Re: [PATCH] kprobes: Document how optimized kprobes are removed from module unload

From: Steven Rostedt
Date: Tue May 16 2017 - 22:46:17 EST


On Wed, 17 May 2017 10:47:07 +0900
Masami Hiramatsu <mhiramat@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On Tue, 16 May 2017 14:58:35 -0400
> Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > From: Steven Rostedt (VMware) <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > Thomas discovered a bug where the kprobe trace tests had a race
> > condition where the kprobe_optimizer called from a delayed work queue
> > that does the optimizing and "unoptimizing" of a kprobe, can try to
> > modify the text after it has been freed by the init code.
> >
> > The kprobe trace selftest is a special case, and Thomas and myself
> > investigated to see if there's a chance that this could also be a bug
> > with module unloading, as the code is not obvious to how it handles
> > this. After adding lots of printks, I figured it out. Thomas suggested
> > that this should be commented so that others will not have to go
> > through this exercise again.
> >
>
> OK, and I prefer this comment to move into kill_kprobe() right
> before calling kill_optimized_kprobe() because that actually
> does it.

Actually, I can add a comment in both places. I didn't put it into
kill_kprobe() because, yes that's where it is done. I placed it in the
module handler because that's where one will look to see if module
unloading doesn't have any race conditions with the delayed handling.

-- Steve


>
> Thank you,
>
> > Suggested-by: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Signed-off-by: Steven Rostedt (VMware) <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> > ---
> > diff --git a/kernel/kprobes.c b/kernel/kprobes.c
> > index 7367e0e..ac386f6 100644
> > --- a/kernel/kprobes.c
> > +++ b/kernel/kprobes.c
> > @@ -2183,6 +2183,12 @@ static int kprobes_module_callback(struct notifier_block *nb,
> > * The vaddr this probe is installed will soon
> > * be vfreed buy not synced to disk. Hence,
> > * disarming the breakpoint isn't needed.
> > + *
> > + * Note, this will also move any optimized probes
> > + * that are pending to be removed from their
> > + * corresponding lists to the freeing_list and
> > + * will not be touched by the delayed
> > + * kprobe_optimizer work handler.
> > */
> > kill_kprobe(p);
> > }
>
>