Re: [PATCH] docs: proc: document ProtectionKey in smaps

Randy Dunlap
2026-04-07T18:58:54Z

On 4/7/26 8:12 AM, Kevin Brodsky wrote:
> On 07/04/2026 16:42, Dave Hansen wrote:
>> On 4/7/26 05:51, Kevin Brodsky wrote:
>>> +If both the kernel and the system support protection keys (pkeys),
>>> +"ProtectionKey" indicates the memory protection key associated with the
>>> +virtual memory area.
>> I think you're trying to get across the point here that the kernel needs
>> to know about protection keys, have it enabled, and be running on a CPU
>> with pkey support.
>
> Indeed.
>
>> To me "system" is a bit ambiguous here but _can_ refer to the whole
>> hardware/software system as a whole. To avoid redundancy, I'd say either:
>>
>> If both the kernel and the processor support protection keys...
>>
>> or
>>
>> If the system supports protection keys...
>
> I see your point. By "system" I essentially mean the hardware (the SoC).
> In general I would tend to avoid "processor" because not all CPUs in a
> system necessarily have the same features, and some features require
> hardware support beyond the CPU itself. Terminology is hard...
>
> Happy to replace "system" with "hardware" if that's clearer :)

I think that "system" is too nebulous there, so I would prefer to see
"hardware" instead.

thanks.
--
~Randy