linux-kernel - [PATCH v3 3/3] arm64, compiler-context-analysis: Permit alias analysis through __READ_ONCE() with CONFIG

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Message-ID: <20260130132951.2714396-4-elver@google.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:28:26 +0100
From: Marco Elver <elver@...gle.com>
To: elver@...gle.com, Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>, Will Deacon <will@...nel.org>
Cc: Ingo Molnar <mingo@...nel.org>, Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>, 
	Boqun Feng <boqun.feng@...il.com>, Waiman Long <longman@...hat.com>, 
	Bart Van Assche <bvanassche@....org>, llvm@...ts.linux.dev, 
	David Laight <david.laight.linux@...il.com>, Catalin Marinas <catalin.marinas@....com>, 
	Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>, linux-arm-kernel@...ts.infradead.org, 
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, kernel test robot <lkp@...el.com>, Boqun Feng <boqun@...nel.org>
Subject: [PATCH v3 3/3] arm64, compiler-context-analysis: Permit alias
 analysis through __READ_ONCE() with CONFIG_LTO=y

When enabling Clang's Context Analysis (aka. Thread Safety Analysis) on
kernel/futex/core.o (see Peter's changes at [1]), in arm64 LTO builds we
could see:

| kernel/futex/core.c:982:1: warning: spinlock 'atomic ? __u.__val : q->lock_ptr' is still held at the end of function [-Wthread-safety-analysis]
|      982 | }
|          | ^
|    kernel/futex/core.c:976:2: note: spinlock acquired here
|      976 |         spin_lock(lock_ptr);
|          |         ^
| kernel/futex/core.c:982:1: warning: expecting spinlock 'q->lock_ptr' to be held at the end of function [-Wthread-safety-analysis]
|      982 | }
|          | ^
|    kernel/futex/core.c:966:6: note: spinlock acquired here
|      966 | void futex_q_lockptr_lock(struct futex_q *q)
|          |      ^
|    2 warnings generated.

Where we have:

	extern void futex_q_lockptr_lock(struct futex_q *q) __acquires(q->lock_ptr);
	..
	void futex_q_lockptr_lock(struct futex_q *q)
	{
		spinlock_t *lock_ptr;

		/*
		 * See futex_unqueue() why lock_ptr can change.
		 */
		guard(rcu)();
	retry:
>>		lock_ptr = READ_ONCE(q->lock_ptr);
		spin_lock(lock_ptr);
	...
	}

At the time of the above report (prior to removal of the 'atomic' flag),
Clang Thread Safety Analysis's alias analysis resolved 'lock_ptr' to
'atomic ?  __u.__val : q->lock_ptr' (now just '__u.__val'), and used
this as the identity of the context lock given it cannot "see through"
the inline assembly; however, we want 'q->lock_ptr' as the canonical
context lock.

While for code generation the compiler simplified to '__u.__val' for
pointers (8 byte case -> 'atomic' was set), TSA's analysis (a) happens
much earlier on the AST, and (b) would be the wrong deduction.

Now that we've gotten rid of the 'atomic' ternary comparison, we can
return '__u.__val' through a pointer that we initialize with '&x', but
then update via a pointer-to-pointer. When READ_ONCE()'ing a context
lock pointer, TSA's alias analysis does not invalidate the initial alias
when updated through the pointer-to-pointer, and we make it effectively
"see through" the __READ_ONCE().

Code generation is unchanged.

Link: https://lkml.kernel.org/r/20260121110704.221498346@infradead.org [1]
Reported-by: kernel test robot <lkp@...el.com>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/oe-kbuild-all/202601221040.TeM0ihff-lkp@intel.com/
Cc: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>
Tested-by: Boqun Feng <boqun@...nel.org>
Signed-off-by: Marco Elver <elver@...gle.com>
---
v3:
* Use 'typeof(*__ret)'.
* Commit message.

v2:
* Rebase.
---
 arch/arm64/include/asm/rwonce.h | 10 +++++++---
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/arm64/include/asm/rwonce.h b/arch/arm64/include/asm/rwonce.h
index 42c9e8429274..b7de74d4bf07 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/include/asm/rwonce.h
+++ b/arch/arm64/include/asm/rwonce.h
@@ -45,8 +45,12 @@
  */
 #define __READ_ONCE(x)							\
 ({									\
-	typeof(&(x)) __x = &(x);					\
-	union { __rwonce_typeof_unqual(*__x) __val; char __c[1]; } __u;	\
+	auto __x = &(x);						\
+	auto __ret = (__rwonce_typeof_unqual(*__x) *)__x;		\
+	/* Hides alias reassignment from Clang's -Wthread-safety. */	\
+	auto __retp = &__ret;						\
+	union { typeof(*__ret) __val; char __c[1]; } __u;		\
+	*__retp = &__u.__val;						\
 	switch (sizeof(x)) {						\
 	case 1:								\
 		asm volatile(__LOAD_RCPC(b, %w0, %1)			\
@@ -71,7 +75,7 @@
 	default:							\
 		__u.__val = *(volatile typeof(*__x) *)__x;		\
 	}								\
-	__u.__val;							\
+	*__ret;								\
 })
 
 #endif	/* !BUILD_VDSO */
-- 
2.53.0.rc1.225.gd81095ad13-goog