Re: [PATCH net v3] sctp: socket: remove unused 'err' parameter from sctp_skb_recv_datagram

[David Laight]

On Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:10:21 -0400
Xin Long <lucien.xin@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On Fri, Jul 17, 2026 at 4:21 AM luoqing <l1138897701@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > From: luoqing <luoqing@xxxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > The 'err' parameter in sctp_skb_recv_datagram() is never used by any
> > of its callers. Both sctp_recvmsg() and sctp_ulpevent_read_nxtinfo()
> > pass the address of a local variable but never check its value after
> > the function returns, rendering the parameter completely useless.
> >
> > Remove the unused parameter to simplify the function signature and
> > eliminate dead code.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: luoqing <luoqing@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > ---
> >  include/net/sctp/sctp.h |  2 +-
> >  net/sctp/socket.c       | 10 +++-------
> >  net/sctp/ulpevent.c     |  3 +--
> >  3 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/include/net/sctp/sctp.h b/include/net/sctp/sctp.h
> > index d50c27812504..b86d50d6b146 100644
> > --- a/include/net/sctp/sctp.h
> > +++ b/include/net/sctp/sctp.h
> > @@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ void sctp_sock_rfree(struct sk_buff *skb);
> >
> >  extern struct percpu_counter sctp_sockets_allocated;
> >  int sctp_asconf_mgmt(struct sctp_sock *, struct sctp_sockaddr_entry *);
> > -struct sk_buff *sctp_skb_recv_datagram(struct sock *, int, int *);
> > +struct sk_buff *sctp_skb_recv_datagram(struct sock *sk, int flags);
> >
> >  typedef int (*sctp_callback_t)(struct sctp_endpoint *, struct sctp_transport *, void *);
> >  void sctp_transport_walk_start(struct rhashtable_iter *iter);
> > diff --git a/net/sctp/socket.c b/net/sctp/socket.c
> > index c7b9e325ec1c..3804382d78e0 100644
> > --- a/net/sctp/socket.c
> > +++ b/net/sctp/socket.c
> > @@ -2123,7 +2123,7 @@ static int sctp_recvmsg(struct sock *sk, struct msghdr *msg, size_t len,
> >                 goto out;
> >         }
> >
> > -       skb = sctp_skb_recv_datagram(sk, flags, &err);
> > +       skb = sctp_skb_recv_datagram(sk, flags);
> >         if (!skb)
> >                 goto out;
> >
> > @@ -9082,7 +9082,7 @@ static int sctp_wait_for_packet(struct sock *sk, int *err, long *timeo_p)
> >   * Note: This is pretty much the same routine as in core/datagram.c
> >   * with a few changes to make lksctp work.
> >   */
> > -struct sk_buff *sctp_skb_recv_datagram(struct sock *sk, int flags, int *err)
> > +struct sk_buff *sctp_skb_recv_datagram(struct sock *sk, int flags)
> >  {
> >         int error;
> >         struct sk_buff *skb;
> > @@ -9120,17 +9120,13 @@ struct sk_buff *sctp_skb_recv_datagram(struct sock *sk, int flags, int *err)
> >                 if (sk->sk_shutdown & RCV_SHUTDOWN)
> >                         break;
> >
> > -
> >                 /* User doesn't want to wait.  */
> >                 error = -EAGAIN;
> >                 if (!timeo)
> >                         goto no_packet;
> > -       } while (sctp_wait_for_packet(sk, err, &timeo) == 0);
> > -
> > -       return NULL;
> > +       } while (sctp_wait_for_packet(sk, &error, &timeo) == 0);
> >
> >  no_packet:
> > -       *err = error;
> >         return NULL;
> >  }
> >
> > diff --git a/net/sctp/ulpevent.c b/net/sctp/ulpevent.c
> > index 8920ca92a011..8ed51a15c3a4 100644
> > --- a/net/sctp/ulpevent.c
> > +++ b/net/sctp/ulpevent.c
> > @@ -1061,9 +1061,8 @@ void sctp_ulpevent_read_nxtinfo(const struct sctp_ulpevent *event,
> >                                 struct sock *sk)
> >  {
> >         struct sk_buff *skb;
> > -       int err;
> >
> > -       skb = sctp_skb_recv_datagram(sk, MSG_PEEK | MSG_DONTWAIT, &err);
> > +       skb = sctp_skb_recv_datagram(sk, MSG_PEEK | MSG_DONTWAIT);
> >         if (skb != NULL) {
> >                 __sctp_ulpevent_read_nxtinfo(sctp_skb2event(skb),
> >                                              msghdr, skb);
> > --
> > 2.25.1
> >  
> I think it's used at [1] in sctp_recvmsg():
> 
>         skb = sctp_skb_recv_datagram(sk, flags, &err);
>         if (!skb)
>                 goto out;

Would it make more sense to ERR_PTR() etc ?

	David

> ...
> 
> out:
>         release_sock(sk);
>         return err;   <------ [1]
> 
> Thanks.
>