Adding upstream version 4.19.249.upstream/4.19.249upstream

Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>

1 files changed, 317 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/tools/objtool/Documentation/stack-validation.txt b/tools/objtool/Documentation/stack-validation.txt
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+Compile-time stack metadata validation
+======================================
+
+
+Overview
+--------
+
+The kernel CONFIG_STACK_VALIDATION option enables a host tool named
+objtool which runs at compile time.  It has a "check" subcommand which
+analyzes every .o file and ensures the validity of its stack metadata.
+It enforces a set of rules on asm code and C inline assembly code so
+that stack traces can be reliable.
+
+For each function, it recursively follows all possible code paths and
+validates the correct frame pointer state at each instruction.
+
+It also follows code paths involving special sections, like
+.altinstructions, __jump_table, and __ex_table, which can add
+alternative execution paths to a given instruction (or set of
+instructions).  Similarly, it knows how to follow switch statements, for
+which gcc sometimes uses jump tables.
+
+(Objtool also has an 'orc generate' subcommand which generates debuginfo
+for the ORC unwinder.  See Documentation/x86/orc-unwinder.txt in the
+kernel tree for more details.)
+
+
+Why do we need stack metadata validation?
+-----------------------------------------
+
+Here are some of the benefits of validating stack metadata:
+
+a) More reliable stack traces for frame pointer enabled kernels
+
+   Frame pointers are used for debugging purposes.  They allow runtime
+   code and debug tools to be able to walk the stack to determine the
+   chain of function call sites that led to the currently executing
+   code.
+
+   For some architectures, frame pointers are enabled by
+   CONFIG_FRAME_POINTER.  For some other architectures they may be
+   required by the ABI (sometimes referred to as "backchain pointers").
+
+   For C code, gcc automatically generates instructions for setting up
+   frame pointers when the -fno-omit-frame-pointer option is used.
+
+   But for asm code, the frame setup instructions have to be written by
+   hand, which most people don't do.  So the end result is that
+   CONFIG_FRAME_POINTER is honored for C code but not for most asm code.
+
+   For stack traces based on frame pointers to be reliable, all
+   functions which call other functions must first create a stack frame
+   and update the frame pointer.  If a first function doesn't properly
+   create a stack frame before calling a second function, the *caller*
+   of the first function will be skipped on the stack trace.
+
+   For example, consider the following example backtrace with frame
+   pointers enabled:
+
+     [<ffffffff81812584>] dump_stack+0x4b/0x63
+     [<ffffffff812d6dc2>] cmdline_proc_show+0x12/0x30
+     [<ffffffff8127f568>] seq_read+0x108/0x3e0
+     [<ffffffff812cce62>] proc_reg_read+0x42/0x70
+     [<ffffffff81256197>] __vfs_read+0x37/0x100
+     [<ffffffff81256b16>] vfs_read+0x86/0x130
+     [<ffffffff81257898>] SyS_read+0x58/0xd0
+     [<ffffffff8181c1f2>] entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath+0x12/0x76
+
+   It correctly shows that the caller of cmdline_proc_show() is
+   seq_read().
+
+   If we remove the frame pointer logic from cmdline_proc_show() by
+   replacing the frame pointer related instructions with nops, here's
+   what it looks like instead:
+
+     [<ffffffff81812584>] dump_stack+0x4b/0x63
+     [<ffffffff812d6dc2>] cmdline_proc_show+0x12/0x30
+     [<ffffffff812cce62>] proc_reg_read+0x42/0x70
+     [<ffffffff81256197>] __vfs_read+0x37/0x100
+     [<ffffffff81256b16>] vfs_read+0x86/0x130
+     [<ffffffff81257898>] SyS_read+0x58/0xd0
+     [<ffffffff8181c1f2>] entry_SYSCALL_64_fastpath+0x12/0x76
+
+   Notice that cmdline_proc_show()'s caller, seq_read(), has been
+   skipped.  Instead the stack trace seems to show that
+   cmdline_proc_show() was called by proc_reg_read().
+
+   The benefit of objtool here is that because it ensures that *all*
+   functions honor CONFIG_FRAME_POINTER, no functions will ever[*] be
+   skipped on a stack trace.
