linux-kernel - [tip:x86/mm] x86/mm: Fix exception table comments

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Message-ID: <tip-88259744e253777e898c186f08670c86dd8199bf@git.kernel.org>
Date:   Tue, 9 Oct 2018 08:04:15 -0700
From:   tip-bot for Dave Hansen <tipbot@...or.com>
To:     linux-tip-commits@...r.kernel.org
Cc:     luto@...nel.org, sean.j.christopherson@...el.com,
        dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com, mingo@...nel.org, hpa@...or.com,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, jannh@...gle.com,
        peterz@...radead.org, tglx@...utronix.de
Subject: [tip:x86/mm] x86/mm: Fix exception table comments

Commit-ID:  88259744e253777e898c186f08670c86dd8199bf
Gitweb:     https://git.kernel.org/tip/88259744e253777e898c186f08670c86dd8199bf
Author:     Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>
AuthorDate: Fri, 28 Sep 2018 09:02:27 -0700
Committer:  Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>
CommitDate: Tue, 9 Oct 2018 16:51:16 +0200

x86/mm: Fix exception table comments

The comments here are wrong.  They are too absolute about where
faults can occur when running in the kernel.  The comments are
also a bit hard to match up with the code.

Trim down the comments, and make them more precise.

Also add a comment explaining why we are doing the
bad_area_nosemaphore() path here.

Cc: x86@...nel.org
Cc: Jann Horn <jannh@...gle.com>
Cc: Sean Christopherson <sean.j.christopherson@...el.com>
Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>
Cc: Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>
Signed-off-by: Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Peter Zijlstra (Intel) <peterz@...radead.org>
Link: http://lkml.kernel.org/r/20180928160227.077DDD7A@viggo.jf.intel.com
---
 arch/x86/mm/fault.c | 28 +++++++++++++++-------------
 1 file changed, 15 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/fault.c b/arch/x86/mm/fault.c
index 1d838701a5f7..57b074b02ebb 100644
--- a/arch/x86/mm/fault.c
+++ b/arch/x86/mm/fault.c
@@ -1351,24 +1351,26 @@ void do_user_addr_fault(struct pt_regs *regs,
 		flags |= FAULT_FLAG_INSTRUCTION;
 
 	/*
-	 * When running in the kernel we expect faults to occur only to
-	 * addresses in user space.  All other faults represent errors in
-	 * the kernel and should generate an OOPS.  Unfortunately, in the
-	 * case of an erroneous fault occurring in a code path which already
-	 * holds mmap_sem we will deadlock attempting to validate the fault
-	 * against the address space.  Luckily the kernel only validly
-	 * references user space from well defined areas of code, which are
-	 * listed in the exceptions table.
+	 * Kernel-mode access to the user address space should only occur
+	 * on well-defined single instructions listed in the exception
+	 * tables.  But, an erroneous kernel fault occurring outside one of
+	 * those areas which also holds mmap_sem might deadlock attempting
+	 * to validate the fault against the address space.
 	 *
-	 * As the vast majority of faults will be valid we will only perform
-	 * the source reference check when there is a possibility of a
-	 * deadlock. Attempt to lock the address space, if we cannot we then
-	 * validate the source. If this is invalid we can skip the address
-	 * space check, thus avoiding the deadlock:
+	 * Only do the expensive exception table search when we might be at
+	 * risk of a deadlock.  This happens if we
+	 * 1. Failed to acquire mmap_sem, and
+	 * 2. The access did not originate in userspace.  Note: either the
+	 *    hardware or earlier page fault code may set X86_PF_USER
+	 *    in sw_error_code.
 	 */
 	if (unlikely(!down_read_trylock(&mm->mmap_sem))) {
 		if (!(sw_error_code & X86_PF_USER) &&
 		    !search_exception_tables(regs->ip)) {
+			/*
+			 * Fault from code in kernel from
+			 * which we do not expect faults.
+			 */
 			bad_area_nosemaphore(regs, sw_error_code, address, NULL);
 			return;
 		}