Re: [for-next][PATCH 1/3] sorttable: Move ELF parsing into scripts/elf-parse.[ch]

[Nicolas Schier]

On Thu, Aug 28, 2025 at 02:27:55PM -0400, Steven Rostedt wrote:
> From: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> 
> In order to share the elf parsing that is in sorttable.c so that other
> programs could use the same code, move it into elf-parse.c and
> elf-parse.h.
> 
> Cc: Masami Hiramatsu <mhiramat@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: Mathieu Desnoyers <mathieu.desnoyers@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Arnd Bergmann <arnd@xxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Masahiro Yamada <masahiroy@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Nathan Chancellor <nathan@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Nicolas Schier <nicolas.schier@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Nick Desaulniers <nick.desaulniers+lkml@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Catalin Marinas <catalin.marinas@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Randy Dunlap <rdunlap@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20250825231355.597630284@xxxxxxxxxx
> Signed-off-by: Steven Rostedt (Google) <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
>  scripts/Makefile         |   3 +
>  scripts/Makefile.vmlinux |   2 +
>  scripts/elf-parse.c      | 198 ++++++++++++++++
>  scripts/elf-parse.h      | 305 +++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  scripts/sorttable.c      | 477 +++------------------------------------
>  5 files changed, 542 insertions(+), 443 deletions(-)
>  create mode 100644 scripts/elf-parse.c
>  create mode 100644 scripts/elf-parse.h
> 
> diff --git a/scripts/Makefile b/scripts/Makefile
> index 46f860529df5..f19624b3ed92 100644
> --- a/scripts/Makefile
> +++ b/scripts/Makefile
> @@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ hostprogs-always-$(CONFIG_SYSTEM_EXTRA_CERTIFICATE)	+= insert-sys-cert
>  hostprogs-always-$(CONFIG_RUST_KERNEL_DOCTESTS)		+= rustdoc_test_builder
>  hostprogs-always-$(CONFIG_RUST_KERNEL_DOCTESTS)		+= rustdoc_test_gen
>  
> +sorttable-objs := sorttable.o elf-parse.o
> +
>  ifneq ($(or $(CONFIG_X86_64),$(CONFIG_X86_32)),)
>  always-$(CONFIG_RUST)					+= target.json
>  filechk_rust_target = $< < include/config/auto.conf
> @@ -25,6 +27,7 @@ generate_rust_target-rust := y
>  rustdoc_test_builder-rust := y
>  rustdoc_test_gen-rust := y
>  
> +HOSTCFLAGS_elf-parse.o = -I$(srctree)/tools/include
>  HOSTCFLAGS_sorttable.o = -I$(srctree)/tools/include
>  HOSTLDLIBS_sorttable = -lpthread
>  HOSTCFLAGS_asn1_compiler.o = -I$(srctree)/include
> diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.vmlinux b/scripts/Makefile.vmlinux
> index b64862dc6f08..ebbb8b5aca83 100644
> --- a/scripts/Makefile.vmlinux
> +++ b/scripts/Makefile.vmlinux
> @@ -97,6 +97,8 @@ ifdef CONFIG_BUILDTIME_TABLE_SORT
>  $(vmlinux-final): scripts/sorttable
>  endif
>  
> +.PRECIOUS: $(vmlinux-final)

Why do you need '.PRECIOUS' here?  Does its need match to Masahiros
explanations in 
https://git.kernel.org/torvalds/c/875ef1a57f32fcb91010dc9bc8bd1166956a579e

Kind regards,
Nicolas