linux-kernel - Re: 2.6.37-rc7: Regression: b43: crashes in hwrng

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Message-ID: <20101229195440.GD5838@darkside.kls.lan>
Date:	Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:54:40 +0100
From:	"Mario 'BitKoenig' Holbe" <Mario.Holbe@...Ilmenau.DE>
To:	Larry Finger <Larry.Finger@...inger.net>
Cc:	LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	wireless <linux-wireless@...r.kernel.org>,
	b43-dev <b43-dev@...ts.infradead.org>
Subject: Re: 2.6.37-rc7: Regression: b43: crashes in hwrng_register()

Hello Larry,

On Tue, Dec 28, 2010 at 06:34:08PM -0600, Larry Finger wrote:
> Mario Holbe wrote:
> > on 2.6.37-rc7 the b43 driver crashes in hwrng_register(). This makes the
...
> > This issue does also exist in 2.6.37-rc5.
> > This issue does not exist in 2.6.36.2.
...
> > [ 29.868632] BUG: unable to handle kernel paging request at 907cde0c
> > [ 29.868640] IP: [<f8d543cc>] hwrng_register+0x4c/0x139 [rng_core]
...
> > [ 29.868884] Call Trace:
> > [ 29.868909] [<f8e5a870>] ? b43_wireless_core_init+0xd0c/0xdd6 [b43]
> 
> I almost missed this posting.

You're welcome :)

> Please post wireless problems with
> linux-wireless@...r.kernel.org for better visibility.

Sorry and thanks for completing the CC: list.

> I have a BCM4312 (14e4:4315) on a netbook that does not have this problem, thus
> I will have to rely on your debugging. An additional difficulty is that the only
> changes to b43 between 2.6.36 and 2.6.37 are adding an additional PCI ID, some
> fixes to the SDIO driver, and some code for an 802.11n device. None of these
> should affect your 802.11 b/g unit.
> 
> Is it possible for you to bisect between 2.6.36 and 2.6.37-rc5? I wish I could
> suggest some way to minimize the number of commits and builds, but the problem
> could be anywhere.

To be honest, I never bisected such a huge amount of commits before and
I'm somewhat afraid of doing it.

However, I think I'm able to nail the issue down to:
commit 84c164a34ffe67908a932a2d641ec1a80c2d5435 which went to 2.6.37-rc1.
Author: John W. Linville <linville@...driver.com>
Date:   Fri Aug 6 15:31:45 2010 -0400

    b43: move hwrng registration driver to wireless core initialization

Message-ID: <1281126412-5089-1-git-send-email-linville@...driver.com>
http://marc.info/?l=linux-wireless&m=128112658829379&w=2

I did 2 things:
1. I (manually) reverted 84c164a34ffe67908a932a2d641ec1a80c2d5435 from
   2.6.37-rc7: The crash disappears, b43 is useable.
2. I added 84c164a34ffe67908a932a2d641ec1a80c2d5435 to 2.6.36.2: The
   crash shows up as with vanilla 2.6.37-rc7.

I'm not sure why this is not reproducible for you, probably it has
something to do with the VIA Nano having a second HW-RNG driven by
via-rng. I experienced crashes in the past with earlier kernels when I
tried to move RNGs around via /sys/devices/virtual/misc/hw_random, but
never took the time to trace them down since I just got it working :)

Oh, I'm still able to trigger a crash with
$ cat /sys/devices/virtual/misc/hw_random/rng_available
on 2.6.37-rc7 without 84c164a34ffe67908a932a2d641ec1a80c2d5435 as well
as on vanilla 2.6.36.2. Probably this is (better) reproducible for you?

I suspect both (the 84c164a34ffe67908a932a2d641ec1a80c2d5435 crash as
well as the cat rng_available crash) having something to do with a
partially uninitialized rng-struct, or better: parts of the rng-struct
that are free()d too early (i.e. within its lifetime).

regards
   Mario
-- 
Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule.
                                -- Plant Manager, Delphi Corporation

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