[PATCH] mtd: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

From: Gustavo A. R. Silva
Date: Thu May 07 2020 - 14:56:09 EST


The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language
extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare
variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2],
introduced in C99:

struct foo {
int stuff;
struct boo array[];
};

By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning
in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which
will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being
inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.

Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by
this change:

"Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator
may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of
zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]

sizeof(flexible-array-member) triggers a warning because flexible array
members have incomplete type[1]. There are some instances of code in
which the sizeof operator is being incorrectly/erroneously applied to
zero-length arrays and the result is zero. Such instances may be hiding
some bugs. So, this work (flexible-array member conversions) will also
help to get completely rid of those sorts of issues.

This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.

[1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
[2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
[3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")

Signed-off-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <gustavoars@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
include/linux/mtd/cfi.h | 6 +++---
include/linux/mtd/qinfo.h | 2 +-
2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/mtd/cfi.h b/include/linux/mtd/cfi.h
index c98a21108688..fd1ecb821106 100644
--- a/include/linux/mtd/cfi.h
+++ b/include/linux/mtd/cfi.h
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ struct cfi_ident {
uint16_t InterfaceDesc;
uint16_t MaxBufWriteSize;
uint8_t NumEraseRegions;
- uint32_t EraseRegionInfo[0]; /* Not host ordered */
+ uint32_t EraseRegionInfo[]; /* Not host ordered */
} __packed;

/* Extended Query Structure for both PRI and ALT */
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ struct cfi_pri_intelext {
uint16_t ProtRegAddr;
uint8_t FactProtRegSize;
uint8_t UserProtRegSize;
- uint8_t extra[0];
+ uint8_t extra[];
} __packed;

struct cfi_intelext_otpinfo {
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ struct cfi_private {
map_word sector_erase_cmd;
unsigned long chipshift; /* Because they're of the same type */
const char *im_name; /* inter_module name for cmdset_setup */
- struct flchip chips[0]; /* per-chip data structure for each chip */
+ struct flchip chips[]; /* per-chip data structure for each chip */
};

uint32_t cfi_build_cmd_addr(uint32_t cmd_ofs,
diff --git a/include/linux/mtd/qinfo.h b/include/linux/mtd/qinfo.h
index df5b9fddea16..2e3f43788d48 100644
--- a/include/linux/mtd/qinfo.h
+++ b/include/linux/mtd/qinfo.h
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ struct lpddr_private {
struct qinfo_chip *qinfo;
int numchips;
unsigned long chipshift;
- struct flchip chips[0];
+ struct flchip chips[];
};

/* qinfo_query_info structure contains request information for