diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/filesystems/seq_file.rst')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/filesystems/seq_file.rst | 396 |
1 files changed, 396 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/seq_file.rst b/Documentation/filesystems/seq_file.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..a6726082a --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/filesystems/seq_file.rst @@ -0,0 +1,396 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +====================== +The seq_file Interface +====================== + + Copyright 2003 Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net> + + This file is originally from the LWN.net Driver Porting series at + https://lwn.net/Articles/driver-porting/ + + +There are numerous ways for a device driver (or other kernel component) to +provide information to the user or system administrator. One useful +technique is the creation of virtual files, in debugfs, /proc or elsewhere. +Virtual files can provide human-readable output that is easy to get at +without any special utility programs; they can also make life easier for +script writers. It is not surprising that the use of virtual files has +grown over the years. + +Creating those files correctly has always been a bit of a challenge, +however. It is not that hard to make a virtual file which returns a +string. But life gets trickier if the output is long - anything greater +than an application is likely to read in a single operation. Handling +multiple reads (and seeks) requires careful attention to the reader's +position within the virtual file - that position is, likely as not, in the +middle of a line of output. The kernel has traditionally had a number of +implementations that got this wrong. + +The 2.6 kernel contains a set of functions (implemented by Alexander Viro) +which are designed to make it easy for virtual file creators to get it +right. + +The seq_file interface is available via <linux/seq_file.h>. There are +three aspects to seq_file: + + * An iterator interface which lets a virtual file implementation + step through the objects it is presenting. + + * Some utility functions for formatting objects for output without + needing to worry about things like output buffers. + + * A set of canned file_operations which implement most operations on + the virtual file. + +We'll look at the seq_file interface via an extremely simple example: a +loadable module which creates a file called /proc/sequence. The file, when +read, simply produces a set of increasing integer values, one per line. The +sequence will continue until the user loses patience and finds something +better to do. The file is seekable, in that one can do something like the +following:: + + dd if=/proc/sequence of=out1 count=1 + dd if=/proc/sequence skip=1 of=out2 count=1 + +Then concatenate the output files out1 and out2 and get the right +result. Yes, it is a thoroughly useless module, but the point is to show +how the mechanism works without getting lost in other details. (Those +wanting to see the full source for this module can find it at +https://lwn.net/Articles/22359/). + +Deprecated create_proc_entry +============================ + +Note that the above article uses create_proc_entry which was removed in +kernel 3.10. Current versions require the following update:: + + - entry = create_proc_entry("sequence", 0, NULL); + - if (entry) + - entry->proc_fops = &ct_file_ops; + + entry = proc_create("sequence", 0, NULL, &ct_file_ops); + +The iterator interface +====================== + +Modules implementing a virtual file with seq_file must implement an +iterator object that allows stepping through the data of interest +during a "session" (roughly one read() system call). If the iterator +is able to move to a specific position - like the file they implement, +though with freedom to map the position number to a sequence location +in whatever way is convenient - the iterator need only exist +transiently during a session. If the iterator cannot easily find a +numerical position but works well with a first/next interface, the +iterator can be stored in the private data area and continue from one +session to the next. + +A seq_file implementation that is formatting firewall rules from a +table, for example, could provide a simple iterator that interprets +position N as the Nth rule in the chain. A seq_file implementation +that presents the content of a, potentially volatile, linked list +might record a pointer into that list, providing that can be done +without risk of the current location being removed. + +Positioning can thus be done in whatever way makes the most sense for +the generator of the data, which need not be aware of how a position +translates to an offset in the virtual file. The one obvious exception +is that a position of zero should indicate the beginning of the file. + +The /proc/sequence iterator just uses the count of the next number it +will output as its position. + +Four functions must be implemented to make the iterator work. The +first, called start(), starts a session and takes a position as an +argument, returning an iterator which will start reading at that +position. The pos passed to start() will always be either zero, or +the most recent pos used in the previous session. + +For our simple sequence example, +the start() function looks like:: + + static void *ct_seq_start(struct seq_file *s, loff_t *pos) + { + loff_t *spos = kmalloc(sizeof(loff_t), GFP_KERNEL); + if (! spos) + return NULL; + *spos = *pos; + return spos; + } + +The entire data structure for this iterator is a single