Re: BUG: unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at0000000000000040

From: nirinA raseliarison
Date: Sat Jun 15 2013 - 12:43:32 EST


on Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:08:47 +0300, Ming Lei <ming.lei@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Sat, Jun 15, 2013 at 2:30 PM, Guenter Roeck <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sat, Jun 15, 2013 at 10:32:14AM +0800, Ming Lei wrote:
On Sat, Jun 15, 2013 at 1:07 AM, nirinA raseliarison
<nirina.raseliarison@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> patch applied and no longer have the bug message when i
> reboot and wake up the ethernet controller.

I am wondering if Guenter's patch can fix the race really, but I'd like to
see Guenter's explanation on his patch.

The race should be caused by below:

- request timeout triggered by internal timer

- user space aborts the requests before the line in _request_firmware_load()

fw_priv->buf = NULL

which is run in timeout path

- then the abort() called from firmware_loading_store() may use a freed fw buf
since the timeout path will free the fw buffer.

Considered clearing 'fw_priv->buf' in _request_firmware_load()() isn't protected
by fw_lock now, so Guenter's patch can't avoid the race entirely.

I agree; my patch only protects one specific path, and was based on the
observation that access to fw_priv->buf is protected elsewhwere in the code.
My suspicion was that fw_priv->buf was freed while waiting for the mutex in
firmware_loading_store().

Your patch is more comprehensive.

OK, thanks for your reply.

I will post out one version for merge, and this one moves the
"fw_priv->buf = NULL;" into fw_load_abort() for simplifying change.

this is just to let you know that i've tested Ming Lei's latest patch.
thank you very much for the fix and the explanation.

--
nirinA
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