linux-kernel - RE: [PATCH][next] UAPI: nfsfh.h: Replace one-element array with flexible-array member

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Message-ID: <629154ce566b4c9c9b7f4124b3260fc3@AcuMS.aculab.com>
Date:   Thu, 25 Mar 2021 13:45:16 +0000
From:   David Laight <David.Laight@...LAB.COM>
To:     "'Gustavo A. R. Silva'" <gustavoars@...nel.org>,
        "J. Bruce Fields" <bfields@...ldses.org>,
        Chuck Lever <chuck.lever@...cle.com>
CC:     "linux-nfs@...r.kernel.org" <linux-nfs@...r.kernel.org>,
        "linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        "linux-hardening@...r.kernel.org" <linux-hardening@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: RE: [PATCH][next] UAPI: nfsfh.h: Replace one-element array with
 flexible-array member

From: Gustavo A. R. Silva
> Sent: 23 March 2021 22:49
> 
> There is a regular need in the kernel to provide a way to declare having
> a dynamically sized set of trailing elements in a structure. Kernel code
> should always use “flexible array members”[1] for these cases. The older
> style of one-element or zero-length arrays should no longer be used[2].
> 
> Use an anonymous union with a couple of anonymous structs in order to
> keep userspace unchanged:
> 
> $ pahole -C nfs_fhbase_new fs/nfsd/nfsfh.o
> struct nfs_fhbase_new {
>         union {
>                 struct {
>                         __u8       fb_version_aux;       /*     0     1 */
>                         __u8       fb_auth_type_aux;     /*     1     1 */
>                         __u8       fb_fsid_type_aux;     /*     2     1 */
>                         __u8       fb_fileid_type_aux;   /*     3     1 */
>                         __u32      fb_auth[1];           /*     4     4 */
>                 };                                       /*     0     8 */
>                 struct {
>                         __u8       fb_version;           /*     0     1 */
>                         __u8       fb_auth_type;         /*     1     1 */
>                         __u8       fb_fsid_type;         /*     2     1 */
>                         __u8       fb_fileid_type;       /*     3     1 */
>                         __u32      fb_auth_flex[0];      /*     4     0 */
>                 };                                       /*     0     4 */
>         };                                               /*     0     8 */
> 
>         /* size: 8, cachelines: 1, members: 1 */
>         /* last cacheline: 8 bytes */
> };

Could you use the simpler:
> struct nfs_fhbase_new {
>          __u8       fb_version;
>          __u8       fb_auth_type;
>          __u8       fb_fsid_type;
>          __u8       fb_fileid_type;
>          union {
>                 __u32      fb_auth[1];
>                 __u32      fb_auth_flex[0];
>          };
> };

Although I'm not certain flexible arrays are supported
as the last element of a union.
You might need to use a named anonymous structure for the
four __u8 fields and create two different structures that
include the extra field on the end.

	David

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