Re: [PATCH v5 01/26] rust: alloc: add `Allocator` trait

Danilo Krummrich
2024-08-15T00:16:26Z

On Wed, Aug 14, 2024 at 04:13:06PM +0000, Benno Lossin wrote:
> On 12.08.24 20:22, Danilo Krummrich wrote:
> > Add a kernel specific `Allocator` trait, that in contrast to the one in
> > Rust's core library doesn't require unstable features and supports GFP
> > flags.
> >
> > Subsequent patches add the following trait implementors: `Kmalloc`,
> > `Vmalloc` and `KVmalloc`.
> >
> > Reviewed-by: Alice Ryhl <aliceryhl@google.com>
> > Signed-off-by: Danilo Krummrich <dakr@kernel.org>
> > ---
> > rust/kernel/alloc.rs | 81 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> > 1 file changed, 81 insertions(+)
> >
> > diff --git a/rust/kernel/alloc.rs b/rust/kernel/alloc.rs
> > index 1966bd407017..194745498a75 100644
> > --- a/rust/kernel/alloc.rs
> > +++ b/rust/kernel/alloc.rs
> > @@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
> > /// Indicates an allocation error.
> > #[derive(Copy, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Debug)]
> > pub struct AllocError;
> > +use core::{alloc::Layout, ptr::NonNull};
> >
> > /// Flags to be used when allocating memory.
> > ///
> > @@ -86,3 +87,83 @@ pub mod flags {
> > /// small allocations.
> > pub const GFP_NOWAIT: Flags = Flags(bindings::GFP_NOWAIT);
> > }
> > +
> > +/// The kernel's [`Allocator`] trait.
> > +///
> > +/// An implementation of [`Allocator`] can allocate, re-allocate and free memory buffer described
> > +/// via [`Layout`].
> > +///
> > +/// [`Allocator`] is designed to be implemented as a ZST; [`Allocator`] functions do not operate on
> > +/// an object instance.
> > +///
> > +/// In order to be able to support `#[derive(SmartPointer)]` later on, we need to avoid a design
> > +/// that requires an `Allocator` to be instantiated, hence its functions must not contain any kind
> > +/// of `self` parameter.
> > +///
> > +/// # Safety
> > +///
> > +/// Memory returned from an allocator must point to a valid memory buffer and remain valid until
> > +/// it is explicitly freed.
>
> I wouldn't say that an allocator "returns memory", and in general I
> don't think the structure of the safety comment here is nice, how about
> the following: we put "Implementers must ensure that all trait functions
> abide by the guarantees documented in the `# Guarantees` sections."...

Sounds reasonable to me. Additionally, I'd still keep the part below, that says
that any pointer to a memory allocation must bbe valid to be passed to any other [`Allocator`]
function of the same type.

>
> > +///
> > +/// Any pointer to a memory buffer which is currently allocated must be valid to be passed to any
> > +/// other [`Allocator`] function of the same type.
> > +///
> > +/// If `realloc` is called with:
> > +/// - a size of zero, the given memory allocation, if any, must be freed
> > +/// - `None`, a new memory allocation must be created
> > +pub unsafe trait Allocator {
> > + /// Allocate memory based on `layout` and `flags`.
> > + ///
> > + /// On success, returns a buffer represented as `NonNull<[u8]>` that satisfies the layout
> > + /// constraints (i.e. minimum size and alignment as specified by `layout`).
> > + ///
> > + /// This function is equivalent to `realloc` when called with `None`.
>
> ... Then we can add this here:
>
> /// # Guarantees
> ///
> /// When the return value is `Ok(ptr)`, then `ptr` is
> /// - valid for writes (and reads after the memory has been initialized) for `layout.size()` bytes,
> /// until it is passed to [`Allocator::free`] or [`Allocator::realloc`],
> /// - aligned to `layout.align()`,
> /// - is valid for reads, if `flags.contains(flags::__GFP_ZERO)`,
>
> Do we need to handle other flags?

The whole flags thing is a bit difficult to represent here properly.

Theoretically, we'd need to add that it guarantees that the memory is zeroed for
__GFP_ZERO, non-blocking for GFP_NOWAIT, etc. But, I think we shouldn't
re-iterate all different behavior for the different flags.

