Re: [PATCH v11 3/4] random: introduce generic vDSO getrandom() implementation

Florian Weimer
2022-12-05T18:56:59Z

* Jason A. Donenfeld:

> +retry_generation:
> + /*
> + * @rng_info->generation must always be read here, as it serializes @state->key with the
> + * kernel's RNG reseeding schedule.
> + */
> + current_generation = READ_ONCE(rng_info->generation);

> + if (unlikely(READ_ONCE(state->generation) != READ_ONCE(rng_info-

I'm pretty sure you need some sort of barrier here. We have a similar
TM-lite construct in glibc ld.so for locating link maps by address, and
there the compiler performed reordering.

_dl_find_object miscompilation on powerpc64le
<https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28745>

I'm not familiar with READ_ONCE, but Documentation/atomic_t.txt suggests
it's a “regular LOAD”, and include/asm-generic/rwonce.h concurs.
Likewise, the signal safety mechanism needs compiler barriers (signal
fences).

I'm also not sure how READ_ONCE realizes atomic 64-bit reads on 32-bit
platforms. i386 can do them in user space via the FPU worst-case (if
the control word hasn't been corrupted). CMPXCHG8B is not applicable
here because it's a read-only mapping. Maybe add a comment at least
about that “strong prevailing wind”?

Thanks,
Florian