linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] serial: icom: Fix namespace collision and startup() section placement with -ffunction-sections

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Message-ID: <23f084ab-7b1a-485e-be1e-e639906fd5b3@kernel.org>
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2025 07:58:05 +0100
From: Jiri Slaby <jirislaby@...nel.org>
To: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@...nel.org>, x86@...nel.org
Cc: linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
 Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
 kernel test robot <lkp@...el.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] serial: icom: Fix namespace collision and startup()
 section placement with -ffunction-sections

On 19. 11. 25, 7:27, Josh Poimboeuf wrote:
> When compiling the kernel with -ffunction-sections (e.g., for LTO,
> livepatch, dead code elimination, AutoFDO, or Propeller), the startup()
> function gets compiled into the .text.startup section.  In some cases it
> can even be cloned into .text.startup.constprop.0 or
> .text.startup.isra.0.
> 
> However, the .text.startup and .text.startup.* section names are already
> reserved for use by the compiler for __attribute__((constructor)) code.
> 
> This naming conflict causes the vmlinux linker script to wrongly place
> startup() function code in .init.text, which gets freed during boot.

This sounds rather error-prone. What are the patterns supposed to match 
actually? Can't *those* real victims™ be renamed to something less 
common instead?

> Fix that by renaming startup() to icom_startup().  For consistency, also
> rename its shutdown() counterpart to icom_shutdown().

I see also:
drivers/staging/media/atomisp/i2c/atomisp-gc2235.c:static int 
startup(struct v4l2_subdev *sd)
drivers/staging/media/atomisp/i2c/atomisp-ov2722.c:static int 
startup(struct v4l2_subdev *sd)
drivers/tty/amiserial.c:static int startup(struct tty_struct *tty, 
struct serial_state *info)
drivers/tty/synclink_gt.c:static int startup(struct slgt_info *info)

thanks,
-- 
js
suse labs