Re: [PATCH v2] arch/riscv: Enable kprobes when CONFIG_MODULES=n

Calvin Owens
2024-03-26T16:15:30Z

On Wednesday 03/27 at 00:24 +0900, Masami Hiramatsu wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Mar 2024 14:46:10 +0000
> Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@arm.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi Masami,
> >
> > On Mon, Mar 25, 2024 at 11:56:32AM +0900, Masami Hiramatsu wrote:
> > > Hi Jarkko,
> > >
> > > On Sun, 24 Mar 2024 01:29:08 +0200
> > > Jarkko Sakkinen <jarkko@kernel.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Tracing with kprobes while running a monolithic kernel is currently
> > > > impossible due the kernel module allocator dependency.
> > > >
> > > > Address the issue by allowing architectures to implement module_alloc()
> > > > and module_memfree() independent of the module subsystem. An arch tree
> > > > can signal this by setting HAVE_KPROBES_ALLOC in its Kconfig file.
> > > >
> > > > Realize the feature on RISC-V by separating allocator to module_alloc.c
> > > > and implementing module_memfree().
> > >
> > > Even though, this involves changes in arch-independent part. So it should
> > > be solved by generic way. Did you checked Calvin's thread?
> > >
> > > https://lore.kernel.org/all/cover.1709676663.git.jcalvinowens@gmail.com/
> > >
> > > I think, we'd better to introduce `alloc_execmem()`,
> > > CONFIG_HAVE_ALLOC_EXECMEM and CONFIG_ALLOC_EXECMEM at first
> > >
> > > config HAVE_ALLOC_EXECMEM
> > > bool
> > >
> > > config ALLOC_EXECMEM
> > > bool "Executable trampline memory allocation"
> > > depends on MODULES || HAVE_ALLOC_EXECMEM
> > >
> > > And define fallback macro to module_alloc() like this.
> > >
> > > #ifndef CONFIG_HAVE_ALLOC_EXECMEM
> > > #define alloc_execmem(size, gfp) module_alloc(size)
> > > #endif
> >
> > Please can we *not* do this? I think this is abstracting at the wrong level (as
> > I mentioned on the prior execmem proposals).
> >
> > Different exectuable allocations can have different requirements. For example,
> > on arm64 modules need to be within 2G of the kernel image, but the kprobes XOL
> > areas can be anywhere in the kernel VA space.
> >
> > Forcing those behind the same interface makes things *harder* for architectures
> > and/or makes the common code more complicated (if that ends up having to track
> > all those different requirements). From my PoV it'd be much better to have
> > separate kprobes_alloc_*() functions for kprobes which an architecture can then
> > choose to implement using a common library if it wants to.
> >
> > I took a look at doing that using the core ifdeffery fixups from Jarkko's v6,
> > and it looks pretty clean to me (and works in testing on arm64):
> >
> > https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mark/linux.git/log/?h=kprobes/without-modules
> >
> > Could we please start with that approach, with kprobe-specific alloc/free code
> > provided by the architecture?

Heh, I also noticed that dead !RWX branch in arm64 patch_map(), I was
about to send a patch to remove it.

> OK, as far as I can read the code, this method also works and neat!
> (and minimum intrusion). I actually found that exposing CONFIG_ALLOC_EXECMEM
> to user does not help, it should be an internal change. So hiding this change
> from user is better choice. Then there is no reason to introduce the new
> alloc_execmem, but just expand kprobe_alloc_insn_page() is reasonable.

I'm happy with this, it solves the first half of my problem. But I want
eBPF to work in the !MODULES case too.

I think Mark's approach can work for bpf as well, without needing to
touch module_alloc() at all? So I might be able to drop that first patch
entirely.

https://lore.kernel.org/all/a6b162aed1e6fea7f565ef9dd0204d6f2284bcce.1709676663.git.jcalvinowens@gmail.com/

Thanks,
Calvin

> Mark, can you send this series here, so that others can review/test it?
>
> Thank you!
>
>
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Mark.
>
>
> --
> Masami Hiramatsu (Google) <mhiramat@kernel.org>