Re: [PATCH] x86: enable HAVE_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION

From: Wei Yang
Date: Mon Apr 22 2024 - 21:00:06 EST


Hi, Yuntao

I am not that familiar with this, so got some questions below.

On Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 06:05:56AM +0000, Yuntao Liu wrote:
>The current x86 architecture does not yet support the
>HAVE_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION feature. x86 is widely used in
>embedded scenarios, and enabling this feature would be beneficial for
>reducing the size of the kernel image.
>
>In order to make this work, we keep the necessary tables by annotating
>them with KEEP, also it requires further changes to linker script to KEEP
>some tables and wildcard compiler generated sections into the right place.
>
>Enabling CONFIG_UNWINDER_ORC or CONFIG_MITIGATION_RETPOLINE will enable
>the objtool's --orc and --retpoline parameters, which will alter the
>layout of the binary file, thereby preventing gc-sections from functioning
>properly. Therefore, HAVE_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION should only be
>selected when they are not enabled.
>
>Enabling CONFIG_LTO_CLANG or CONFIG_X86_KERNEL_IBT will use vmlinux.o
>instead of performing the slow LTO link again. This can also prevent
>gc-sections from functioning properly. Therefore, using this optimization
>when CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION is not enabled.
>
>The size comparison of zImage is as follows:
>x86_def_defconfig i386_defconfig tinyconfig
>10892288 10826240 607232 no dce
>10748928 10719744 529408 dce
>1.3% 0.98% 12.8% shrink
>
>When using smaller config file, there is a significant reduction in the
>size of the zImage.
>---
> arch/x86/Kconfig | 1 +
> arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S | 24 ++++++++++++------------
> scripts/link-vmlinux.sh | 2 +-
> 3 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)
>
>diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig b/arch/x86/Kconfig
>index a902680b6537..92dfbc8ee4e7 100644
>--- a/arch/x86/Kconfig
>+++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig
>@@ -247,6 +247,7 @@ config X86
> select HAVE_FUNCTION_ERROR_INJECTION
> select HAVE_KRETPROBES
> select HAVE_RETHOOK
>+ select HAVE_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION if !CONFIG_UNWINDER_ORC && !CONFIG_MITIGATION_RETPOLINE

How to make sure only these two config affect the function?

> select HAVE_LIVEPATCH if X86_64
> select HAVE_MIXED_BREAKPOINTS_REGS
> select HAVE_MOD_ARCH_SPECIFIC
>diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S b/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
>index 3509afc6a672..aeee2b9b6a6a 100644
>--- a/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
>+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
>@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ SECTIONS
>
> .x86_cpu_dev.init : AT(ADDR(.x86_cpu_dev.init) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __x86_cpu_dev_start = .;
>- *(.x86_cpu_dev.init)
>+ KEEP(*(.x86_cpu_dev.init))

How you choose the sections to keep?

If my understanding is correct, keep the sections is for gc-section. Sounds we
need to keep all possible section, otherwise it would mis-behave?

> __x86_cpu_dev_end = .;
> }
>
>@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ SECTIONS
> .x86_intel_mid_dev.init : AT(ADDR(.x86_intel_mid_dev.init) - \
> LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __x86_intel_mid_dev_start = .;
>- *(.x86_intel_mid_dev.init)
>+ KEEP(*(.x86_intel_mid_dev.init))
> __x86_intel_mid_dev_end = .;
> }
> #endif
>@@ -275,21 +275,21 @@ SECTIONS
> . = ALIGN(8);
> .retpoline_sites : AT(ADDR(.retpoline_sites) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __retpoline_sites = .;
>- *(.retpoline_sites)
>+ KEEP(*(.retpoline_sites))
> __retpoline_sites_end = .;
> }
>
> . = ALIGN(8);
> .return_sites : AT(ADDR(.return_sites) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __return_sites = .;
>- *(.return_sites)
>+ KEEP(*(.return_sites))
> __return_sites_end = .;
> }
>
> . = ALIGN(8);
> .call_sites : AT(ADDR(.call_sites) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __call_sites = .;
>- *(.call_sites)
>+ KEEP(*(.call_sites))
> __call_sites_end = .;
> }
> #endif
>@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ SECTIONS
> . = ALIGN(8);
> .ibt_endbr_seal : AT(ADDR(.ibt_endbr_seal) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __ibt_endbr_seal = .;
>- *(.ibt_endbr_seal)
>+ KEEP(*(.ibt_endbr_seal))
> __ibt_endbr_seal_end = .;
> }
> #endif
>@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ SECTIONS
> . = ALIGN(8);
> .cfi_sites : AT(ADDR(.cfi_sites) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __cfi_sites = .;
>- *(.cfi_sites)
>+ KEEP(*(.cfi_sites))
> __cfi_sites_end = .;
> }
> #endif
>@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ SECTIONS
> . = ALIGN(8);
> .altinstructions : AT(ADDR(.altinstructions) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __alt_instructions = .;
>- *(.altinstructions)
>+ KEEP(*(.altinstructions))
> __alt_instructions_end = .;
> }
>
>@@ -330,13 +330,13 @@ SECTIONS
> * get the address and the length of them to patch the kernel safely.
> */
> .altinstr_replacement : AT(ADDR(.altinstr_replacement) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
>- *(.altinstr_replacement)
>+ KEEP(*(.altinstr_replacement))
> }
>
> . = ALIGN(8);
> .apicdrivers : AT(ADDR(.apicdrivers) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __apicdrivers = .;
>- *(.apicdrivers);
>+ KEEP(*(.apicdrivers));
> __apicdrivers_end = .;
> }
>
>@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ SECTIONS
> .brk : AT(ADDR(.brk) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __brk_base = .;
> . += 64 * 1024; /* 64k alignment slop space */
>- *(.bss..brk) /* areas brk users have reserved */
>+ KEEP(*(.bss..brk)) /* areas brk users have reserved */
> __brk_limit = .;
> }
>
>@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ SECTIONS
> . = ALIGN(HPAGE_SIZE);
> .init.scratch : AT(ADDR(.init.scratch) - LOAD_OFFSET) {
> __init_scratch_begin = .;
>- *(.init.scratch)
>+ KEEP(*(.init.scratch))
> . = ALIGN(HPAGE_SIZE);
> __init_scratch_end = .;
> }
>diff --git a/scripts/link-vmlinux.sh b/scripts/link-vmlinux.sh
>index 7862a8101747..7287b5a9f17d 100755
>--- a/scripts/link-vmlinux.sh
>+++ b/scripts/link-vmlinux.sh
>@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ vmlinux_link()
> # skip output file argument
> shift
>
>- if is_enabled CONFIG_LTO_CLANG || is_enabled CONFIG_X86_KERNEL_IBT; then
>+ if [ is_enabled CONFIG_LTO_CLANG || is_enabled CONFIG_X86_KERNEL_IBT ] && [ ! is_enabled CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION ]; then
> # Use vmlinux.o instead of performing the slow LTO link again.
> objs=vmlinux.o
> libs=
>--
>2.34.1

--
Wei Yang
Help you, Help me