linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 6/7] mm: kill vma flag VM

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Message-ID: <CA+55aFzH=nTAxxqMpQKJAVFOEngwkArmufqe_Mq5hyLR_9Vfqw@mail.gmail.com>
Date:	Thu, 5 Apr 2012 14:55:29 -0700
From:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
To:	Matt Helsley <matthltc@...ibm.com>
Cc:	Konstantin Khlebnikov <khlebnikov@...nvz.org>,
	Cyrill Gorcunov <gorcunov@...nvz.org>,
	Oleg Nesterov <oleg@...hat.com>,
	"linux-mm@...ck.org" <linux-mm@...ck.org>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	"linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Eric Paris <eparis@...hat.com>,
	"linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org" 
	<linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org>,
	"oprofile-list@...ts.sf.net" <oprofile-list@...ts.sf.net>,
	Al Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 6/7] mm: kill vma flag VM_EXECUTABLE

On Thu, Apr 5, 2012 at 2:44 PM, Matt Helsley <matthltc@...ibm.com> wrote:
>
> I don't think the definition of an ABI is whether there's documentation
> for it. It's whether the interface is used or not. At least that's the
> impression I've gotten from reading Linus' rants over the years.

Yes.

That said, I *do* have some very dim memory of us having had real
issues with the /proc/<pid>/exe thing and having regressions due to
holding refcounts to executables that were a.out binaries and not
demand-loaded. And people wanting to unmount filesystems despite the
binaries being live.

That said, I suspect that whatever issues we used to have with that
are pretty long gone. I don't think people use non-mmap'ed binaries
any more. So I think we can try it and see. And revert if somebody
actually notices and has problems.

                    Linus
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