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diff --git a/Documentation/livepatch/module-elf-format.rst b/Documentation/livepatch/module-elf-format.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..a03ed02ec5 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/livepatch/module-elf-format.rst @@ -0,0 +1,302 @@ +=========================== +Livepatch module ELF format +=========================== + +This document outlines the ELF format requirements that livepatch modules must follow. + + +.. Table of Contents + +.. contents:: :local: + + +1. Background and motivation +============================ + +Formerly, livepatch required separate architecture-specific code to write +relocations. However, arch-specific code to write relocations already +exists in the module loader, so this former approach produced redundant +code. So, instead of duplicating code and re-implementing what the module +loader can already do, livepatch leverages existing code in the module +loader to perform the all the arch-specific relocation work. Specifically, +livepatch reuses the apply_relocate_add() function in the module loader to +write relocations. The patch module ELF format described in this document +enables livepatch to be able to do this. The hope is that this will make +livepatch more easily portable to other architectures and reduce the amount +of arch-specific code required to port livepatch to a particular +architecture. + +Since apply_relocate_add() requires access to a module's section header +table, symbol table, and relocation section indices, ELF information is +preserved for livepatch modules (see section 5). Livepatch manages its own +relocation sections and symbols, which are described in this document. The +ELF constants used to mark livepatch symbols and relocation sections were +selected from OS-specific ranges according to the definitions from glibc. + +Why does livepatch need to write its own relocations? +----------------------------------------------------- +A typical livepatch module contains patched versions of functions that can +reference non-exported global symbols and non-included local symbols. +Relocations referencing these types of symbols cannot be left in as-is +since the kernel module loader cannot resolve them and will therefore +reject the livepatch module. Furthermore, we cannot apply relocations that +affect modules not yet loaded at patch module load time (e.g. a patch to a +driver that is not loaded). Formerly, livepatch solved this problem by +embedding special "dynrela" (dynamic rela) sections in the resulting patch +module ELF output. Using these dynrela sections, livepatch could resolve +symbols while taking into account its scope and what module the symbol +belongs to, and then manually apply the dynamic relocations. However this +approach required livepatch to supply arch-specific code in order to write +these relocations. In the new format, livepatch manages its own SHT_RELA +relocation sections in place of dynrela sections, and the symbols that the +relas reference are special livepatch symbols (see section 2 and 3). The +arch-specific livepatch relocation code is replaced by a call to +apply_relocate_add(). + +2. Livepatch modinfo field +========================== + +Livepatch modules are required to have the "livepatch" modinfo attribute. +See the sample livepatch module in samples/livepatch/ for how this is done. + +Livepatch modules can be identified by users by using the 'modinfo' command +and looking for the presence of the "livepatch" field. This field is also +used by the kernel module loader to identify livepatch modules. + +Example: +-------- + +**Modinfo output:** + +:: + + % modinfo livepatch-meminfo.ko + filename: livepatch-meminfo.ko + livepatch: Y + license: GPL + depends: + vermagic: 4.3.0+ SMP mod_unload + +3. Livepatch relocation sections +================================ + +A livepatch module manages its own ELF relocation sections to apply +relocations to modules as well as to the kernel (vmlinux) at the +appropriate time. For example, if a patch module patches a driver that is +not currently loaded, livepatch will apply the corresponding livepatch +relocation section(s) to the driver once it loads. + +Each "object" (e.g. vmlinux, or a module) within a patch module may have +multiple livepatch relocation sections associated with it (e.g. patches to +multiple functions within the