Another inconvenience is that not all page flags are honored or make sense for
all allocators. This is especially inconvenient for `KVmalloc` where we can't
even say if we end up in vrealloc() or krealloc(). kvmalloc() even contains a
couple of flag fixups for this reason [2].

I think we should just point to [1], which should document everything already.

[1] https://elixir.bootlin.com/linux/v6.10.4/source/include/linux/gfp_types.h
[2] https://elixir.bootlin.com/linux/v6.10.4/source/mm/util.c#L612

> Also IIRC the memory given to us by C is considered initialized by Rust
> (though it has a non-deterministic value), so we might have an
> unconditional "valid for reads". Am I correct?

Yes, but as you say, unless allocated with __GFP_ZERO, it contains non-deterministic data. It may
even contain old data from previous allocations.

>
>
> > + fn alloc(layout: Layout, flags: Flags) -> Result<NonNull<[u8]>, AllocError> {
> > + // SAFETY: Passing `None` to `realloc` is valid by it's safety requirements and asks for a
> > + // new memory allocation.
> > + unsafe { Self::realloc(None, layout, flags) }
> > + }
> > +
> > + /// Re-allocate an existing memory allocation to satisfy the requested `layout`. If the
> > + /// requested size is zero, `realloc` behaves equivalent to `free`.
>
> I don't think we want to include the second sentence in the short
> description of this function, please add an empty line in between.
>
> > + ///
> > + /// If the requested size is larger than the size of the existing allocation, a successful call
> > + /// to `realloc` guarantees that the new or grown buffer has at least `Layout::size` bytes, but
> > + /// may also be larger.
> > + ///
> > + /// If the requested size is smaller than the size of the existing allocation, `realloc` may or
> > + /// may not shrink the buffer; this is implementation specific to the allocator.
> > + ///
> > + /// On allocation failure, the existing buffer, if any, remains valid.
> > + ///
> > + /// The buffer is represented as `NonNull<[u8]>`.
> > + ///
> > + /// # Safety
> > + ///
> > + /// If `ptr = Some(p)`, then `p` must point to an existing and valid memory allocation created
>
> I don't like the single `=` (I might have written it in haste myself),
> how about `==` or we use if-let syntax?
>
> > + /// by this allocator. The alignment encoded in `layout` must be smaller than or equal to the
> > + /// alignment requested in the previous `alloc` or `realloc` call of the same allocation.
> > + ///
> > + /// Additionally, `ptr` is allowed to be `None`; in this case a new memory allocation is
> > + /// created.
>
> This Safety section does not talk about the case `layout.size() == 0`,
> but it should have the same requirement as `free()`.
>
> Also add a `# Guarantees` section here:
>
> /// # Guarantees
> ///
> /// This function has the same guarantees as [`Allocator::alloc`]. When `ptr == Some(p)`, then it
> /// additionally has the following:
> /// - when `Ok(ret_ptr)` is the return value, then
> /// `ret_ptr[0..min(layout.size(), old_size)] == p[0..min(layout.size(), old_size)]`, where
> /// `old_size` is the size of the allocation that `p` points at.

We could also say "The contents of the memory pointed to by `p` are preserved
up to the lesser of the new and old size." But I'm fine with both.

> /// - when the return value is `Err(AllocError)`, then `p` is still valid.
>
> ---
> Cheers,
> Benno
>
> > + unsafe fn realloc(
> > + ptr: Option<NonNull<u8>>,
> > + layout: Layout,
> > + flags: Flags,
> > + ) -> Result<NonNull<[u8]>, AllocError>;
>
> > +
> > + /// Free an existing memory allocation.
> > + ///
> > + /// # Safety
> > + ///
> > + /// `ptr` must point to an existing and valid memory allocation created by this `Allocator` and
> > + /// must not be a dangling pointer.
> > + ///
> > + /// The memory allocation at `ptr` must never again be read from or written to.
> > + unsafe fn free(ptr: NonNull<u8>) {
> > + // SAFETY: The caller guarantees that `ptr` points at a valid allocation created by this
> > + // allocator. We are passing a `Layout` with the smallest possible alignment, so it is
> > + // smaller than or equal to the alignment previously used with this allocation.
> > + let _ = unsafe { Self::realloc(Some(ptr), Layout::new::<()>(), Flags(0)) };
> > + }
> > +}
> > --
> > 2.45.2
> >
>