Re: [PATCH] mdio-mux-gpio: Remove VLA usage

From: Joe Perches
Date: Tue May 29 2018 - 19:19:12 EST


On Tue, 2018-05-29 at 15:59 -0700, Kees Cook wrote:
> In the quest to remove all stack VLA usage from the kernel[1], this
> allocates the values buffer during the callback instead of putting it
> on the stack.
>
> [1] https://lkml.kernel.org/r/CA+55aFzCG-zNmZwX4A2FQpadafLfEzK6CC=qPXydAacU1RqZWA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[]
> diff --git a/drivers/net/phy/mdio-mux-gpio.c b/drivers/net/phy/mdio-mux-gpio.c
[]
> @@ -26,18 +26,23 @@ static int mdio_mux_gpio_switch_fn(int current_child, int desired_child,
> void *data)
> {
> struct mdio_mux_gpio_state *s = data;
> - int values[s->gpios->ndescs];
> + int *values;
> unsigned int n;
>
> if (current_child == desired_child)
> return 0;
>
> + values = kmalloc_array(s->gpios->ndescs, sizeof(*values), GFP_KERNEL);
> + if (!values)
> + return -ENOMEM;

This function previously only returned 0
and now it can return -ENOMEM.

How do you know all the indirect callers
via the switch_fn stored in mdio_mux_init
can handle the new return value?

If you have explored these code paths, it
would be good to explain that in the commit
message.