Re: Definition of BUG on x86

From: Jeremy Fitzhardinge
Date: Thu Feb 19 2009 - 10:32:58 EST


Ingo Molnar wrote:
* Petr Tesarik <ptesarik@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Ingo Molnar pÃÅe v Ät 19. 02. 2009 v 13:47 +0100:
* Petr Tesarik <ptesarik@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Ingo Molnar pÃÅe v Ät 19. 02. 2009 v 13:22 +0100:
* Petr Tesarik <ptesarik@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Ingo Molnar pÃÅe v Ät 19. 02. 2009 v 13:10 +0100:
* Petr Tesarik <ptesarik@xxxxxxx> wrote:

So, the only method I could invent was using gas macros. It works but is quite ugly, because it relies on the actual assembler instruction which is generated by the compiler. Now, AFAIK gcc has always translated "for(;;)" into a jump to self, and that with any conceivable compiler options, but I don't know anything about Intel cc.
+static inline __noreturn void discarded_jmp(void)
+{
+ asm volatile(".macro jmp target\n"
+ "\t.purgem jmp\n"
+ ".endm\n");
+ for (;;) ;
+}
hm, that's very fragile.

Why not just:

static inline __noreturn void x86_u2d(void)
{
asm volatile("u2d\n");
}

If GCC emits a bogus warning about _that_, then it's a bug in the compiler that should be fixed.
I wouldn't call it a bug. The compiler has no idea about what the inline assembly actualy does. So it cannot recognize that the ud2 instruction does not return (which BTW might not even be the case, depending on the implementation of the Invalid Opcode exception).
No, i'm not talking about the inline assembly.

I'm talking about the x86_u2d() _inline function_, which has the __noreturn attribute.

Shouldnt that be enough to tell the compiler that it ... wont return?
Nope, that's not how it works.

You _may_ specify a noreturn attribute to any function (and GCC will honour it AFAICS), but if GCC _thinks_ that the function does return, it will issue the above-mentioned warning:

/usr/src/linux-2.6/arch/x86/include/asm/bug.h:10: warning: 'noreturn' function does return

And that's what your function will do. :-(

Yes, I also thinks that this behaviour is counter-intuitive. Besides, I haven't found a gcc switch to turn this warning off, which would be my next recommendation, since the GCC heuristics is broken, of course.
so GCC should be fixed and improved here, on several levels.
Agree.

But it takes some time, even if we start pushing right now. What's your suggestion for the meantime? Keep the dummy jmp? And in case anybody is concerned about saving every byte in the text section, they can apply my dirty patch?

Actually, this doesn't sound too bad.

yeah. Please forward the problem to the appropriate GCC list in any case.


I think the official answer for this case is to use __builtin_trap. But:

-- Built-in Function: void __builtin_trap (void)
This function causes the program to exit abnormally. GCC
implements this function by using a target-dependent mechanism
(such as intentionally executing an illegal instruction) or by
calling `abort'. ***The mechanism used may vary from release to
release so you should not rely on any particular implementation.***

which in principle is hard for us to make use of. In practice I think it has always been ud2a on x86.

http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc-patches/2000-01/msg00190.html

J
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