Re: [PATCH 2/3] printk: Add /sys/consoles/ interface

[Calvin Owens]

On 11/03/2017 07:32 AM, Kroah-Hartman wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 03, 2017 at 03:21:14PM +0100, Petr Mladek wrote:
> > On Thu 2017-09-28 17:43:56, Calvin Owens wrote:
> > > This adds a new sysfs interface that contains a directory for each
> > > console registered on the system. Each directory contains a single
> > > "loglevel" file for reading and setting the per-console loglevel.
> > >
> > > We can let kobject destruction race with console removal: if it does,
> > > loglevel_{show,store}() will safely fail with -ENODEV. This is a little
> > > weird, but avoids embedding the kobject and therefore needing to totally
> > > refactor the way we handle console struct lifetime.
> >
> > It looks like a sane approach. It might be worth a comment in the code.
> >
> >
> > >   Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-consoles | 13 +++++
> > >   include/linux/console.h                  |  1 +
> > >   kernel/printk/printk.c                   | 88 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> > >   3 files changed, 102 insertions(+)
> > >   create mode 100644 Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-consoles
> > >
> > > diff --git a/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-consoles b/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-consoles
> > > new file mode 100644
> > > index 0000000..6a1593e
> > > --- /dev/null
> > > +++ b/Documentation/ABI/testing/sysfs-consoles
> > > @@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
> > > +What:		/sys/consoles/
>
> Eeek, what!
>
> > I rather add Greg in CC. I am not 100% sure that the top level
> > directory is the right thing to do.
>
> Neither do I.

Sure. This is a placeholder I choose arbitrarily pending some real input on
the location, sorry I didn't make that clear.

> > Alternative might be to hide this under /sys/kernel/consoles/.
>
> No no no.
>
> > > +Date:		September 2017
> > > +KernelVersion:	4.15
> > > +Contact:	Calvin Owens <calvinowens@xxxxxx>
> > > +Description:	The /sys/consoles tree contains a directory for each console
> > > +		configured on the system. These directories contain the
> > > +		following attributes:
> > > +
> > > +		* "loglevel"	Set the per-console loglevel: the kernel uses
> > > +				max(system_loglevel, perconsole_loglevel) when
> > > +				deciding whether to emit a given message. The
> > > +				default is 0, which means max() always yields
> > > +				the system setting in the kernel.printk sysctl.
> >
> > I would call the attribute "min_loglevel". The name "loglevel" should
> > be reserved for the really used loglevel that depends also on the
> > global loglevel value.
> >
> >
> > > diff --git a/include/linux/console.h b/include/linux/console.h
> > > index a5b5d79..76840be 100644
> > > --- a/include/linux/console.h
> > > +++ b/include/linux/console.h
> > > @@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ struct console {
> > >   	void	*data;
> > >   	struct	 console *next;
> > >   	int	level;
> > > +	struct kobject *kobj;
>
> Why are you using "raw" kobjects and not a "real" struct device?  This
> is a device, use that interface instead please.
>
> If you need a console 'bus' to place them on, fine, but the virtual bus
> is probably best and simpler to use.

The problem is that the console corresponds to no actual device (this is what
Petr was getting at in the other mail). A console *may* be associated with a real
TTY device, but this isn't universally true (for example, see netconsole_ext).

Embedding a device struct in the console structure is problematic for the same
reason embedding a raw kobject is: we'd need to rewrite all the code to deal with
the new refcount/release semantics.

While that's certainly possible, it ends up being a much bigger thorny change. If
we deal with the "get()/deregister()" race in a safe way, it becomes very simple.

(If it were as trivial as replacing kfrees with puts and adding release callbacks,
that'd be the obvious way to go, but of course it doesn't end up being that nice...)

> That is if you _really_ feel you need sysfs interaction with the console
> layer (hint, I am not yet convinced...)

How would you expose this setting if not via sysfs? All I care about is having the
setting, how exactly userspace pokes it is not at all important :)

> > >   };
> > >   
> > >   /*
> > > diff --git a/kernel/printk/printk.c b/kernel/printk/printk.c
> > > index 3f1675e..488bda3 100644
> > > --- a/kernel/printk/printk.c
> > > +++ b/kernel/printk/printk.c
> > > @@ -105,6 +105,8 @@ enum devkmsg_log_masks {
> > >   
> > >   static unsigned int __read_mostly devkmsg_log = DEVKMSG_LOG_MASK_DEFAULT;
> > >   
> > > +static struct kobject *consoles_dir_kobj;
> > >
> > >   static int __control_devkmsg(char *str)
> > >   {
> > >   	if (!str)
> > > @@ -2371,6 +2373,82 @@ static int __init keep_bootcon_setup(char *str)
> > >   
> > >   early_param("keep_bootcon", keep_bootcon_setup);
> > >   
> > > +static ssize_t loglevel_show(struct kobject *kobj, struct kobj_attribute *attr,
> > > +			     char *buf)
> > > +{
> > > +	struct console *con;
> > > +	ssize_t ret = -ENODEV;
> > > +
> >
> > This might deserve a comment. Something like:
> >
> > 	/*
> > 	 * Find the related struct console a safe way. The kobject
> > 	 * desctruction is asynchronous.
> > 	 */
> > > +	console_lock();
> > > +	for_each_console(con) {
> > > +		if (con->kobj == kobj) {
>
> You are doing something wrong, go from kobj to your console directly,
> the fact that you can not do that here is a _huge_ hint that your
> structure is not correct.
>
> Hint, it's not correct at all :)
I understand this looks like a common antipattern, but it is very intentionally
done this way to avoid the issues mentioned above.

> Please cc: me on stuff like this if you want a review, and as you are
> adding a random new sysfs root directory, please always cc: me on that
> so I can talk you out of it...

Apologies you were missed, I'll make sure you're on the CC list for future
revisions.

Thanks,
Calvin

> thanks,
>
> greg k-h