linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] perf/core: generate overflow signal when samples are dropped (WAS: Re: [REGRESSION] perf/core: PMU interrupts dropped if we entered the kernel in the "skid" region)

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Date:   Wed, 28 Jun 2017 08:40:30 -0400 (EDT)
From:   Vince Weaver <vincent.weaver@...ne.edu>
To:     Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@....com>
cc:     Kyle Huey <me@...ehuey.com>, "Jin, Yao" <yao.jin@...ux.intel.com>,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@...nel.org>,
        "Peter Zijlstra (Intel)" <peterz@...radead.org>,
        stable@...r.kernel.org,
        Alexander Shishkin <alexander.shishkin@...ux.intel.com>,
        Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@...hat.com>,
        Jiri Olsa <jolsa@...hat.com>,
        Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Namhyung Kim <namhyung@...nel.org>,
        Stephane Eranian <eranian@...gle.com>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Vince Weaver <vincent.weaver@...ne.edu>, acme@...nel.org,
        jolsa@...nel.org, kan.liang@...el.com,
        Will Deacon <will.deacon@....com>, gregkh@...uxfoundation.org,
        Robert O'Callahan <robert@...llahan.org>,
        open list <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] perf/core: generate overflow signal when samples are
 dropped (WAS: Re: [REGRESSION] perf/core: PMU interrupts dropped if we
 entered the kernel in the "skid" region)

On Wed, 28 Jun 2017, Mark Rutland wrote:

> On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 11:12:48AM +0100, Mark Rutland wrote:

> Instead of bailing out early in perf_event_overflow, we can bail prior
> to performing the actual sampling in __perf_event_output(). This avoids
> the information leak, but preserves the generation of the signal.
> 
> Since we don't place any sample data into the ring buffer, the signal is
> arguably spurious. However, a userspace ringbuffer consumer can already
> consume data prior to taking the associated signals, and therefore must
> handle spurious signals to operate correctly. Thus, this signal
> shouldn't be harmful.

this could still break some of my perf_event validation tests.

Ones that set up a sampling event for every 1M instructions, run for 100M 
instructions, and expect there to be 100 samples received.

If we're so worried about info leakage, can't we just zero-out the problem 
address (or randomize the kernel address) rather than just pretending the 
interrupt didn't happen?

Vince