same object). There is a 1-1 correspondence +between a livepatch relocation section and the target section (usually the +text section of a function) to which the relocation(s) apply. It is +also possible for a livepatch module to have no livepatch relocation +sections, as in the case of the sample livepatch module (see +samples/livepatch). + +Since ELF information is preserved for livepatch modules (see Section 5), a +livepatch relocation section can be applied simply by passing in the +appropriate section index to apply_relocate_add(), which then uses it to +access the relocation section and apply the relocations. + +Every symbol referenced by a rela in a livepatch relocation section is a +livepatch symbol. These must be resolved before livepatch can call +apply_relocate_add(). See Section 3 for more information. + +3.1 Livepatch relocation section format +======================================= + +Livepatch relocation sections must be marked with the SHF_RELA_LIVEPATCH +section flag. See include/uapi/linux/elf.h for the definition. The module +loader recognizes this flag and will avoid applying those relocation sections +at patch module load time. These sections must also be marked with SHF_ALLOC, +so that the module loader doesn't discard them on module load (i.e. they will +be copied into memory along with the other SHF_ALLOC sections). + +The name of a livepatch relocation section must conform to the following +format:: + + .klp.rela.objname.section_name + ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ + |________||_____| |__________| + [A] [B] [C] + +[A] + The relocation section name is prefixed with the string ".klp.rela." + +[B] + The name of the object (i.e. "vmlinux" or name of module) to + which the relocation section belongs follows immediately after the prefix. + +[C] + The actual name of the section to which this relocation section applies. + +Examples: +--------- + +**Livepatch relocation section names:** + +:: + + .klp.rela.ext4.text.ext4_attr_store + .klp.rela.vmlinux.text.cmdline_proc_show + +**`readelf --sections` output for a patch +module that patches vmlinux and modules 9p, btrfs, ext4:** + +:: + + Section Headers: + [Nr] Name Type Address Off Size ES Flg Lk Inf Al + [ snip ] + [29] .klp.rela.9p.text.caches.show RELA 0000000000000000 002d58 0000c0 18 AIo 64 9 8 + [30] .klp.rela.btrfs.text.btrfs.feature.attr.show RELA 0000000000000000 002e18 000060 18 AIo 64 11 8 + [ snip ] + [34] .klp.rela.ext4.text.ext4.attr.store RELA 0000000000000000 002fd8 0000d8 18 AIo 64 13 8 + [35] .klp.rela.ext4.text.ext4.attr.show RELA 0000000000000000 0030b0 000150 18 AIo 64 15 8 + [36] .klp.rela.vmlinux.text.cmdline.proc.show RELA 0000000000000000 003200 000018 18 AIo 64 17 8 + [37] .klp.rela.vmlinux.text.meminfo.proc.show RELA 0000000000000000 003218 0000f0 18 AIo 64 19 8 + [ snip ] ^ ^ + | | + [*] [*] + +[*] + Livepatch relocation sections are SHT_RELA sections but with a few special + characteristics. Notice that they are marked SHF_ALLOC ("A") so that they will + not be discarded when the module is loaded into memory, as well as with the + SHF_RELA_LIVEPATCH flag ("o" - for OS-specific). + +**`readelf --relocs` output for a patch module:** + +:: + + Relocation section '.klp.rela.btrfs.text.btrfs_feature_attr_show' at offset 0x2ba0 contains 4 entries: + Offset Info Type Symbol's Value Symbol's Name + Addend + 000000000000001f 0000005e00000002 R_X86_64_PC32 0000000000000000 .klp.sym.vmlinux.printk,0 - 4 + 0000000000000028 0000003d0000000b R_X86_64_32S 0000000000000000 .klp.sym.btrfs.btrfs_ktype,0 + 0 + 0000000000000036 0000003b00000002 R_X86_64_PC32 0000000000000000 .klp.sym.btrfs.can_modify_feature.isra.3,0 - 4 + 000000000000004c 0000004900000002 R_X86_64_PC32 0000000000000000 .klp.sym.vmlinux.snprintf,0 - 4 + [ snip ] ^ + | + [*] + +[*] + Every symbol referenced by a relocation is a livepatch symbol. + +4. Livepatch symbols +==================== + +Livepatch symbols are symbols referred to by livepatch relocation sections. +These are symbols accessed from new versions of functions for patched +objects, whose addresses cannot be resolved by the module loader (because +they are local or unexported global syms). Since the module loader only +resolves exported syms, and not every symbol referenced by the new patched +functions is exported, livepatch symbols were introduced. They are used +also in cases where we cannot immediately know