Re: [PATCH v9 01/42] mm: Rename arch pte_mkwrite()'s to pte_mkwrite_novma()

On Tue, Jun 13, 2023 at 2:13 AM Rick Edgecombe
<[email protected]> wrote:
> The x86 Shadow stack feature includes a new type of memory called shadow
> stack. This shadow stack memory has some unusual properties, which requires
> some core mm changes to function properly.
>
> One of these unusual properties is that shadow stack memory is writable,
> but only in limited ways. These limits are applied via a specific PTE
> bit combination. Nevertheless, the memory is writable, and core mm code
> will need to apply the writable permissions in the typical paths that
> call pte_mkwrite(). Future patches will make pte_mkwrite() take a VMA, so
> that the x86 implementation of it can know whether to create regular
> writable memory or shadow stack memory.
>
> But there are a couple of challenges to this. Modifying the signatures of
> each arch pte_mkwrite() implementation would be error prone because some
> are generated with macros and would need to be re-implemented. Also, some
> pte_mkwrite() callers operate on kernel memory without a VMA.
>
> So this can be done in a three step process. First pte_mkwrite() can be
> renamed to pte_mkwrite_novma() in each arch, with a generic pte_mkwrite()
> added that just calls pte_mkwrite_novma(). Next callers without a VMA can
> be moved to pte_mkwrite_novma(). And lastly, pte_mkwrite() and all callers
> can be changed to take/pass a VMA.
>
> Start the process by renaming pte_mkwrite() to pte_mkwrite_novma() and
> adding the pte_mkwrite() wrapper in linux/pgtable.h. Apply the same
> pattern for pmd_mkwrite(). Since not all archs have a pmd_mkwrite_novma(),
> create a new arch config HAS_HUGE_PAGE that can be used to tell if
> pmd_mkwrite() should be defined. Otherwise in the !HAS_HUGE_PAGE cases the
> compiler would not be able to find pmd_mkwrite_novma().
>
> No functional change.
>
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: Michal Simek <[email protected]>
> Cc: Dinh Nguyen <[email protected]>
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Cc: [email protected]
> Suggested-by: Linus Torvalds <[email protected]>
> Signed-off-by: Rick Edgecombe <[email protected]>
> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAHk-=wiZjSu7c9sFYZb3q04108stgHff2wfbokGCCgW7riz+8Q@mail.gmail.com/

>  arch/m68k/include/asm/mcf_pgtable.h          |  2 +-
>  arch/m68k/include/asm/motorola_pgtable.h     |  2 +-
>  arch/m68k/include/asm/sun3_pgtable.h         |  2 +-

Acked-by: Geert Uytterhoeven <[email protected]>

Gr{oetje,eeting}s,

                        Geert

-- 
Geert Uytterhoeven -- There's lots of Linux beyond ia32 -- [email protected]

In personal conversations with technical people, I call myself a hacker. But
when I'm talking to journalists I just say "programmer" or something like that.
                                -- Linus Torvalds