linux-kernel - RE: [PATCH 06/10] security: fix documentation for the path

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Message-ID: <000001d4beee$caa8eff0$5ffacfd0$@211mainstreet.net>
Date:   Thu, 7 Feb 2019 09:09:49 -0500
From:   "Edwin Zimmerman" <edwin@...mainstreet.net>
To:     "'Al Viro'" <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>,
        "'Denis Efremov'" <efremov@...ras.ru>
Cc:     "'Casey Schaufler'" <casey@...aufler-ca.com>,
        "'Eric W. Biederman'" <ebiederm@...ssion.com>,
        "'Eric Paris'" <eparis@...isplace.org>,
        "'Kees Cook'" <keescook@...omium.org>,
        "'John Johansen'" <john.johansen@...onical.com>,
        "'James Morris'" <jmorris@...ei.org>,
        "'Serge E. Hallyn'" <serge@...lyn.com>,
        "'Paul Moore'" <paul@...l-moore.com>,
        "'Kentaro Takeda'" <takedakn@...data.co.jp>,
        <linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org>,
        <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: RE: [PATCH 06/10] security: fix documentation for the path_chmod hook

On Thursday, February 07, 2019 8:50 AM Al Viro wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 07, 2019 at 03:44:54PM +0300, Denis Efremov wrote:
> > The path_chmod hook was changed in the commit
> > "switch security_path_chmod() to struct path *" (cdcf116d44e7).
> > The argument @mnt was removed from the hook, @dentry was changed
> > to @path. This patch updates the documentation accordingly.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Denis Efremov <efremov@...ras.ru>
> > ---
> >  include/linux/lsm_hooks.h | 3 +--
> >  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 2 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/include/linux/lsm_hooks.h b/include/linux/lsm_hooks.h
> > index cb93972257be..5d6428d0027b 100644
> > --- a/include/linux/lsm_hooks.h
> > +++ b/include/linux/lsm_hooks.h
> > @@ -304,8 +304,7 @@
> >   *	Return 0 if permission is granted.
> >   * @path_chmod:
> >   *	Check for permission to change DAC's permission of a file or directory.
> > - *	@dentry contains the dentry structure.
> > - *	@mnt contains the vfsmnt structure.
> > + *	@path contains the path structure.
> 
> May I politely inquire about the value of these comments?  How much information
> is provided by refering to an argument as "the dentry structure" or "the path
> structure", especially when there's nothing immediately above that would introduce
> either.  "Type of 'dentry' argument is somehow related to struct dentry,
> try and guess what the value might be - we don't care, we just need every
> argument commented"?
> 
> Who needs that crap in the first place?

The comments fill a valuable place to folks like me who are new to the linux security modules.
In my spare time, I'm writing a new LSM specifically geared for parental controls uses, and the
comments in lsm_hooks.h have helped me out more than once.  Perhaps the comments could
be inproved by changing them to something like this:
"@[arg] contains the [type] structure, defined in linux/[?].h"