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diff --git a/Documentation/arm/kernel_user_helpers.rst b/Documentation/arm/kernel_user_helpers.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..eb6f3d916 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/arm/kernel_user_helpers.rst @@ -0,0 +1,268 @@ +============================ +Kernel-provided User Helpers +============================ + +These are segment of kernel provided user code reachable from user space +at a fixed address in kernel memory. This is used to provide user space +with some operations which require kernel help because of unimplemented +native feature and/or instructions in many ARM CPUs. The idea is for this +code to be executed directly in user mode for best efficiency but which is +too intimate with the kernel counter part to be left to user libraries. +In fact this code might even differ from one CPU to another depending on +the available instruction set, or whether it is a SMP systems. In other +words, the kernel reserves the right to change this code as needed without +warning. Only the entry points and their results as documented here are +guaranteed to be stable. + +This is different from (but doesn't preclude) a full blown VDSO +implementation, however a VDSO would prevent some assembly tricks with +constants that allows for efficient branching to those code segments. And +since those code segments only use a few cycles before returning to user +code, the overhead of a VDSO indirect far call would add a measurable +overhead to such minimalistic operations. + +User space is expected to bypass those helpers and implement those things +inline (either in the code emitted directly by the compiler, or part of +the implementation of a library call) when optimizing for a recent enough +processor that has the necessary native support, but only if resulting +binaries are already to be incompatible with earlier ARM processors due to +usage of similar native instructions for other things. In other words +don't make binaries unable to run on earlier processors just for the sake +of not using these kernel helpers if your compiled code is not going to +use new instructions for other purpose. + +New helpers may be added over time, so an older kernel may be missing some +helpers present in a newer kernel. For this reason, programs must check +the value of __kuser_helper_version (see below) before assuming that it is +safe to call any particular helper. This check should ideally be +performed only once at process startup time, and execution aborted early +if the required helpers are not provided by the kernel version that +process is running on. + +kuser_helper_version +-------------------- + +Location: 0xffff0ffc + +Reference declaration:: + + extern int32_t __kuser_helper_version; + +Definition: + + This field contains the number of helpers being implemented by the + running kernel. User space may read this to determine the availability + of a particular helper. + +Usage example:: + + #define __kuser_helper_version (*(int32_t *)0xffff0ffc) + + void check_kuser_version(void) + { + if (__kuser_helper_version < 2) { + fprintf(stderr, "can't do atomic operations, kernel too old\n"); + abort(); + } + } + +Notes: + + User space may assume that the value of this field never changes + during the lifetime of any single process. This means that this + field can be read once during the initialisation of a library or + startup phase of a program. + +kuser_get_tls +------------- + +Location: 0xffff0fe0 + +Reference prototype:: + + void * __kuser_get_tls(void); + +Input: + + lr = return address + +Output: + + r0 = TLS value + +Clobbered registers: + + none + +Definition: + + Get the TLS value as previously set via the __ARM_NR_set_tls syscall. + +Usage example:: + + typedef void * (__kuser_get_tls_t)(void); + #define __kuser_get_tls (*(__kuser_get_tls_t *)0xffff0fe0) + + void foo() + { + void *tls = __kuser_get_tls(); + printf("TLS = %p\n", tls); + } + +Notes: + + - Valid only if __kuser_helper_version >= 1 (from kernel version 2.6.12). + +kuser_cmpxchg +------------- + +Location: 0xffff0fc0 + +Reference prototype:: + + int __kuser_cmpxchg(int32_t oldval, int32_t newval, volatile int32_t *ptr); + +Input: + + r0 = oldval + r1 = newval + r2 = ptr + lr = return address + +Output: + + r0 = success code (zero or non-zero) + C flag = set if r0 == 0, clear if r0 != 0 + +Clobbered registers: + + r3, ip, flags + +Definition: + + Atomically store newval in `*ptr` only if `*ptr` is equal to oldval. + Return zero if `*ptr` was changed or non-zero if no exchange happened. + The C flag is also set if `*ptr` was changed to allow for assembly + optimization in the calling code. + +Usage example:: + + typedef int (__kuser_cmpxchg_t)(int oldval, int newval, volatile int *ptr); + #define __kuser_cmpxchg (*(__kuser_cmpxchg_t *)0xffff0fc0) + + int atomic_add(volatile int *ptr, int val) + { + int old, new; + + do { + old = *ptr; + new = old + val; + } while(__kuser_cmpxchg(old, new, ptr)); + + return new; + } + +Notes: + + - This routine already includes memory barriers as needed. + + - Valid only if __kuser_helper_version >= 2 (from kernel version 2.6.12). + +kuser_memory_barrier +-------------------- + +Location: 0xffff0fa0 + +Reference prototype:: + + void __kuser_memory_barrier(void); + +Input: + + lr = return address + +Output: + + none + +Clobbered registers: + + none + +Definition: + + Apply any needed memory barrier to preserve consistency with data modified + manually and __kuser_cmpxchg usage. + +Usage example:: + + typedef void (__kuser_dmb_t)(void); + #define __kuser_dmb (*(__kuser_dmb_t *)0xffff0fa0) + +Notes: + + - Valid only if __kuser_helper_version >= 3 (from kernel version 2.6.15). + +kuser_cmpxchg64 +--------------- + +Location: 0xffff0f60 + +Reference prototype:: + + int __kuser_cmpxchg64(const int64_t *oldval, + const int64_t *newval, + volatile int64_t *ptr); + +Input: + + r0 = pointer to oldval + r1 = pointer to newval + r2 = pointer to target value + lr = return address + +Output: + + r0 = success code (zero or non-zero) + C flag = set if r0 == 0, clear if r0 != 0 + +Clobbered registers: + + r3, lr, flags + +Definition: + + Atomically store the 64-bit value pointed by `*newval` in `*ptr` only if `*ptr` + is equal to the 64-bit value pointed by `*oldval`. Return zero if `*ptr` was + changed or non-zero if no exchange happened. + + The C flag is also set if `*ptr` was changed to allow for assembly + optimization in the calling code. + +Usage example:: + + typedef int (__kuser_cmpxchg64_t)(const int64_t *oldval, + const int64_t *newval, + volatile int64_t *ptr); + #define __kuser_cmpxchg64 (*(__kuser_cmpxchg64_t *)0xffff0f60) + + int64_t atomic_add64(volatile int64_t *ptr, int64_t val) + { + int64_t old, new; + + do { + old = *ptr; + new = old + val; + } while(__kuser_cmpxchg64(&old, &new, ptr)); + + return new; + } + +Notes: + + - This routine already includes memory barriers as needed. + + - Due to the length of this sequence, this spans 2 conventional kuser + "slots", therefore 0xffff0f80 is not used as a valid entry point. + + - Valid only if __kuser_helper_version >= 5 (from kernel version 3.1). |