Re: [PATCH 2.6.11-rc3-mm2] connector: Add a fork connector

From: Andrew Morton
Date: Wed Feb 23 2005 - 04:10:50 EST


Guillaume Thouvenin <guillaume.thouvenin@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> This patch replaces the relay_fork module and it implements a fork
> connector in the kernel/fork.c:do_fork() routine. The connector sends
> information about parent PID and child PID over a netlink interface. It
> allows to several user space applications to be informed when a fork
> occurs in the kernel. The main drawback is that even if nobody listens,
> message is send. I don't know how to avoid that.

We really should find a way to fix that. Especially if we want all the
distributors to enable the connector in their builds (we do).

What happened to the idea of sending an on/off message down the netlink
socket?

> +#ifdef CONFIG_FORK_CONNECTOR
> +#define FORK_CN_INFO_SIZE 64
> +static inline void fork_connector(pid_t parent, pid_t child)
> +{
> + struct cb_id fork_id = {CN_IDX_FORK, CN_VAL_FORK};

This can be static const, which will save some stack and cycles.

> + static __u32 seq; /* used to test if we lost message */
> +
> + if (cn_already_initialized) {
> + struct cn_msg *msg;
> + size_t size;
> +
> + size = sizeof(*msg) + FORK_CN_INFO_SIZE;
> + msg = kmalloc(size, GFP_KERNEL);
> + if (msg) {
> + memset(msg, '\0', size);

Do we really need to memset the whole thing?

> + memcpy(&msg->id, &fork_id, sizeof(msg->id));
> + msg->seq = seq++;

`seq' needs a lock to protect it. Or use atomic_add_return(), maybe.

> + msg->ack = 0; /* not used */
> + /*
> + * size of data is the number of characters
> + * printed plus one for the trailing '\0'
> + */
> + msg->len = snprintf(msg->data, FORK_CN_INFO_SIZE-1,
> + "%i %i", parent, child) + 1;

scnprintf() would be more appropriate here, even though it should be a "can't
happen".

> + cn_netlink_send(msg, CN_IDX_FORK);
> +
> + kfree(msg);

`msg' is only 84 bytes and do_fork() has a shallow call graph. Make `msg'
a local?

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