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diff --git a/Documentation/bpf/kfuncs.rst b/Documentation/bpf/kfuncs.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..0f8581563 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/bpf/kfuncs.rst @@ -0,0 +1,193 @@ +============================= +BPF Kernel Functions (kfuncs) +============================= + +1. Introduction +=============== + +BPF Kernel Functions or more commonly known as kfuncs are functions in the Linux +kernel which are exposed for use by BPF programs. Unlike normal BPF helpers, +kfuncs do not have a stable interface and can change from one kernel release to +another. Hence, BPF programs need to be updated in response to changes in the +kernel. + +2. Defining a kfunc +=================== + +There are two ways to expose a kernel function to BPF programs, either make an +existing function in the kernel visible, or add a new wrapper for BPF. In both +cases, care must be taken that BPF program can only call such function in a +valid context. To enforce this, visibility of a kfunc can be per program type. + +If you are not creating a BPF wrapper for existing kernel function, skip ahead +to :ref:`BPF_kfunc_nodef`. + +2.1 Creating a wrapper kfunc +---------------------------- + +When defining a wrapper kfunc, the wrapper function should have extern linkage. +This prevents the compiler from optimizing away dead code, as this wrapper kfunc +is not invoked anywhere in the kernel itself. It is not necessary to provide a +prototype in a header for the wrapper kfunc. + +An example is given below:: + + /* Disables missing prototype warnings */ + __diag_push(); + __diag_ignore_all("-Wmissing-prototypes", + "Global kfuncs as their definitions will be in BTF"); + + struct task_struct *bpf_find_get_task_by_vpid(pid_t nr) + { + return find_get_task_by_vpid(nr); + } + + __diag_pop(); + +A wrapper kfunc is often needed when we need to annotate parameters of the +kfunc. Otherwise one may directly make the kfunc visible to the BPF program by +registering it with the BPF subsystem. See :ref:`BPF_kfunc_nodef`. + +2.2 Annotating kfunc parameters +------------------------------- + +Similar to BPF helpers, there is sometime need for additional context required +by the verifier to make the usage of kernel functions safer and more useful. +Hence, we can annotate a parameter by suffixing the name of the argument of the +kfunc with a __tag, where tag may be one of the supported annotations. + +2.2.1 __sz Annotation +--------------------- + +This annotation is used to indicate a memory and size pair in the argument list. +An example is given below:: + + void bpf_memzero(void *mem, int mem__sz) + { + ... + } + +Here, the verifier will treat first argument as a PTR_TO_MEM, and second +argument as its size. By default, without __sz annotation, the size of the type +of the pointer is used. Without __sz annotation, a kfunc cannot accept a void +pointer. + +.. _BPF_kfunc_nodef: + +2.3 Using an existing kernel function +------------------------------------- + +When an existing function in the kernel is fit for consumption by BPF programs, +it can be directly registered with the BPF subsystem. However, care must still +be taken to review the context in which it will be invoked by the BPF program +and whether it is safe to do so. + +2.4 Annotating kfuncs +--------------------- + +In addition to kfuncs' arguments, verifier may need more information about the +type of kfunc(s) being registered with the BPF subsystem. To do so, we define +flags on a set of kfuncs as follows:: + + BTF_SET8_START(bpf_task_set) + BTF_ID_FLAGS(func, bpf_get_task_pid, KF_ACQUIRE | KF_RET_NULL) + BTF_ID_FLAGS(func, bpf_put_pid, KF_RELEASE) + BTF_SET8_END(bpf_task_set) + +This set encodes the BTF ID of each kfunc listed above, and encodes the flags +along with it. Ofcourse, it is also allowed to specify no flags. + +2.4.1 KF_ACQUIRE flag +--------------------- + +The KF_ACQUIRE flag is used to indicate that the kfunc returns a pointer to a +refcounted object. The verifier will then ensure that the pointer to the object +is eventually released using a release kfunc, or transferred to a map using a +referenced kptr (by invoking bpf_kptr_xchg). If not, the verifier fails the +loading of the BPF program until no lingering references remain in all possible +explored states of the program. + +2.4.2 KF_RET_NULL flag +---------------------- + +The KF_RET_NULL flag is used to indicate that the pointer returned by the kfunc +may be NULL. Hence, it forces the user to do a NULL check on the pointer +returned from the kfunc before making use of it (dereferencing or passing to +another helper). This flag is often used in pairing with KF_ACQUIRE flag, but +both are orthogonal to each other. + +2.4.3 KF_RELEASE flag +--------------------- + +The KF_RELEASE flag is used to indicate that the kfunc releases the pointer +passed in to it. There can be only one referenced pointer that can be passed in. +All copies of the pointer being released are invalidated as a result of invoking +kfunc with this flag. + +2.4.4 KF_KPTR_GET flag +---------------------- + +The KF_KPTR_GET flag is used to indicate that the kfunc takes the first argument +as a pointer to kptr, safely increments the refcount of the object it points to, +and returns a reference to the user. The rest of the arguments may be normal +arguments of a kfunc. The KF_KPTR_GET flag should be used in conjunction with +KF_ACQUIRE and KF_RET_NULL flags. + +2.4.5 KF_TRUSTED_ARGS flag +-------------------------- + +The KF_TRUSTED_ARGS flag is used for kfuncs taking pointer arguments. It +indicates that the all pointer arguments will always have a guaranteed lifetime, +and pointers to kernel objects are always passed to helpers in their unmodified +form (as obtained from acquire kfuncs). + +It can be used to enforce that a pointer to a refcounted object acquired from a +kfunc or BPF helper is passed as an argument to this kfunc without any +modifications (e.g. pointer arithmetic) such that it is trusted and points to +the original object. + +Meanwhile, it is also allowed pass pointers to normal memory to such kfuncs, +but those can have a non-zero offset. + +This flag is often used for kfuncs that operate (change some property, perform +some operation) on an object that was obtained using an acquire kfunc. Such +kfuncs need an unchanged pointer to ensure the integrity of the operation being +performed on the expected object. + +2.4.6 KF_SLEEPABLE flag +----------------------- + +The KF_SLEEPABLE flag is used for kfuncs that may sleep. Such kfuncs can only +be called by sleepable BPF programs (BPF_F_SLEEPABLE). + +2.4.7 KF_DESTRUCTIVE flag +-------------------------- + +The KF_DESTRUCTIVE flag is used to indicate functions calling which is +destructive to the system. For example such a call can result in system +rebooting or panicking. Due to this additional restrictions apply to these +calls. At the moment they only require CAP_SYS_BOOT capability, but more can be +added later. + +2.5 Registering the kfuncs +-------------------------- + +Once the kfunc is prepared for use, the final step to making it visible is +registering it with the BPF subsystem. Registration is done per BPF program +type. An example is shown below:: + + BTF_SET8_START(bpf_task_set) + BTF_ID_FLAGS(func, bpf_get_task_pid, KF_ACQUIRE | KF_RET_NULL) + BTF_ID_FLAGS(func, bpf_put_pid, KF_RELEASE) + BTF_SET8_END(bpf_task_set) + + static const struct btf_kfunc_id_set bpf_task_kfunc_set = { + .owner = THIS_MODULE, + .set = &bpf_task_set, + }; + + static int init_subsystem(void) + { + return register_btf_kfunc_id_set(BPF_PROG_TYPE_TRACING, &bpf_task_kfunc_set); + } + late_initcall(init_subsystem); |