Re: [PATCH 1/2] rust: sync: add `ArcBorrow::from_raw`

[Boqun Feng]

On Mon, Feb 19, 2024 at 02:54:11PM +0000, Alice Ryhl wrote:
> Allows access to a value in an `Arc` that is currently held as a raw
> pointer due to use of `Arc::into_raw`, without destroying or otherwise
> consuming that raw pointer.
> 
> This is a dependency of the linked list that Rust Binder uses. The
> linked list uses this method when iterating over the linked list.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Alice Ryhl <aliceryhl@xxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
>  rust/kernel/sync/arc.rs | 72 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------------
>  1 file changed, 54 insertions(+), 18 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/rust/kernel/sync/arc.rs b/rust/kernel/sync/arc.rs
> index 7d4c4bf58388..a5314df409e7 100644
> --- a/rust/kernel/sync/arc.rs
> +++ b/rust/kernel/sync/arc.rs
> @@ -232,27 +232,13 @@ pub fn into_raw(self) -> *const T {
>      /// `ptr` must have been returned by a previous call to [`Arc::into_raw`]. Additionally, it
>      /// must not be called more than once for each previous call to [`Arc::into_raw`].
>      pub unsafe fn from_raw(ptr: *const T) -> Self {
> -        let refcount_layout = Layout::new::<bindings::refcount_t>();
> -        // SAFETY: The caller guarantees that the pointer is valid.
> -        let val_layout = Layout::for_value(unsafe { &*ptr });
> -        // SAFETY: We're computing the layout of a real struct that existed when compiling this
> -        // binary, so its layout is not so large that it can trigger arithmetic overflow.
> -        let val_offset = unsafe { refcount_layout.extend(val_layout).unwrap_unchecked().1 };
> -
> -        // Pointer casts leave the metadata unchanged. This is okay because the metadata of `T` and
> -        // `ArcInner<T>` is the same since `ArcInner` is a struct with `T` as its last field.
> -        //
> -        // This is documented at:
> -        // <https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/ptr/trait.Pointee.html>.
> -        let ptr = ptr as *const ArcInner<T>;
> -
> -        // SAFETY: The pointer is in-bounds of an allocation both before and after offsetting the
> -        // pointer, since it originates from a previous call to `Arc::into_raw` and is still valid.
> -        let ptr = unsafe { ptr.byte_sub(val_offset) };
> +        // SAFETY: The pointer returned by `into_raw` points at the `data` field of an
> +        // `ArcInner<T>`, as promised by the caller.
> +        let ptr = unsafe { raw_to_inner_ptr(ptr) };
>  
>          // SAFETY: By the safety requirements we know that `ptr` came from `Arc::into_raw`, so the
>          // reference count held then will be owned by the new `Arc` object.
> -        unsafe { Self::from_inner(NonNull::new_unchecked(ptr.cast_mut())) }
> +        unsafe { Self::from_inner(ptr) }
>      }
>  
>      /// Returns an [`ArcBorrow`] from the given [`Arc`].
> @@ -273,6 +259,35 @@ pub fn ptr_eq(this: &Self, other: &Self) -> bool {
>      }
>  }
>  
> +/// Converts a pointer to the contents of an [`Arc`] into a pointer to the [`ArcInner`].
> +///
> +/// # Safety
> +///
> +/// The provided pointer must point the `data` field of an `ArcInner<T>` value.
> +unsafe fn raw_to_inner_ptr<T: ?Sized>(ptr: *const T) -> NonNull<ArcInner<T>> {

Nit: put this into an `impl<T:?Sized> ArcInner<T>` block maybe?

