[RFC PATCH 0/9] arm64: Allocate .text and .init.text together

From: Ard Biesheuvel

Date: Sat Aug 22 2026 - 09:54:03 EST


From: Ard Biesheuvel <ardb@xxxxxxxxxx>

The arm64 module loader has to deal with a couple of corner cases that
may occur when .init.text is placed out of direct branch range of .text:

- ordinary direct branches from .init.text into .text may require the
use of a PLT entry (i.e., a trampoline aka veneer), which means not
only that additional PLT entries need to be allocated for
cross-section calls, but also that .init.text needs its own PLT
reservation, as the one in .text will be out of range as well;

- dynamic patching of the ftrace handler into .init.text code needs its
own dedicated trampoline as the one in .text may be too far away.

- recent compilers may omit BTI veneers for static functions that never
have their address taken, and so additional veneers will need to be
added to .text in case cross-section direct branches from .init.text
require a PLT entry (and therefore a landing pad at the target end).

This is unfortunate, because it is actually somewhat unusual for .text
and .init.text to be so far away from each other: only when allocating
either of them (but not both) exhausts the 'near' (PLT-less) module
region, the other will be allocated from the spillover region, which is
not in direct branching range, and therefore requires PLT entries for
cross-section calls.

This series addresses this wart by allocating both of them as a single
chunk, and freeing the .init.text part along with the other init
sections at the appropriate time. This ensures that the two regions will
never require veneers for cross-section calls, allowing the arm64 module
loader to be simplified.

Cc: Catalin Marinas <catalin.marinas@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Will Deacon <will@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Masami Hiramatsu <mhiramat@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Mike Rapoport <rppt@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Luis Chamberlain <mcgrof@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Petr Pavlu <petr.pavlu@xxxxxxxx>
Cc: Daniel Gomez <da.gomez@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Sami Tolvanen <samitolvanen@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Aaron Tomlin <atomlin@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "Adrian Barnaś" <abarnas@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Ryan Roberts <ryan.roberts@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Kevin Brodsky <kevin.brodsky@xxxxxxx>
Cc: linux-arm-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: linux-trace-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: linux-mm@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: linux-modules@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ard Biesheuvel (9):
mm: execmem: Add API to split an existing execmem cache allocation
mm: execmem: Allow huge vmappings to be avoided for execmem caches
module: Place MOD_TEXT before MOD_INIT_TEXT in enumeration
module: Allocate MOD_INIT_TEXT from the MOD_TEXT ROX allocation
arm64: mm: Permit permissions changes on huge vmappings
arm64: Enable the execmem ROX cache for module text
arm64: ftrace: Revert "fix unreachable PLT for ftrace_caller ..."
arm64: module: Combine init and core PLT entries again
arm64: ftrace: Simplify PLT handling

arch/arm64/Kconfig | 1 +
arch/arm64/include/asm/module.h | 2 -
arch/arm64/include/asm/module.lds.h | 3 -
arch/arm64/kernel/ftrace.c | 13 +---
arch/arm64/kernel/module-plts.c | 63 +++++---------------
arch/arm64/kernel/module.c | 20 +------
arch/arm64/mm/init.c | 19 +++++-
arch/arm64/mm/pageattr.c | 13 +++-
include/linux/execmem.h | 11 ++++
include/linux/module.h | 4 +-
kernel/module/main.c | 22 +++++--
mm/execmem.c | 47 ++++++++++++++-
12 files changed, 124 insertions(+), 94 deletions(-)

--
2.55.0.860.g4b6b3295ed-goog