Re: [PATCH v2] tracing: Generate undef symbols allowlist for simple_ring_buffer

Nathan Chancellor
2026-03-13T16:37:29Z

On Fri, Mar 13, 2026 at 10:58:29AM +0000, Vincent Donnefort wrote:
> Compiler and tooling-generated symbols are difficult to maintain
> across all supported architectures. Make the allowlist more robust by
> replacing the harcoded list with a mechanism that automatically detects
> these symbols.
>
> This mechanism generates a C function designed to trigger common
> compiler-inserted symbols.
>
> Signed-off-by: Vincent Donnefort <vdonnefort@google.com>
>
> ---
>
> Changes in v2:
>
> - Use filechk (Nathan)
> - Removed deprecated extra-y (Nathan)
> - Added simple_ring_buffer in allowlist (Nathan)
> - Added memcpy() to generate more symbols (Nathan)
> - Added __sancov
>
> diff --git a/kernel/trace/Makefile b/kernel/trace/Makefile
> index beb15936829d..96627a909ecc 100644
> --- a/kernel/trace/Makefile
> +++ b/kernel/trace/Makefile
> @@ -136,17 +136,42 @@ obj-$(CONFIG_TRACE_REMOTE_TEST) += remote_test.o
> # simple_ring_buffer is used by the pKVM hypervisor which does not have access
> # to all kernel symbols. Fail the build if forbidden symbols are found.
> #
> -UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST := memset alt_cb_patch_nops __x86 __ubsan __asan __kasan __gcov __aeabi_unwind
> -UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST += __stack_chk_fail stackleak_track_stack __ref_stack __sanitizer llvm_gcda llvm_gcov
> -UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST += .TOC\. __clear_pages_unrolled __memmove copy_page warn_slowpath_fmt
> -UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST += ftrace_likely_update __hwasan_load __hwasan_store __hwasan_tag_memory
> -UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST += warn_bogus_irq_restore __stack_chk_guard
> -UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST := $(addprefix -e , $(UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST))
> +# undefsyms_base generates a set of compiler and tooling-generated symbols that can
> +# safely be ignored for simple_ring_buffer.
> +#
> +filechk_undefsyms_base = \
> + echo '$(pound)include <linux/atomic.h>'; \
> + echo '$(pound)include <linux/string.h>'; \
> + echo '$(pound)include <asm/page.h>'; \
> + echo 'static char page[PAGE_SIZE] __aligned(PAGE_SIZE);'; \
> + echo 'void undefsyms_base(void *p, int n);'; \
> + echo 'void undefsyms_base(void *p, int n) {'; \
> + echo ' char buffer[256] = { 0 };'; \
> + echo ' u32 u = 0;'; \
> + echo ' memset((char * volatile)page, 8, PAGE_SIZE);'; \
> + echo ' memset((char * volatile)buffer, 8, sizeof(buffer));'; \
> + echo ' memcpy((void * volatile)p, buffer, sizeof(buffer));'; \
> + echo ' cmpxchg((u32 * volatile)&u, 0, 8);'; \
> + echo ' WARN_ON(n == 0xdeadbeef);'; \
> + echo '}'
> +
> +$(obj)/undefsyms_base.c: FORCE
> + $(call filechk,undefsyms_base)
> +
> +clean-files += undefsyms_base.c
> +
> +$(obj)/undefsyms_base.o: $(obj)/undefsyms_base.c
> +
> +targets += undefsyms_base.o
> +
> +UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST = __asan __gcov __kasan __kcsan __hwasan __sancov __sanitizer __tsan __ubsan __x86_indirect_thunk \
> + simple_ring_buffer \
> + $(shell $(NM) -u $(obj)/undefsyms_base.o 2>/dev/null | awk '{print $$2}')
>
> quiet_cmd_check_undefined = NM $<
> - cmd_check_undefined = test -z "`$(NM) -u $< | grep -v $(UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST)`"
> + cmd_check_undefined = test -z "`$(NM) -u $< | grep -v $(addprefix -e , $(UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST))`"
>
> -$(obj)/%.o.checked: $(obj)/%.o FORCE
> +$(obj)/%.o.checked: $(obj)/%.o $(obj)/undefsyms_base.o FORCE
> $(call if_changed,check_undefined)
>
> always-$(CONFIG_SIMPLE_RING_BUFFER) += simple_ring_buffer.o.checked
>
> base-commit: 33f2e266515717c4b2df585dadefa0525557726c
> --
> 2.53.0.851.ga537e3e6e9-goog
>

Thanks! This is almost perfect for my tests, one final thing that I
noticed as a result of my full overnight builds. For ARCH=riscv (and
some other architectures from a quick grep), there is some logic in
their include/asm/string.h files to avoid FORTIFY_SOURCE when KASAN is
enabled for the entire build but not enabled for the particular file. As
undefsyms_base.o is not linked into vmlinux or modules, it does not
automatically have KASAN enabled.

$ cat allmod.config
CONFIG_GCOV_KERNEL=n
CONFIG_LTO_CLANG_THIN=y
CONFIG_WERROR=n

$ make -skj"$(nproc)" ARCH=riscv KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG=1 LLVM=1 mrproper allmodconfig kernel/trace/
Unexpected symbols in kernel/trace/simple_ring_buffer.o:
U __fortify_panic
U __write_overflow_field
...

This cures that for me.

diff --git a/kernel/trace/Makefile b/kernel/trace/Makefile
index 260382f62dbf..55af887a90e2 100644
--- a/kernel/trace/Makefile
+++ b/kernel/trace/Makefile
@@ -164,6 +164,11 @@ $(obj)/undefsyms_base.o: $(obj)/undefsyms_base.c

targets += undefsyms_base.o

+# ensure KASAN is enabled to avoid logic that may disable FORTIFY_SOURCE when
+# KASAN is not enabled. undefsyms_base.o does not automatically get KASAN flags
+# because it is not linked into vmlinux.
+KASAN_SANITIZE_undefsyms_base.o := y
+
UNDEFINED_ALLOWLIST = __asan __gcov __kasan __kcsan __hwasan __sancov __sanitizer __tsan __ubsan __x86_indirect_thunk \
simple_ring_buffer \
$(shell $(NM) -u $(obj)/undefsyms_base.o 2>/dev/null | awk '{print $$2}')
--

With that addressed:

Reviewed-by: Nathan Chancellor <nathan@kernel.org>
Tested-by: Nathan Chancellor <nathan@kernel.org>

Cheers,
Nathan