linux-kernel - [PATCH 1/4] vmlinux.lds: Fix TEXT_MAIN to include .text.start and friends

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <cd588144e63df901a656b06b566855019c4a931d.1762991150.git.jpoimboe@kernel.org>
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2025 15:47:48 -0800
From: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@...nel.org>
To: x86@...nel.org
Cc: linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
	live-patching@...r.kernel.org,
	kernel test robot <lkp@...el.com>
Subject: [PATCH 1/4] vmlinux.lds: Fix TEXT_MAIN to include .text.start and friends

Since commit 6568f14cb5ae ("vmlinux.lds: Exclude .text.startup and
.text.exit from TEXT_MAIN"), the TEXT_MAIN macro uses a series of
patterns to prevent the .text.startup[.*] and .text.exit[.*] sections
from getting linked into vmlinux runtime .text.

That commit is a tad too aggressive: it also inadvertently filters out
valid runtime text sections like .text.start and
.text.start.constprop.0, which can be generated for a function named
start() when -ffunction-sections is enabled.

As a result, those sections become orphans when building with
CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION for arm:

  arm-linux-gnueabi-ld: warning: orphan section `.text.start.constprop.0' from `drivers/usb/host/sl811-hcd.o' being placed in section `.text.start.constprop.0'
  arm-linux-gnueabi-ld: warning: orphan section `.text.start.constprop.0' from `drivers/media/dvb-frontends/drxk_hard.o' being placed in section `.text.start.constprop.0'
  arm-linux-gnueabi-ld: warning: orphan section `.text.start' from `drivers/media/dvb-frontends/stv0910.o' being placed in section `.text.start'
  arm-linux-gnueabi-ld: warning: orphan section `.text.start.constprop.0' from `drivers/media/pci/ddbridge/ddbridge-sx8.o' being placed in section `.text.start.constprop.0'

Fix that by explicitly adding the partial "substring" sections (.text.s,
.text.st, .text.sta, etc) and their cloned derivatives.

While this unfortunately means that TEXT_MAIN continues to grow, these
changes are ultimately necessary for proper support of
-ffunction-sections.

Fixes: 6568f14cb5ae ("vmlinux.lds: Exclude .text.startup and .text.exit from TEXT_MAIN")
Reported-by: kernel test robot <lkp@...el.com>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/oe-kbuild-all/202511040812.DFGedJiy-lkp@intel.com/
Signed-off-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@...nel.org>
---
 include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h | 23 ++++++++++++-----------
 1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
index 9de1d900fa15..20695bc8f174 100644
--- a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
+++ b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
@@ -90,8 +90,9 @@
  * Support -ffunction-sections by matching .text and .text.*,
  * but exclude '.text..*', .text.startup[.*], and .text.exit[.*].
  *
- * .text.startup and .text.startup.* are matched later by INIT_TEXT.
- * .text.exit and .text.exit.* are matched later by EXIT_TEXT.
+ * .text.startup and .text.startup.* are matched later by INIT_TEXT, and
+ * .text.exit and .text.exit.* are matched later by EXIT_TEXT, so they must be
+ * explicitly excluded here.
  *
  * Other .text.* sections that are typically grouped separately, such as
  * .text.unlikely or .text.hot, must be matched explicitly before using
@@ -100,16 +101,16 @@
 #define TEXT_MAIN							\
 	.text								\
 	.text.[_0-9A-Za-df-rt-z]*					\
-	.text.s[_0-9A-Za-su-z]*						\
-	.text.st[_0-9A-Zb-z]*						\
-	.text.sta[_0-9A-Za-qs-z]*					\
-	.text.star[_0-9A-Za-su-z]*					\
-	.text.start[_0-9A-Za-tv-z]*					\
-	.text.startu[_0-9A-Za-oq-z]*					\
+	.text.s[_0-9A-Za-su-z]*		.text.s		.text.s.*	\
+	.text.st[_0-9A-Zb-z]*		.text.st	.text.st.*	\
+	.text.sta[_0-9A-Za-qs-z]*	.text.sta	.text.sta.*	\
+	.text.star[_0-9A-Za-su-z]*	.text.star	.text.star.*	\
+	.text.start[_0-9A-Za-tv-z]*	.text.start	.text.start.*	\
+	.text.startu[_0-9A-Za-oq-z]*	.text.startu	.text.startu.*	\
 	.text.startup[_0-9A-Za-z]*					\
-	.text.e[_0-9A-Za-wy-z]*						\
-	.text.ex[_0-9A-Za-hj-z]*					\
-	.text.exi[_0-9A-Za-su-z]*					\
+	.text.e[_0-9A-Za-wy-z]*		.text.e		.text.e.*	\
+	.text.ex[_0-9A-Za-hj-z]*	.text.ex	.text.ex.*	\
+	.text.exi[_0-9A-Za-su-z]*	.text.exi	.text.exi.*	\
 	.text.exit[_0-9A-Za-z]*
 
 /*
-- 
2.51.1