Date:   Fri, 25 Nov 2022 09:02:29 +0100
From:   Rasmus Villemoes <linux@...musvillemoes.dk>
To:     "Jason A. Donenfeld" <Jason@...c4.com>
Cc:     linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, patches@...ts.linux.dev,
        tglx@...utronix.de, linux-crypto@...r.kernel.org, x86@...nel.org,
        Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
        Adhemerval Zanella Netto <adhemerval.zanella@...aro.org>,
        Carlos O'Donell <carlos@...hat.com>,
        Linux API <linux-api@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v6 2/3] random: introduce generic vDSO getrandom()
 implementation

On 24/11/2022 02.18, Jason A. Donenfeld wrote:
> Hi Rasmus,
> 
> On Wed, Nov 23, 2022 at 09:51:04AM +0100, Rasmus Villemoes wrote:
>> On 21/11/2022 16.29, Jason A. Donenfeld wrote:
>>
>> Cc += linux-api
>>
>>>
>>>       if (!new_block)
>>>         goto out;
>>>       new_cap = grnd_allocator.cap + num;
>>>       new_states = reallocarray(grnd_allocator.states, new_cap, sizeof(*grnd_allocator.states));
>>>       if (!new_states) {
>>>         munmap(new_block, num * size_per_each);
>>
>> Hm. This does leak an implementation detail of vgetrandom_alloc(),
>> namely that it is based on mmap() of that size rounded up to page size.
>> Do we want to commit to this being the proper way of disposing of a
>> succesful vgetrandom_alloc(), or should there also be a
>> vgetrandom_free(void *states, long num, long size_per_each)?
> 
> Yes, this is intentional, and this is exactly what I wanted to do. There
> are various wrappers of vm_mmap() throughout, mmap being one of them,
> and they typically then resort to munmap to unmap it. This is how
> userspace handles memory - maps, always maps. So I think doing that is
> fine and consistent.

OK. Perhaps for the benefit of future libc implementors drop a comment
somewhere as to how to dealloc the blob.

> However, your point about it relying on it being a rounded up size isn't
> correct. `munmap` will unmap the whole page if the size you pass lies
> within a page. So `num * size_of_each` will always do the right thing,
> without needing to have userspace code round anything up. (From the man
> page: "The  address addr must be a multiple of the page size (but length
> need not be). 

I know, and I never said userspace needed to round anything up.

All pages containing a part of the indicated range are
> unmapped.") And as you can see in my example code, nothing is rounded
> up. So I don't know why you made that comment.

I made that comment because it's clear from what this does that you get
something back that is _at least_ num*size_per_each in size, but what is
not clear is that the actual allocation is exactly and will always be
that size rounded up to a page size (and no more), so that
munmap(num*size_per_each), with its well-known and documented semantics,
will DTRT.

> I think adding more control is exactly what this is trying to avoid.
> It's very intentionally *not* a general allocator function, but
> something specific for vDSO getrandom(). However, it does already, in
> this very patchset here, take a (currently unused) flags argument, in
> case we have the need for later extension.

OK.

Perhaps you can spend a few more words on why this allocation _needs_ to
be MAP_LOCKED? That seems somewhat of a policy thing imposed by the
kernel, something that would be better left to the libc or distro or
whatnot to request via a flag. I could imagine applications that
currently run at the mlock limit start failing after a libc upgrade -
which could of course be considered a libc problem, and perhaps it's too
unlikely to worry about.

Rasmus

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