loff_t value +holding the current position. There is no upper bound for the sequence +iterator, but that will not be the case for most other seq_file +implementations; in most cases the start() function should check for a +"past end of file" condition and return NULL if need be. + +For more complicated applications, the private field of the seq_file +structure can be used to hold state from session to session. There is +also a special value which can be returned by the start() function +called SEQ_START_TOKEN; it can be used if you wish to instruct your +show() function (described below) to print a header at the top of the +output. SEQ_START_TOKEN should only be used if the offset is zero, +however. SEQ_START_TOKEN has no special meaning to the core seq_file +code. It is provided as a convenience for a start() funciton to +communicate with the next() and show() functions. + +The next function to implement is called, amazingly, next(); its job is to +move the iterator forward to the next position in the sequence. The +example module can simply increment the position by one; more useful +modules will do what is needed to step through some data structure. The +next() function returns a new iterator, or NULL if the sequence is +complete. Here's the example version:: + + static void *ct_seq_next(struct seq_file *s, void *v, loff_t *pos) + { + loff_t *spos = v; + *pos = ++*spos; + return spos; + } + +The next() function should set ``*pos`` to a value that start() can use +to find the new location in the sequence. When the iterator is being +stored in the private data area, rather than being reinitialized on each +start(), it might seem sufficient to simply set ``*pos`` to any non-zero +value (zero always tells start() to restart the sequence). This is not +sufficient due to historical problems. + +Historically, many next() functions have *not* updated ``*pos`` at +end-of-file. If the value is then used by start() to initialise the +iterator, this can result in corner cases where the last entry in the +sequence is reported twice in the file. In order to discourage this bug +from being resurrected, the core seq_file code now produces a warning if +a next() function does not change the value of ``*pos``. Consequently a +next() function *must* change the value of ``*pos``, and of course must +set it to a non-zero value. + +The stop() function closes a session; its job, of course, is to clean +up. If dynamic memory is allocated for the iterator, stop() is the +place to free it; if a lock was taken by start(), stop() must release +that lock. The value that ``*pos`` was set to by the last next() call +before stop() is remembered, and used for the first start() call of +the next session unless lseek() has been called on the file; in that +case next start() will be asked to start at position zero:: + + static void ct_seq_stop(struct seq_file *s, void *v) + { + kfree(v); + } + +Finally, the show() function should format the object currently pointed to +by the iterator for output. The example module's show() function is:: + + static int ct_seq_show(struct seq_file *s, void *v) + { + loff_t *spos = v; + seq_printf(s, "%lld\n", (long long)*spos); + return 0; + } + +If all is well, the show() function should return zero. A negative error +code in the usual manner indicates that something went wrong; it will be +passed back to user space. This function can also return SEQ_SKIP, which +causes the current item to be skipped; if the show() function has already +generated output before returning SEQ_SKIP, that output will be dropped. + +We will look at seq_printf() in a moment. But first, the definition of the +seq_file iterator is finished by creating a seq_operations structure with +the four functions we have just defined:: + + static const struct seq_operations ct_seq_ops = { + .start = ct_seq_start, + .next = ct_seq_next, + .stop = ct_seq_stop, + .show = ct_seq_show + }; + +This structure will be needed to tie our iterator to the /proc file in +a little bit. + +It's worth noting that the iterator value returned by start() and +manipulated by the other functions is considered to be completely opaque by +the seq_file code. It can thus be anything that is useful in stepping +through the data to be output. Counters can be useful, but it could also be +a direct pointer into an array or linked list. Anything goes, as long as +the programmer is aware that things can happen between calls to the +iterator function. However, the seq_file code (by design) will not sleep +between the calls to start() and stop(), so holding a lock during that time +is a reasonable thing to do. The seq_file code will also avoid taking any +other locks while the iterator is active. + +The iterater value returned by start() or next() is guaranteed to be +passed to a subsequent next() or stop() call. This allows resources +such as locks that were taken to be reliably released. There is *no* +guarantee that the iterator will be passed to show(), though in practice +it often will be. + + +Formatted output +================ + +The seq_file code manages positioning within the output created by the +iterator and getting it into the user's buffer. But, for that to work, that +output must be passed to the seq_file code. Some utility functions have +been defined which make this task easy. + +Most code will simply use seq_printf(), which works pretty much like +printk(), but which requires the seq_file pointer as an argument. + +For straight character output, the following functions may be used:: + + seq_putc(struct seq_file *m, char c); + seq_puts(struct seq_file *m, const char *s); + seq_escape(struct