linux-kernel - Re: RFC: userspace exception fixups

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Date:   Sat, 3 Nov 2018 00:07:52 +0200
From:   Jarkko Sakkinen <jarkko.sakkinen@...ux.intel.com>
To:     Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>
Cc:     Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>,
        "Christopherson, Sean J" <sean.j.christopherson@...el.com>,
        Jethro Beekman <jethro@...tanix.com>,
        Florian Weimer <fweimer@...hat.com>,
        Linux API <linux-api@...r.kernel.org>,
        Jann Horn <jannh@...gle.com>,
        Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
        X86 ML <x86@...nel.org>,
        linux-arch <linux-arch@...r.kernel.org>,
        LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
        Rich Felker <dalias@...c.org>, nhorman@...hat.com,
        npmccallum@...hat.com, "Ayoun, Serge" <serge.ayoun@...el.com>,
        shay.katz-zamir@...el.com, linux-sgx@...r.kernel.org,
        Andy Shevchenko <andriy.shevchenko@...ux.intel.com>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>, Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>
Subject: Re: RFC: userspace exception fixups

On Thu, Nov 01, 2018 at 10:53:40AM -0700, Andy Lutomirski wrote:
> If a handler is registered, then, if a synchronous exception happens
> (page fault, etc), the kernel would set up an exception frame as usual
> but, rather than checking for signal handlers, it would just call the
> registered handler.  That handler is expected to either handle the
> exception entirely on its own or to call one of two new syscalls to
> ask for normal signal delivery or to ask to retry the faulting
> instruction.

Why the syscalls are required? Couldn't the handler have just a return
value to indicate the appropriate action?

Another thing that I'm wondering is that what if a signal occurs inside
the exception handler?

/Jarkko