linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 0/4] Re-export Zeroable and zeroed() from ffi module

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Message-Id: <DFYNILJPAYJE.3CFM49W80ED4O@garyguo.net>
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:11:48 +0000
From: "Gary Guo" <gary@...yguo.net>
To: "Benno Lossin" <lossin@...nel.org>, "Alice Ryhl" <aliceryhl@...gle.com>,
 "Gary Guo" <gary@...yguo.net>
Cc: "Miguel Ojeda" <ojeda@...nel.org>, "Boqun Feng" <boqun.feng@...il.com>,
 Björn Roy Baron <bjorn3_gh@...tonmail.com>, "Andreas
 Hindborg" <a.hindborg@...nel.org>, "Trevor Gross" <tmgross@...ch.edu>,
 "Danilo Krummrich" <dakr@...nel.org>, "Rafael J. Wysocki"
 <rafael@...nel.org>, "Viresh Kumar" <viresh.kumar@...aro.org>, "Igor
 Korotin" <igor.korotin.linux@...il.com>, "Daniel Almeida"
 <daniel.almeida@...labora.com>, "Len Brown" <lenb@...nel.org>,
 <rust-for-linux@...r.kernel.org>, <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
 <linux-pm@...r.kernel.org>, <linux-acpi@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 0/4] Re-export Zeroable and zeroed() from ffi module

On Mon Jan 26, 2026 at 4:08 PM GMT, Benno Lossin wrote:
> On Mon Jan 26, 2026 at 2:25 PM CET, Alice Ryhl wrote:
>> On Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 01:15:53PM +0000, Gary Guo wrote:
>>> On Mon Jan 26, 2026 at 1:05 PM GMT, Alice Ryhl wrote:
>>> > Currently, the Zeroable trait is defined by pin-init because pin-init
>>> > happens to use the trait. However, zeroed types are useful for many
>>> > purposes other than pin-init. Also, we wish to implement Zeroable for
>>> > types generated by bindgen. For both of these reasons, re-export
>>> > Zeroable from the ffi crate, which is a already dependency of the crates
>>> > with bindgen output.
>>> 
>>> I don't see a benefit of re-exporting these from the `ffi` crate? Especially
>>> that we re-export `ffi` crate from kernel crate anyway, and `Zeroable` is
>>> already in the kernel prelude.
>>> 
>>> We already derive `Zeroable` for bindgen via `MaybeZeroable` derive in
>>> rust/bindgen_parameters.
>>
>> I can't find the convo now, but this change is on my list from when we
>> discussed also implementing FromBytes / IntoBytes for the bindings
>> types. To do that, we need to move our FromBytes / IntoBytes traits
>> somewhere that bindings/uapi can access, and we agreed that the ffi
>> crate was a good place for it.
>>
>> And then for consistency, also reexport Zeroable from the same location.
>
> I think you also mentioned at some point that using `pin_init` from
> `bindings` seemed strange and also using the `pin_init::zeroed()`
> function also doesn't fit, since it doesn't have to do with pinned
> initialization.

Shouldn't it be that a crate that implements Zeroable / FromBytes / IntoBytes
and then pin_init becoming an user of that crate, then?

Best,
Gary