linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH -mm] Taskstats fix the structure members alignment issue

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Message-ID: <462A0AA9.8000304@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
Date:	Sat, 21 Apr 2007 18:29:21 +0530
From:	Balbir Singh <balbir@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
To:	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>
CC:	Balbir Singh <balbir@...ibm.com>, nagar@...son.ibm.com,
	jlan@....com, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH -mm] Taskstats fix the structure members alignment issue

Andrew Morton wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:13:41 +0530
> Balbir Singh <balbir@...ibm.com> wrote:
> 
>> We broke the the alignment of members of taskstats to the 8 byte boundary
>> with the CSA patches. In the current kernel, the taskstats structure is
>> not suitable for use by 32 bit applications in a 64 bit kernel.
>>
> 
> ugh, that was bad of us.

Yes :-)

> 
>> ...
>> The patch adds an __attribute__((aligned(8))) to the
>> taskstats structure members so that 32 bit applications using taskstats
>> can work with a 64 bit kernel.
> 
> But there might be 32-bit applications out there which are using the
> present wrong structure?
> 
> otoh, I assume that those applications would be using taskstats.h and would
> hence encounter this bug and we would have heard about it, is that correct?
> 

Yes, correct.

> otoh^2, 32-bit applications running under 32-bit kernels will presently be
> functioning correctly, and your change will require that those applications
> be recompiled, I think?
> 

Yes, correct. They would be broken with this fix. We could  bump up the
version TASKSTATS_VERSION to 4. Would you like a new patch the version
bumped up?

> 
> This patch looks like 2.6.20 and 2.6.21 material, but very carefully...

Yes, 2.6.20 and 2.6.21 sound correct.

-- 
	Warm Regards,
	Balbir Singh
	Linux Technology Center
	IBM, ISTL
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