> +    let refcount_layout = Layout::new::<bindings::refcount_t>();
> +    // SAFETY: The caller guarantees that the pointer is valid.
> +    let val_layout = Layout::for_value(unsafe { &*ptr });
> +    // SAFETY: We're computing the layout of a real struct that existed when compiling this
> +    // binary, so its layout is not so large that it can trigger arithmetic overflow.
> +    let val_offset = unsafe { refcount_layout.extend(val_layout).unwrap_unchecked().1 };
> +
> +    // Pointer casts leave the metadata unchanged. This is okay because the metadata of `T` and
> +    // `ArcInner<T>` is the same since `ArcInner` is a struct with `T` as its last field.
> +    //
> +    // This is documented at:
> +    // <https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/ptr/trait.Pointee.html>.
> +    let ptr = ptr as *const ArcInner<T>;
> +
> +    // SAFETY: The pointer is in-bounds of an allocation both before and after offsetting the
> +    // pointer, since it originates from a previous call to `Arc::into_raw` and is still valid.

"since it originate from a previous call to `Arc::into_raw`" is the
safety requirement of `Arc::from_raw`, since the safety requirement of
`raw_to_inner_ptr` is different, so I think we should say "since the
function safety requirement guarantees `ptr` points to `data` field,
which is exactly `val_offset` away from the beginning of `ArcInner<T>`".
Thoughts?

BTW, in fat pointer cases, by "must point the `data` field of an
`ArcInner<T>` value", it means both the address and the metadata should
be the same as the original object in `ArcInner<T>`, right? In other
words, the following code should not be safe, i.e. the
raw_to_inner_ptr() safety requirement is not satisfied.

	let x: Arc<[u8]> // assume x.len() == 4

	let y = &(x[0..1]) as *const [u8] // y has the same address of
					  // the `data` field of `x`.
	
	let inner = unsafe { raw_to_inner_ptr(y) };
	// ^^^ the safety requirement is not satisfied???

This may not be important since the users of `raw_to_inner_ptr` all have
stronger safey guarantees ("`ptr` must come from `Arc::into_raw()`"),
and `raw_to_inner_ptr` is not a pub function, but I just wonder whether
we need to improve the current safety requirements, or "point" means
both address and metadata for fat pointers?

Regards,
Boqun

> +    let ptr = unsafe { ptr.byte_sub(val_offset) };
> +
> +    // SAFETY: The pointer can't be null since you can't have an `ArcInner<T>` value at the null
> +    // address.
> +    unsafe { NonNull::new_unchecked(ptr.cast_mut()) }
> +}
> +
>  impl<T: 'static> ForeignOwnable for Arc<T> {
>      type Borrowed<'a> = ArcBorrow<'a, T>;
>  
> @@ -453,6 +468,27 @@ unsafe fn new(inner: NonNull<ArcInner<T>>) -> Self {
>              _p: PhantomData,
>          }
>      }
> +
> +    /// Creates an [`ArcBorrow`] to an [`Arc`] that has previously been deconstructed with
> +    /// [`Arc::into_raw`].
> +    ///
> +    /// # Safety
> +    ///
> +    /// * The provided pointer must originate from a call to [`Arc::into_raw`].
> +    /// * For the duration of the lifetime annotated on this `ArcBorrow`, the reference count must
> +    ///   not hit zero.
> +    /// * For the duration of the lifetime annotated on this `ArcBorrow`, there must not be a
> +    ///   [`UniqueArc`] reference to this value.
> +    pub unsafe fn from_raw(ptr: *const T) -> Self {
> +        // SAFETY: The pointer returned by `into_raw` points at the `data` field of an
> +        // `ArcInner<T>`.
> +        let ptr = unsafe { raw_to_inner_ptr(ptr) };
> +
> +        // SAFETY: The caller promises that the value remains valid since the reference count must
> +        // not hit zero, and no mutable reference will be created since that would involve a
> +        // `UniqueArc`.
> +        unsafe { Self::new(ptr) }
> +    }
>  }
>  
>  impl<T: ?Sized> From<ArcBorrow<'_, T>> for Arc<T> {
> 
> -- 
> 2.44.0.rc0.258.g7320e95886-goog
>