the address of a symbol when +a patch module loads. For example, this is the case when livepatch patches +a module that is not loaded yet. In this case, the relevant livepatch +symbols are resolved simply when the target module loads. In any case, for +any livepatch relocation section, all livepatch symbols referenced by that +section must be resolved before livepatch can call apply_relocate_add() for +that reloc section. + +Livepatch symbols must be marked with SHN_LIVEPATCH so that the module +loader can identify and ignore them. Livepatch modules keep these symbols +in their symbol tables, and the symbol table is made accessible through +module->symtab. + +4.1 A livepatch module's symbol table +===================================== +Normally, a stripped down copy of a module's symbol table (containing only +"core" symbols) is made available through module->symtab (See layout_symtab() +in kernel/module/kallsyms.c). For livepatch modules, the symbol table copied +into memory on module load must be exactly the same as the symbol table produced +when the patch module was compiled. This is because the relocations in each +livepatch relocation section refer to their respective symbols with their symbol +indices, and the original symbol indices (and thus the symtab ordering) must be +preserved in order for apply_relocate_add() to find the right symbol. + +For example, take this particular rela from a livepatch module::: + + Relocation section '.klp.rela.btrfs.text.btrfs_feature_attr_show' at offset 0x2ba0 contains 4 entries: + Offset Info Type Symbol's Value Symbol's Name + Addend + 000000000000001f 0000005e00000002 R_X86_64_PC32 0000000000000000 .klp.sym.vmlinux.printk,0 - 4 + + This rela refers to the symbol '.klp.sym.vmlinux.printk,0', and the symbol index is encoded + in 'Info'. Here its symbol index is 0x5e, which is 94 in decimal, which refers to the + symbol index 94. + And in this patch module's corresponding symbol table, symbol index 94 refers to that very symbol: + [ snip ] + 94: 0000000000000000 0 NOTYPE GLOBAL DEFAULT OS [0xff20] .klp.sym.vmlinux.printk,0 + [ snip ] + +4.2 Livepatch symbol format +=========================== + +Livepatch symbols must have their section index marked as SHN_LIVEPATCH, so +that the module loader can identify them and not attempt to resolve them. +See include/uapi/linux/elf.h for the actual definitions. + +Livepatch symbol names must conform to the following format:: + + .klp.sym.objname.symbol_name,sympos + ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ + |_______||_____| |_________| | + [A] [B] [C] [D] + +[A] + The symbol name is prefixed with the string ".klp.sym." + +[B] + The name of the object (i.e. "vmlinux" or name of module) to + which the symbol belongs follows immediately after the prefix. + +[C] + The actual name of the symbol. + +[D] + The position of the symbol in the object (as according to kallsyms) + This is used to differentiate duplicate symbols within the same + object. The symbol position is expressed numerically (0, 1, 2...). + The symbol position of a unique symbol is 0. + +Examples: +--------- + +**Livepatch symbol names:** + +:: + + .klp.sym.vmlinux.snprintf,0 + .klp.sym.vmlinux.printk,0 + .klp.sym.btrfs.btrfs_ktype,0 + +**`readelf --symbols` output for a patch module:** + +:: + + Symbol table '.symtab' contains 127 entries: + Num: Value Size Type Bind Vis Ndx Name + [ snip ] + 73: 0000000000000000 0 NOTYPE GLOBAL DEFAULT OS [0xff20] .klp.sym.vmlinux.snprintf,0 + 74: 0000000000000000 0 NOTYPE GLOBAL DEFAULT OS [0xff20] .klp.sym.vmlinux.capable,0 + 75: 0000000000000000 0 NOTYPE GLOBAL DEFAULT OS [0xff20] .klp.sym.vmlinux.find_next_bit,0 + 76: 0000000000000000 0 NOTYPE GLOBAL DEFAULT OS [0xff20] .klp.sym.vmlinux.si_swapinfo,0 + [ snip ] ^ + | + [*] + +[*] + Note that the 'Ndx' (Section index) for these symbols is SHN_LIVEPATCH (0xff20). + "OS" means OS-specific. + +5. Symbol table and ELF section access +====================================== +A livepatch module's symbol table is accessible through module->symtab. + +Since apply_relocate_add() requires access to a module's section headers, +symbol table, and relocation section indices, ELF information is preserved for +livepatch modules and is made accessible by the module loader through +module->klp_info, which is a :c:type:`klp_modinfo` struct. When a livepatch module +loads, this struct is filled in by the module loader. |