[PATCH] asm-generic: cmpxchg: always inline __generic_cmpxchg_local()
From: Karl Mehltretter
Date: Fri Oct 09 2026 - 04:26:55 EST
With gcc 8.1.0 and CC_OPTIMIZE_FOR_SIZE, an ARMv5 test module with
24 cmpxchg_local() callers for 1-, 2- and 4-byte values fails at
modpost with an undefined wrong_size_cmpxchg.
__generic_cmpxchg_local() uses that undefined symbol to reject
unsupported sizes. ARM used to force inlining of functions marked
inline. With compiler-controlled inlining, gcc can emit an
out-of-line copy that retains the call even for valid callers.
Mark it __always_inline so the compiler can fold each caller's
constant size and remove the unsupported-size path.
Fixes: 9012d011660e ("compiler: allow all arches to enable CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING")
Assisted-by: LLM
Signed-off-by: Karl Mehltretter <kmehltretter@xxxxxxxxx>
---
Notes:
Sashiko noted that the generic helper still used plain inline while
reviewing the cmpxchg inlining fix in my Rust ARM support series [1].
This is a separate fix against v7.3-rc1. No in-tree build failure is
known.
With gcc 8.1.0, versatile_defconfig and CC_OPTIMIZE_FOR_SIZE,
zImage and modules build without warnings before and after.
External test modules built through Kbuild:
before after
12 valid callers builds builds
24 or 96 valid callers fails builds
Invalid 8-byte caller fails fails
Valid callers use 1-, 2- and 4-byte values. The failures are modpost
errors for undefined wrong_size_cmpxchg. The modules were built,
not run.
With clang 22.1.8 and CC_OPTIMIZE_FOR_SIZE, the patched
versatile_defconfig kernel builds without warnings and boots to the
initramfs shell in QEMU versatilepb (ARM926EJ-S).
[1] https://lore.kernel.org/rust-for-linux/asg-nSs2cg7O-znd@xxxxxxxxx/
include/asm-generic/cmpxchg-local.h | 5 +++--
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/include/asm-generic/cmpxchg-local.h b/include/asm-generic/cmpxchg-local.h
index f27d66fdc00a..083f6688f137 100644
--- a/include/asm-generic/cmpxchg-local.h
+++ b/include/asm-generic/cmpxchg-local.h
@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@ extern unsigned long wrong_size_cmpxchg(volatile void *ptr)
* Generic version of __cmpxchg_local (disables interrupts). Takes an unsigned
* long parameter, supporting various types of architectures.
*/
-static inline unsigned long __generic_cmpxchg_local(volatile void *ptr,
- unsigned long old, unsigned long new, int size)
+static __always_inline unsigned long
+__generic_cmpxchg_local(volatile void *ptr, unsigned long old,
+ unsigned long new, int size)
{
unsigned long flags, prev;
base-commit: cee9395acd8043be0644b25c34bfa86623f2b935
--
2.39.5 (Apple Git-154)