Re: [PATCHv2 1/8] ftrace: add ftrace_init_nop()

From: Amit Kachhap
Date: Tue Nov 05 2019 - 15:09:59 EST


Hi Mark,

On 11/4/19 7:06 PM, Mark Rutland wrote:
On Sat, Nov 02, 2019 at 05:49:00PM +0530, Amit Daniel Kachhap wrote:
Hi Mark,

Hi Amit,

Thanks for the review!
On 10/29/19 10:28 PM, Mark Rutland wrote:
Architectures may need to perform special initialization of ftrace
callsites, and today they do so by special-casing ftrace_make_nop() when
the expected branch address is MCOUNT_ADDR. In some cases (e.g. for
patchable-function-entry), we don't have an mcount-like symbol and don't
s/an mcount/a mcount.
want a synthetic MCOUNT_ADDR, but we may need to perform some
initialization of callsites.

To make it possible to separate initialization from runtime
modification, and to handle cases without an mcount-like symbol, this
Same as above.

Using 'an' in both of these cases is correct, even though 'mcount'
starts with a consonant, since it's pronounced as-if it were 'emcount'.
I will leave this as-is.
Ok sure. It makes sense.

patch adds an optional ftrace_init_nop() function that architectures can
implement, which does not pass a branch address.

Where an architecture does not provide ftrace_init_nop(), we will fall
back to the existing behaviour of calling ftrace_make_nop() with
MCOUNT_ADDR.

At the same time, ftrace_code_disable() is renamed to
ftrace_nop_initialize() to make it clearer that it is intended to
intialize a callsite into a disabled state, and is not for disabling a
callsite that has been runtime enabled. The kerneldoc description of rec
arguments is updated to cover non-mcount callsites.

Signed-off-by: Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@xxxxxxx>
Reviewed-by: Ard Biesheuvel <ard.biesheuvel@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Ingo Molnar <mingo@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Torsten Duwe <duwe@xxxxxxx>
---
include/linux/ftrace.h | 35 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
kernel/trace/ftrace.c | 6 +++---
2 files changed, 35 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/ftrace.h b/include/linux/ftrace.h
index 8a8cb3c401b2..9867d90d635e 100644
--- a/include/linux/ftrace.h
+++ b/include/linux/ftrace.h
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ static inline int ftrace_disable_ftrace_graph_caller(void) { return 0; }
/**
* ftrace_make_nop - convert code into nop
* @mod: module structure if called by module load initialization
- * @rec: the mcount call site record
+ * @rec: the call site record (e.g. mcount/fentry)
* @addr: the address that the call site should be calling
*
* This is a very sensitive operation and great care needs
@@ -520,9 +520,38 @@ static inline int ftrace_disable_ftrace_graph_caller(void) { return 0; }
extern int ftrace_make_nop(struct module *mod,
struct dyn_ftrace *rec, unsigned long addr);
+
+/**
+ * ftrace_init_nop - initialize a nop call site
+ * @mod: module structure if called by module load initialization
+ * @rec: the call site record (e.g. mcount/fentry)
+ *
+ * This is a very sensitive operation and great care needs
+ * to be taken by the arch. The operation should carefully
+ * read the location, check to see if what is read is indeed
+ * what we expect it to be, and then on success of the compare,
+ * it should write to the location.
+ *
+ * The code segment at @rec->ip should contain the contents created by
+ * the compiler
Nit: Will it be better to write it as "@rec->ip should store the adjusted
ftrace entry address of the call site" or something like that.

This was the specific wording requested by Steve, and it's trying to
describe the instructions at rec->ip, rather than the value of rec->ip,
so I think it's better to leave this as-is.
ok Its fine this way too. Actually from the comment, I could not understand which one of the compiler contents this points to as in this case there are 2 nops.

+ *
+ * Return must be:
+ * 0 on success
+ * -EFAULT on error reading the location
+ * -EINVAL on a failed compare of the contents
+ * -EPERM on error writing to the location
+ * Any other value will be considered a failure.
+ */
+#ifndef ftrace_init_nop
+static inline int ftrace_init_nop(struct module *mod, struct dyn_ftrace *rec)
+{
+ return ftrace_make_nop(mod, rec, MCOUNT_ADDR);
+}
+#endif
+
Now that ftrace_init_nop is also an arch implemented function so it may be
added in Documentation/trace/ftrace-design.rst along with ftrace_make_nop.
In general also, adding some description about patchable-function-entry
in kernel Documentation will be useful.

I agree that would be a good thing, but as Steve suggests I will leave
this for subsequent rework, as I think that also implies more
rework/renaming in the core code (e.g. to more cleanly separate the
notion of a callsite from mcount specifically).
ok.

Thanks,
Amit

Steve, if you'd like help with that (or review), I'd be happy to help.

Thanks,
Mark.