Re: [KJ PATCH] Replacing memcpy(dest,src,PAGE_SIZE) with copy_page(dest,src)in arch/i386/kernel/machine_kexec.c

From: H. Peter Anvin
Date: Tue Jun 12 2007 - 12:56:34 EST


Eric W. Biederman wrote:
> Shani Moideen <shani.moideen@xxxxxxxxx> writes:
>
>> Hi,
>> Replacing memcpy(dest,src,PAGE_SIZE) with copy_page(dest,src) in
>> arch/i386/kernel/machine_kexec.c.
>
> Please no.
>
> People get creative in copy_page (especially mmx_copy_page),
> and this code path need something simple and stupid, that
> will work every time, especially when things are messed up
> elsewhere.
>

memcpy() is pretty creative, too. If you want something really dumb and
robust, you should probably create an inline:

/*
* Eric sez: his code path need something simple and stupid, that
* will work every time, especially when things are messed up
* elsewhere.
*/
static inline void braindead_copy_page(void *dst, void *src)
{
unsigned long ctr = PAGE_SIZE >> 2;

asm volatile("cld; rep; movsl"
: "+D" (dst), "+S" (src), "+c" (ctr)
: : "memory");
}

(FWIW, the "cld" is supposed to be redundant, as DF=0 is supposed to be
guaranteed by the ABI.)

-hpa
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