seq_file *m, const char *s, const char *esc); + +The first two output a single character and a string, just like one would +expect. seq_escape() is like seq_puts(), except that any character in s +which is in the string esc will be represented in octal form in the output. + +There are also a pair of functions for printing filenames:: + + int seq_path(struct seq_file *m, const struct path *path, + const char *esc); + int seq_path_root(struct seq_file *m, const struct path *path, + const struct path *root, const char *esc) + +Here, path indicates the file of interest, and esc is a set of characters +which should be escaped in the output. A call to seq_path() will output +the path relative to the current process's filesystem root. If a different +root is desired, it can be used with seq_path_root(). If it turns out that +path cannot be reached from root, seq_path_root() returns SEQ_SKIP. + +A function producing complicated output may want to check:: + + bool seq_has_overflowed(struct seq_file *m); + +and avoid further seq_<output> calls if true is returned. + +A true return from seq_has_overflowed means that the seq_file buffer will +be discarded and the seq_show function will attempt to allocate a larger +buffer and retry printing. + + +Making it all work +================== + +So far, we have a nice set of functions which can produce output within the +seq_file system, but we have not yet turned them into a file that a user +can see. Creating a file within the kernel requires, of course, the +creation of a set of file_operations which implement the operations on that +file. The seq_file interface provides a set of canned operations which do +most of the work. The virtual file author still must implement the open() +method, however, to hook everything up. The open function is often a single +line, as in the example module:: + + static int ct_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file) + { + return seq_open(file, &ct_seq_ops); + } + +Here, the call to seq_open() takes the seq_operations structure we created +before, and gets set up to iterate through the virtual file. + +On a successful open, seq_open() stores the struct seq_file pointer in +file->private_data. If you have an application where the same iterator can +be used for more than one file, you can store an arbitrary pointer in the +private field of the seq_file structure; that value can then be retrieved +by the iterator functions. + +There is also a wrapper function to seq_open() called seq_open_private(). It +kmallocs a zero filled block of memory and stores a pointer to it in the +private field of the seq_file structure, returning 0 on success. The +block size is specified in a third parameter to the function, e.g.:: + + static int ct_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file) + { + return seq_open_private(file, &ct_seq_ops, + sizeof(struct mystruct)); + } + +There is also a variant function, __seq_open_private(), which is functionally +identical except that, if successful, it returns the pointer to the allocated +memory block, allowing further initialisation e.g.:: + + static int ct_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file) + { + struct mystruct *p = + __seq_open_private(file, &ct_seq_ops, sizeof(*p)); + + if (!p) + return -ENOMEM; + + p->foo = bar; /* initialize my stuff */ + ... + p->baz = true; + + return 0; + } + +A corresponding close function, seq_release_private() is available which +frees the memory allocated in the corresponding open. + +The other operations of interest - read(), llseek(), and release() - are +all implemented by the seq_file code itself. So a virtual file's +file_operations structure will look like:: + + static const struct file_operations ct_file_ops = { + .owner = THIS_MODULE, + .open = ct_open, + .read = seq_read, + .llseek = seq_lseek, + .release = seq_release + }; + +There is also a seq_release_private() which passes the contents of the +seq_file private field to kfree() before releasing the structure. + +The final step is the creation of the /proc file itself. In the example +code, that is done in the initialization code in the usual way:: + + static int ct_init(void) + { + struct proc_dir_entry *entry; + + proc_create("sequence", 0, NULL, &ct_file_ops); + return 0; + } + + module_init(ct_init); + +And that is pretty much it. + + +seq_list +======== + +If your file will be iterating through a linked list, you may find these +routines useful:: + + struct list_head *seq_list_start(struct list_head *head, + loff_t pos); + struct list_head *seq_list_start_head(struct list_head *head, + loff_t pos); + struct list_head *seq_list_next(void *v, struct list_head *head, + loff_t *ppos); + +These helpers will interpret pos as a position within the list and iterate +accordingly. Your start() and next() functions need only invoke the +``seq_list_*`` helpers with a pointer to the appropriate list_head structure. + + +The extra-simple version +======================== + +For extremely simple virtual files, there is an even easier interface. A +module can define only the show() function, which should create all the +output that the virtual file will contain. The file's open() method then +calls:: + + int single_open(struct file *file, + int (*show)(struct seq_file *m, void *p), + void *data); + +When output time comes, the show() function will be called once. The data +value given to single_open() can be found in the private field of the +seq_file structure. When using single_open(), the programmer should use +single_release() instead of seq_release() in the file_operations structure +to avoid a memory leak. |