Re: [RFC][PATCH 4/5] ftrace/x86_32: Clean up ftrace_regs_caller

From: Josh Poimboeuf
Date: Wed Mar 15 2017 - 17:14:36 EST


On Wed, Mar 15, 2017 at 03:55:31PM -0400, Steven Rostedt wrote:
> From: "Steven Rostedt (VMware)" <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> When ftrace_regs_caller was created, it was designed to preserve flags as
> much as possible as it needed to act just like a breakpoint triggered on the
> same location. But the design is over complicated as it treated all
> operations as modifying flags. But push, mov and lea do not modify flags.
> This means the code can become more simplified by allowing flags to be
> stored further down.
>
> Making ftrace_regs_caller simpler will also be useful in implementing fentry
> logic.
>
> Signed-off-by: Steven Rostedt (VMware) <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> arch/x86/kernel/ftrace_32.S | 45 +++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------------
> 1 file changed, 25 insertions(+), 20 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/ftrace_32.S b/arch/x86/kernel/ftrace_32.S
> index 73d61a62649d..8ca33d9806ac 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kernel/ftrace_32.S
> +++ b/arch/x86/kernel/ftrace_32.S
> @@ -55,23 +55,30 @@ WEAK(ftrace_stub)
> END(ftrace_caller)
>
> ENTRY(ftrace_regs_caller)
> - pushf /* push flags before compare (in cs location) */
> -
> /*
> * i386 does not save SS and ESP when coming from kernel.
> * Instead, to get sp, &regs->sp is used (see ptrace.h).
> * Unfortunately, that means eflags must be at the same location
> * as the current return ip is. We move the return ip into the
> - * ip location, and move flags into the return ip location.
> - */
> - pushl 4(%esp) /* save return ip into ip slot */
> + * regs->ip location, and move flags into the return ip location.
> + */
> + pushl $__KERNEL_CS
> + pushl 4(%esp) /* Save the return ip */
> +
> + /* temporarily save flags in the orig_ax location */
> + pushf
>
> - pushl $0 /* Load 0 into orig_ax */
> pushl %gs
> pushl %fs
> pushl %es
> pushl %ds
> pushl %eax
> +
> + /* move flags into the location of where the return ip was */
> + movl 5*4(%esp), %eax
> + movl $0, (%esp) /* Load 0 into orig_ax */

This writes a 0 into regs->ax instead of regs->orig_ax.

--
Josh