linux-kernel - Re: Missing clobber on alternative use on Linux UM 32-bit

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Message-ID: <a55f6941-ddf6-2355-271d-5ed0db5a2a62@kot-begemot.co.uk>
Date:   Sat, 4 Nov 2023 09:34:42 +0000
From:   Anton Ivanov <anton.ivanov@...-begemot.co.uk>
To:     Nadav Amit <nadav.amit@...il.com>,
        Richard Weinberger <richard@....at>,
        linux-um@...ts.infradead.org
Cc:     Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>
Subject: Re: Missing clobber on alternative use on Linux UM 32-bit

On 04/11/2023 09:25, Nadav Amit wrote:
> I was reading (again) the x86 C macro of “alternative()” and I was a bit
> surprised it does clobber the flags (“cc”) as a precaution.
> 
>    #define alternative(oldinstr, newinstr, ft_flags) \
> 	asm_inline volatile (ALTERNATIVE(oldinstr, newinstr, ft_flags) : : : "memory")
> 
> Actually there seems to be only one instance of problematic cases - in um/32-bit:
> 
>    #define mb() alternative("lock; addl $0,0(%%esp)", "mfence", X86_FEATURE_XMM2)
>    #define rmb() alternative("lock; addl $0,0(%%esp)", "lfence", X86_FEATURE_XMM2)
>    #define wmb() alternative("lock; addl $0,0(%%esp)", "sfence", X86_FEATURE_XMM)
> 
> Presumably, if XMM or XMM2 are not supported, there would be instances where addl
> would be able to change eflags arithmetic flags without the compiler being aware
> of it.
> 
> As it only affects 32-bit Linux UM - I don’t easily have an environment to test
> the fix. An alternative (word-pun unintended) is to add “cc” as a precaution
> to the alternative macro.
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> linux-um mailing list
> linux-um@...ts.infradead.org
> http://lists.infradead.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-um

Application alternatives in um is presently a NOP. It always uses the 
"blunt and heavy instrument" - the most conservative option.

It is on the TODO list.

-- 
Anton R. Ivanov
https://www.kot-begemot.co.uk/

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