Message-Id: <20251026-skb-meta-rx-path-v3-0-37cceebb95d3@cloudflare.com>
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2025 15:18:20 +0100
From: Jakub Sitnicki <jakub@...udflare.com>
To: bpf@...r.kernel.org
Cc: "David S. Miller" <davem@...emloft.net>, 
 Eric Dumazet <edumazet@...gle.com>, Jakub Kicinski <kuba@...nel.org>, 
 Paolo Abeni <pabeni@...hat.com>, Simon Horman <horms@...nel.org>, 
 Martin KaFai Lau <martin.lau@...ux.dev>, 
 Daniel Borkmann <daniel@...earbox.net>, 
 John Fastabend <john.fastabend@...il.com>, 
 Stanislav Fomichev <sdf@...ichev.me>, Alexei Starovoitov <ast@...nel.org>, 
 Andrii Nakryiko <andrii@...nel.org>, Eduard Zingerman <eddyz87@...il.com>, 
 Song Liu <song@...nel.org>, Yonghong Song <yonghong.song@...ux.dev>, 
 KP Singh <kpsingh@...nel.org>, Hao Luo <haoluo@...gle.com>, 
 Jiri Olsa <jolsa@...nel.org>, Arthur Fabre <arthur@...hurfabre.com>, 
 Jesper Dangaard Brouer <hawk@...nel.org>, netdev@...r.kernel.org, 
 kernel-team@...udflare.com
Subject: [PATCH bpf-next v3 00/16] Make TC BPF helpers preserve skb
 metadata

[NOTE TO REVIEWERS: I will be AFK from Oct 28th for around two weeks.]

Changes in v3:
- Use the already existing BPF_STREAM_STDERR const in tests (Martin)
- Unclone skb head on bpf_dynptr_write to skb metadata (patch 3) (Martin)
- Swap order of patches 1 & 2 to refer to skb_postpush_data_move() in docs
- Mention in skb_data_move() docs how to move just the metadata
- Note in pskb_expand_head() docs to move metadata after skb_push() (Jakub)
- Link to v2: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20251019-skb-meta-rx-path-v2-0-f9a58f3eb6d6@cloudflare.com

Changes in v2:
- Tweak WARN_ON_ONCE check in skb_data_move() (patch 2)
- Convert all tests to verify skb metadata in BPF (patches 9-10)
- Add test coverage for modified BPF helpers (patches 12-15)
- Link to RFCv1: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20250929-skb-meta-rx-path-v1-0-de700a7ab1cb@cloudflare.com

This patch set continues our work [1] to allow BPF programs and user-space
applications to attach multiple bytes of metadata to packets via the
XDP/skb metadata area.

The focus of this patch set it to ensure that skb metadata remains intact
when packets pass through a chain of TC BPF programs that call helpers
which operate on skb head.

Currently, several helpers that either adjust the skb->data pointer or
reallocate skb->head do not preserve metadata at its expected location,
that is immediately in front of the MAC header. These are:

- bpf_skb_adjust_room
- bpf_skb_change_head
- bpf_skb_change_proto
- bpf_skb_change_tail
- bpf_skb_vlan_pop
- bpf_skb_vlan_push

In TC BPF context, metadata must be moved whenever skb->data changes to
keep the skb->data_meta pointer valid. I don't see any way around
it. Creative ideas how to avoid that would be very welcome.

With that in mind, we can patch the helpers in at least two different ways:

1. Integrate metadata move into header move

   Replace the existing memmove, which follows skb_push/pull, with a helper
   that moves both headers and metadata in a single call. This avoids an
   extra memmove but reduces transparency.

        skb_pull(skb, len);
-       memmove(skb->data, skb->data - len, n);
+       skb_postpull_data_move(skb, len, n);
        skb->mac_header += len;

        skb_push(skb, len)
-       memmove(skb->data, skb->data + len, n);
+       skb_postpush_data_move(skb, len, n);
        skb->mac_header -= len;

2. Move metadata separately

   Add a dedicated metadata move after the header move. This is more
   explicit but costs an additional memmove.

        skb_pull(skb, len);
        memmove(skb->data, skb->data - len, n);
+       skb_metadata_postpull_move(skb, len);
        skb->mac_header += len;

        skb_push(skb, len)
+       skb_metadata_postpush_move(skb, len);
        memmove(skb->data, skb->data + len, n);
        skb->mac_header -= len;

This patch set implements option (1), expecting that "you can have just one
memmove" will be the most obvious feedback, while readability is a,
somewhat subjective, matter of taste, which I don't claim to have ;-)

The structure of the patch set is as follows:

- patches 1-4 prepare ground for safe-proofing the BPF helpers
- patches 5-9 modify the BPF helpers to preserve skb metadata
- patches 10-11 prepare ground for metadata tests with BPF helper calls
- patches 12-16 adapt and expand tests to cover the made changes

Thanks,
-jkbs

[1] https://lore.kernel.org/all/20250814-skb-metadata-thru-dynptr-v7-0-8a39e636e0fb@cloudflare.com/

---
Jakub Sitnicki (16):
      net: Helper to move packet data and metadata after skb_push/pull
      net: Preserve metadata on pskb_expand_head
      bpf: Unclone skb head on bpf_dynptr_write to skb metadata
      vlan: Make vlan_remove_tag return nothing
      bpf: Make bpf_skb_vlan_pop helper metadata-safe
      bpf: Make bpf_skb_vlan_push helper metadata-safe
      bpf: Make bpf_skb_adjust_room metadata-safe
      bpf: Make bpf_skb_change_proto helper metadata-safe
      bpf: Make bpf_skb_change_head helper metadata-safe
      selftests/bpf: Verify skb metadata in BPF instead of userspace
      selftests/bpf: Dump skb metadata on verification failure
      selftests/bpf: Expect unclone to preserve skb metadata
      selftests/bpf: Cover skb metadata access after vlan push/pop helper
      selftests/bpf: Cover skb metadata access after bpf_skb_adjust_room
      selftests/bpf: Cover skb metadata access after change_head/tail helper
      selftests/bpf: Cover skb metadata access after bpf_skb_change_proto

 include/linux/filter.h                             |   9 +
 include/linux/if_vlan.h                            |  13 +-
 include/linux/skbuff.h                             |  75 ++++
 kernel/bpf/helpers.c                               |   6 +-
 net/core/filter.c                                  |  34 +-
 net/core/skbuff.c                                  |   6 +-
 .../bpf/prog_tests/xdp_context_test_run.c          | 129 ++++---
 tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/test_xdp_meta.c  | 386 +++++++++++++++------
 8 files changed, 475 insertions(+), 183 deletions(-)

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