linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v8 3/8] Use atomic_t for ucounts reference counting

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Message-ID: <202103161229.75FDE42F@keescook>
Date:   Tue, 16 Mar 2021 12:32:57 -0700
From:   Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>
To:     Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc:     Alexey Gladkov <gladkov.alexey@...il.com>,
        LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        io-uring <io-uring@...r.kernel.org>,
        Kernel Hardening <kernel-hardening@...ts.openwall.com>,
        Linux Containers <containers@...ts.linux-foundation.org>,
        Linux-MM <linux-mm@...ck.org>,
        Alexey Gladkov <legion@...nel.org>,
        Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Christian Brauner <christian.brauner@...ntu.com>,
        "Eric W . Biederman" <ebiederm@...ssion.com>,
        Jann Horn <jannh@...gle.com>, Jens Axboe <axboe@...nel.dk>,
        Oleg Nesterov <oleg@...hat.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v8 3/8] Use atomic_t for ucounts reference counting

On Tue, Mar 16, 2021 at 12:26:05PM -0700, Linus Torvalds wrote:
> Note that the above very intentionally does allow the "we can go over
> the limit" case for another reason: we still have that regular
> *unconditional* get_page(), that has a "I absolutely need a temporary
> ref to this page, but I know it's not some long-term thing that a user
> can force". That's not only our traditional model, but it's something
> that some kernel code simply does need, so it's a good feature in
> itself. That might be less of an issue for ucounts, but for pages, we
> somethines do have "I need to take a ref to this page just for my own
> use while I then drop the page lock and do something else".

Right, get_page() has a whole other set of requirements. :) I just
couldn't find the "we _must_ to get a reference to ucounts" code path,
so I was scratching my head.

> And it's possible that "refcount_t" could use that exact same model,
> and actually then offer that option that ucounts wants, of a "try to
> get a refcount, but if we have too many refcounts, then never mind, I
> can just return an error to user space instead".

Yeah, if there starts to be more of these cases, I think it'd be a
nice addition. And with the recent performance work Will Deacon did on
refcount_t, I think any general performance concerns are met now. But
I'd love to just leave refcount_t alone until we can really show a need
for an API change. :P

-- 
Kees Cook