long addr);
> > extern int core_kernel_text(unsigned long addr);
> > extern int __kernel_text_address(unsigned long addr);
> > extern int kernel_text_address(unsigned long addr);
> > diff --git a/kernel/extable.c b/kernel/extable.c
> > index 7f8f263..f6893ad 100644
> > --- a/kernel/extable.c
> > +++ b/kernel/extable.c
> > @@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ const struct exception_table_entry *search_exception_tables(unsigned long addr)
> > return e;
> > }
> >
> > -static inline int init_kernel_text(unsigned long addr)
> > +int init_kernel_text(unsigned long addr)
> > {
> > if (addr >= (unsigned long)_sinittext &&
> > addr <= (unsigned long)_einittext)
>
> i'm confused. Later on jump_label_update() does:
>
> + if (!(system_state == SYSTEM_RUNNING &&
> + (init_kernel_text(iter->code))))
> + jump_label_transform(iter, type);
>
> which is:
>
> + if (system_state != SYSTEM_RUNNING ||
> + !init_kernel_text(iter->code)))
> + jump_label_transform(iter, type);
>
> What is the logic behind that? System going into SYSTEM_RUNNING does not
> coincide with free_initmem() precisely.
>
> Also, do we ever want to patch init-text tracepoints? I think we want to
> stay away from them as much as possible.

My experience with tracepoint instruentation is that as soon as we start
using them in inline functions (e.g. memory allocation, interrupt
entry/exit), we start making these functions unusable in init code. That
a very unwelcome side-effect that I'd like to prevent by making sure
tracepoints and the patching mechanism underneath supports init code
patching. Node that it does not have to be complicated.

But I think you are right that the logic seems fuzzy in this specific
spot of the patch.

Thanks,

Mathieu

>
> It appears to me that what we want here is a straight:
>
> if (kernel_text(iter->code))
> jump_label_transform(iter, type);
>
> Also, maybe a WARN_ONCE(!kernel_text()) - we should never even attempt
> to transform non-patchable code. If yes then we want to know about that
> in a noisy way and not skip it silently.
>
> Ingo

--
Mathieu Desnoyers
OpenPGP key fingerprint: 8CD5 52C3 8E3C 4140 715F BA06 3F25 A8FE 3BAE 9A68
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