Re: [PATCH] BUG(): CONFIG_BUG=n version of BUG() should be unreachable()

From: David Daney
Date: Tue Dec 22 2009 - 20:37:20 EST


David Daney wrote:
Alexander Beregalov wrote:
Previouss definition of BUG() as 'do {} while(0)' produced compilation
warnings when BUG() was used in default branch of switch() statement
(control reaches end of non-void function).

Example:
unsigned long function()
{
switch() {
case 1:
return 1;
case 2:
return 2;
default:
BUG();
}

Using unreachable() fixes the problem.

Signed-off-by: Alexander Beregalov <a.beregalov@xxxxxxxxx>


NAK.


Well that may be too strong an objection, but I would really recommend deeper consideration.

If you use: #define BUG() __builtin_unreachable()

which is what your patch does for GCC >= 4.5, it is truly undefined what happens if it is ever reached. One typical thing that might happen is that you start to try to execute data. It is unclear to me if it is preferable in the kernel to do that, rather than loop endlessly. You would likely achieve smaller code, but at what cost?

David Daney


diff --git a/include/asm-generic/bug.h b/include/asm-generic/bug.h
index 18c435d..1106439 100644
--- a/include/asm-generic/bug.h
+++ b/include/asm-generic/bug.h
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ extern void warn_slowpath_null(const char *file, const int line);
#else /* !CONFIG_BUG */
#ifndef HAVE_ARCH_BUG
-#define BUG() do {} while(0)
+#define BUG() unreachable() #endif
#ifndef HAVE_ARCH_BUG_ON

You can only use 'unreachable()' in situations where it is truly unreachable. In the case above you will reach it in the default case.

I would suggest one of the following instead:

#define BUG() BUILD_BUG_ON(1)

#define BUG() do {} while(1)


David Daney


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