Re: [can-next,v2,6/6] can: gw: use can_gw_hops instead of sk_buff::csum_start

From: Jakub Kicinski

Date: Wed Jan 28 2026 - 11:19:50 EST


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can: gw: use can_gw_hops instead of sk_buff::csum_start

This patch moves the hop counter storage from skb->csum_start to the CAN
skb extension field can_skb_ext::can_gw_hops.

> diff --git a/net/can/gw.c b/net/can/gw.c
> index ad89a1913b34..2c134c9e5159 100644
> --- a/net/can/gw.c
> +++ b/net/can/gw.c

[ ... ]

> @@ -480,19 +480,8 @@ static void can_can_gw_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb, void *data)
> /* Do not handle CAN frames routed more than 'max_hops' times.
> * In general we should never catch this delimiter which is intended
> * to cover a misconfiguration protection (e.g. circular CAN routes).
> - *
> - * The Controller Area Network controllers only accept CAN frames with
> - * correct CRCs - which are not visible in the controller registers.
> - * According to skbuff.h documentation the csum_start element for IP
> - * checksums is undefined/unused when ip_summed == CHECKSUM_UNNECESSARY.
> - * Only CAN skbs can be processed here which already have this property.
> */
> -
> -#define cgw_hops(skb) ((skb)->csum_start)
> -
> - BUG_ON(skb->ip_summed != CHECKSUM_UNNECESSARY);
> -
> - if (cgw_hops(skb) >= max_hops) {
> + if (csx->can_gw_hops >= max_hops) {
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Is csx->can_gw_hops initialized to zero for fresh CAN frames?

The old code used skb->csum_start which was zeroed by skbuff_clear() during
skb allocation. The new code reads from can_skb_ext::can_gw_hops, but looking
at alloc_can_skb() in drivers/net/can/dev/skb.c, only can_iif is initialized:

csx = can_skb_ext_add(skb);
...
csx->can_iif = dev->ifindex;

The skb extension memory comes from kmem_cache_alloc() without __GFP_ZERO in
__skb_ext_alloc(), so can_gw_hops will contain garbage from the slab.

With default max_hops=1, if the garbage value is >= 1 (probability ~99.6%),
the frame will be dropped at this check before any routing occurs.

Should alloc_can_skb(), alloc_canfd_skb(), and alloc_canxl_skb() initialize
csx->can_gw_hops = 0?

> /* indicate deleted frames due to misconfiguration */
> gwj->deleted_frames++;
> return;

[ ... ]
--
pw-bot: cr