[KJ] audit return code handling for kernel_thread [4/11]

From: nhorman
Date: Fri Jul 28 2006 - 16:06:28 EST


Audit/Cleanup of kernel_thread calls, specifically checking of return codes.
Problems seemed to fall into 3 main categories:

1) callers of kernel_thread were inconsistent about meaning of a zero return
code. Some callers considered a zero return code to mean success, others took
it to mean failure. a zero return code, while not actually possible in the
current implementation, should be considered a success (pid 0 is/should be
valid). fixed all callers to treat zero return as success

2) caller of kernel_thread saved return code of kernel_thread for later use
without ever checking its value. Callers who did this tended to assume a
non-zero return was success, and would often wait for a completion queue to be
woken up, implying that an error (negative return code) from kernel_thread could
lead to deadlock. Repaired by checking return code at call time, and setting
saved return code to zero in the event of an error.

3) callers of kernel_thread never bothered to check the return code at all.
This can lead to seemingly unrelated errors later in execution. Fixed by
checking return code at call time and printing a warning message on failure.

Regards
Neil

Signed-off-by: Neil Horman <nhorman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>


init/do_mounts_initrd.c | 2 +-
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
--- a/init/do_mounts_initrd.c
+++ b/init/do_mounts_initrd.c
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ static void __init handle_initrd(void)

current->flags |= PF_NOFREEZE;
pid = kernel_thread(do_linuxrc, "/linuxrc", SIGCHLD);
- if (pid > 0) {
+ if (pid >= 0) {
while (pid != sys_wait4(-1, NULL, 0, NULL))
yield();
}
-
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