[PATCH v2] module: Clarify documentation of module_param_call()

From: Kees Cook
Date: Wed Sep 13 2023 - 19:54:21 EST


Commit 9bbb9e5a3310 ("param: use ops in struct kernel_param, rather than
get and set fns directly") added the comment that module_param_call()
was deprecated, during a large scale refactoring to bring sanity to type
casting back then. In 2017 following more cleanups, it became useful
again as it wraps a common pattern of creating an ops struct for a
given get/set pair:

b2f270e87473 ("module: Prepare to convert all module_param_call() prototypes")
ece1996a21ee ("module: Do not paper over type mismatches in module_param_call()")

static const struct kernel_param_ops __param_ops_##name = \
{ .flags = 0, .set = _set, .get = _get }; \
__module_param_call(MODULE_PARAM_PREFIX, \
name, &__param_ops_##name, arg, perm, -1, 0)

__module_param_call(MODULE_PARAM_PREFIX, name, ops, arg, perm, -1, 0)

Many users of module_param_cb() appear to be almost universally
open-coding the same thing that module_param_call() does now. Don't
discourage[1] people from using module_param_call(): clarify the comment
to show that module_param_cb() is useful if you repeatedly use the same
pair of get/set functions.

[1] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/202308301546.5C789E5EC@keescook/

Cc: Luis Chamberlain <mcgrof@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Johan Hovold <johan@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Jessica Yu <jeyu@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Sagi Grimberg <sagi@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Joe Perches <joe@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: linux-modules@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Reviewed-by: Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@xxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <keescook@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Luis, I note that include/linux/moduleparam.h isn't in the MAINTAINERS
file pattern. Perhaps you want to use include/linux/module*.h?
---
include/linux/moduleparam.h | 6 +++++-
1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/moduleparam.h b/include/linux/moduleparam.h
index 962cd41a2cb5..d4452f93d060 100644
--- a/include/linux/moduleparam.h
+++ b/include/linux/moduleparam.h
@@ -293,7 +293,11 @@ struct kparam_array
= { __param_str_##name, THIS_MODULE, ops, \
VERIFY_OCTAL_PERMISSIONS(perm), level, flags, { arg } }

-/* Obsolete - use module_param_cb() */
+/*
+ * Useful for describing a set/get pair used only once (i.e. for this
+ * parameter). For repeated set/get pairs (i.e. the same struct
+ * kernel_param_ops), use module_param_cb() instead.
+ */
#define module_param_call(name, _set, _get, arg, perm) \
static const struct kernel_param_ops __param_ops_##name = \
{ .flags = 0, .set = _set, .get = _get }; \
--
2.34.1