+
+   [*] unless an interrupt or exception has occurred at the very
+       beginning of a function before the stack frame has been created,
+       or at the very end of the function after the stack frame has been
+       destroyed.  This is an inherent limitation of frame pointers.
+
+b) ORC (Oops Rewind Capability) unwind table generation
+
+   An alternative to frame pointers and DWARF, ORC unwind data can be
+   used to walk the stack.  Unlike frame pointers, ORC data is out of
+   band.  So it doesn't affect runtime performance and it can be
+   reliable even when interrupts or exceptions are involved.
+
+   For more details, see Documentation/x86/orc-unwinder.txt.
+
+c) Higher live patching compatibility rate
+
+   Livepatch has an optional "consistency model", which is needed for
+   more complex patches.  In order for the consistency model to work,
+   stack traces need to be reliable (or an unreliable condition needs to
+   be detectable).  Objtool makes that possible.
+
+   For more details, see the livepatch documentation in the Linux kernel
+   source tree at Documentation/livepatch/livepatch.txt.
+
+Rules
+-----
+
+To achieve the validation, objtool enforces the following rules:
+
+1. Each callable function must be annotated as such with the ELF
+   function type.  In asm code, this is typically done using the
+   ENTRY/ENDPROC macros.  If objtool finds a return instruction
+   outside of a function, it flags an error since that usually indicates
+   callable code which should be annotated accordingly.
+
+   This rule is needed so that objtool can properly identify each
+   callable function in order to analyze its stack metadata.
+
+2. Conversely, each section of code which is *not* callable should *not*
+   be annotated as an ELF function.  The ENDPROC macro shouldn't be used
+   in this case.
+
+   This rule is needed so that objtool can ignore non-callable code.
+   Such code doesn't have to follow any of the other rules.
+
+3. Each callable function which calls another function must have the
+   correct frame pointer logic, if required by CONFIG_FRAME_POINTER or
+   the architecture's back chain rules.  This can by done in asm code
+   with the FRAME_BEGIN/FRAME_END macros.
+
+   This rule ensures that frame pointer based stack traces will work as
+   designed.  If function A doesn't create a stack frame before calling
+   function B, the _caller_ of function A will be skipped on the stack
+   trace.
+
+4. Dynamic jumps and jumps to undefined symbols are only allowed if:
+
+   a) the jump is part of a switch statement; or
+
+   b) the jump matches sibling call semantics and the frame pointer has
+      the same value it had on function entry.
+
+   This rule is needed so that objtool can reliably analyze all of a
+   function's code paths.  If a function jumps to code in another file,
+   and it's not a sibling call, objtool has no way to follow the jump
+   because it only analyzes a single file at a time.
+
+5. A callable function may not execute kernel entry/exit instructions.
+   The only code which needs such instructions is kernel entry code,
+   which shouldn't be be in callable functions anyway.
+
+   This rule is just a sanity check to ensure that callable functions
+   return normally.
+
+
+Objtool warnings
+----------------
+
+For asm files, if you're getting an error which doesn't make sense,
+first make sure that the affected code follows the above rules.
+
+For C files, the common culprits are inline asm statements and calls to
+"noreturn" functions.  See below for more details.
+
+Another possible cause for errors in C code is if the Makefile removes
+-fno-omit-frame-pointer or adds -fomit-frame-pointer to the gcc options.
+
+Here are some examples of common warnings reported by objtool, what
+they mean, and suggestions for how to fix them.
+
+
+1. file.o: warning: objtool: func()+0x128: call without frame pointer save/setup
+
+   The func() function made a function call without first saving and/or
+   updating the frame pointer, and CONFIG_FRAME_POINTER is enabled.
+
+   If the error is for an asm file, and func() is indeed a callable
+   function, add proper frame pointer logic using the FRAME_BEGIN and
+   FRAME_END macros.  Otherwise, if it's not a callable function, remove
+   its ELF function annotation by changing ENDPROC to END, and instead
+   use the manual unwind hint macros in asm/unwind_hints.h.
+
+   If it's a GCC-compiled .c file, the error may be because the function
+   uses an inline asm() statement which has a "call" instruction.  An
+   asm() statement with a call instruction must declare the use of the
+   stack pointer in its output operand.  On x86_64, this means adding
+   the ASM_CALL_CONSTRAINT as an output constraint:
+
+     asm volatile("call func" : ASM_CALL_CONSTRAINT);
+
+   Otherwise the stack frame may not get created before the call.
+
+
+2. file.o: warning: objtool: .text+0x53: unreachable instruction
+
+   Objtool couldn't find a code path to reach the instruction.
+
+   If the error is for an asm file, and the instruction is inside (or
+   reachable from) a callable function, the function should be annotated
+   with the ENTRY/ENDPROC macros (ENDPROC is the important one).
+   Otherwise, the code should probably be annotated with the unwind hint
+   macros in asm/unwind_hints.h so objtool and the unwinder can know the
+   stack state associated with the code.
+
+   If you're 100% sure the code won't affect stack traces, or if you're
+   a just a bad person, you can tell objtool to ignore it.  See the
+   "Adding exceptions" section below.
+
+   If it's not actually in a callable function (e.g. kernel entry code),
+   change ENDPROC to END.
+
+
+4. file.o: warning: objtool: func(): can't find starting instruction
+   or
+   file.o: warning: objtool: func()+0x11dd: can't decode instruction
+
+   Does the file have data in a text section?  If so, that can confuse
+   objtool's instruction decoder.  Move the data to a more appropriate
+   section like .data or .rodata.
+
+
+5. file.o: warning: objtool: func()+0x6: unsupported instruction in callable function
+
+   This is a kernel entry/exit instruction like sysenter or iret.  Such
+   instructions aren't allowed in a callable function, and are most
+   likely part of the kernel entry code.  They should usually not have
+   the callable function annotation (ENDPROC) and should always be
+   annotated with the unwind hint macros in asm/unwind_hints.h.
+
+
+6. file.o: warning: objtool: func()+0x26: sibling call from callable instruction with modified stack frame
+
+   This is a dynamic jump or a jump to an undefined symbol.  Objtool
+   assumed it's a sibling call and detected that the frame pointer
+   wasn't first restored to its original state.
+
+   If it's not really a sibling call, you may need to move the
+   destination code to the local file.
+
+   If the instruction is not actually in a callable function (e.g.
+   kernel entry code), change ENDPROC to END and annotate manually with
+   the unwind hint macros in asm/unwind_hints.h.
+
+
+7. file: warning: objtool: func()+0x5c: stack state mismatch
+
+   The instruction's frame pointer state is inconsistent, depending on
+   which execution path was taken to reach the instruction.
+
+   Make sure that, when CONFIG_FRAME_POINTER is enabled, the function
+   pushes and sets up the frame pointer (for x86_64, this means rbp) at
+   the beginning of the function and pops it at the end of the function.
+   Also make sure that no other code in the function touches the frame
+   pointer.
+
+   Another possibility is that the code has some asm or inline asm which
+   does some unusual things to the stack or the frame pointer.  In such
+   cases it's probably appropriate to use the unwind hint macros in
+   asm/unwind_hints.h.
+
+
+8. file.o: warning: objtool: funcA() falls through to next function funcB()
+
+   This means that funcA() doesn't end with a return instruction or an
+   unconditional jump, and that objtool has determined that the function
+   can fall through into the next function.  There could be different
+   reasons for this:
+
+   1) funcA()'s last instruction is a call to a "noreturn" function like
+      panic().  In this case the noreturn function needs to be added to
+      objtool's hard-coded global_noreturns array.  Feel free to bug the
+      objtool maintainer, or you can submit a patch.
+
+   2) funcA() uses the unreachable() annotation in a section of code
+      that is actually reachable.
+
+   3) If funcA() calls an inline function, the object code for funcA()
+      might be corrupt due to a gcc bug.  For more details, see:
+      https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=70646
+
+
+If the error doesn't seem to make sense, it could be a bug in objtool.
+Feel free to ask the objtool maintainer for help.
+
+
+Adding exceptions
+-----------------
+
+If you _really_ need objtool to ignore something, and are 100% sure
+that it won't affect kernel stack traces, you can tell objtool to
+ignore it:
+
+- To skip validation of a function, use the STACK_FRAME_NON_STANDARD
+  macro.
+
+- To skip validation of a file, add
+
+    OBJECT_FILES_NON_STANDARD_filename.o := n
+
+  to the Makefile.
+
+- To skip validation of a directory, add
+
+    OBJECT_FILES_NON_STANDARD := y
+
+  to the Makefile.