Re: [Patch] kexec: remove KMSG_DUMP_KEXEC (was Re: Query about kdump_msg hook into crash_kexec())

Andrew Morton
2011-06-08T00:01:07Z

On Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:26:20 -0700
ebiederm@xmission.com (Eric W. Biederman) wrote:

> >>What are you using kmsg_dump() for? Using mtdoops, ramoops or something
> >>else? Is it working reliably for you?
> >
> > I plan to use kmsg_dump() for set_variable service of UEFI.
> > I proposed a prototype patch this month and will improve it.
> > (kmsg_dump is used inside pstore.)
> >
> > https://lkml.org/lkml/2011/5/10/340
>
> Shudder. Firmware calls in the crash path.
>
> If that is the use, we need to remove the kmsg_dump(KMSG_DUMP_KEXEC)
> hook from crash_kexec yesterday. It is leading to some really ludicrous
> suggestions that are on the way from making kexec on panic unreliable
> and useless.
>
> There will always be EFI implementations where that will not work and
> there will be no way we can fix those.
>
> There is a long history of people trying to do things in a crashing
> kernel, things that simply do not work when the system is in a bad
> state. kmsg_dump() when I reviewed the code had significant
> implementation problems for being called from interrupt handlers
> and the like.
>
> To introduce a different solution for capturing information when a
> kernel crashes we need to see numbers that in a large number of
> situations that the mechanism you are proposing is more reliable and/or
> more maintainable than the current kexec on panic implementation.
>
> The best work I know of on the reliability of the current situation
> is "Evaluating Linux Kernel Crash Dumping Mechanisms", by Fernando Luis Vazquez Cao.
> http://www.linuxsymposium.org/archives/OLS/Reprints-2006/cao-reprint.pdf
>
>
> Now it does happen to be a fact that our efi support in linux is
> so buggy kexec does not work let alone kexec on panic (if the target
> kernel has any efi support). But our efi support being buggy is not
> a reason to add more ways to fail when we have a kernel with efi
> support. It is an argument to remove our excessive use of EFI
> calls.
>
> So let's just remove the ridiculous kmsg_dump(KMSG_DUMP_KEXEC) hook from
> crash_kexec and remove any temptation for abuses like wanting to use
> kmsg_dump() on anything but a deeply embedded system where there simply
> is not enough memory for 2 kernels.
>

So am I allowed to merge kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec.patch yet?

From: WANG Cong <xiyou.wangcong@gmail.com>

KMSG_DUMP_KEXEC is useless because we already save kernel messages inside
/proc/vmcore, and it is unsafe to allow modules to do other stuffs in a
crash dump scenario.

[akpm@linux-foundation.org: fix powerpc build]
Signed-off-by: WANG Cong <xiyou.wangcong@gmail.com>
Reported-by: Vivek Goyal <vgoyal@redhat.com>
Acked-by: Vivek Goyal <vgoyal@redhat.com>
Acked-by: Jarod Wilson <jarod@redhat.com>
Cc: "Eric W. Biederman" <ebiederm@xmission.com>
Cc: KOSAKI Motohiro <kosaki.motohiro@jp.fujitsu.com>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
---

arch/powerpc/platforms/pseries/nvram.c | 1 -
drivers/char/ramoops.c | 3 +--
drivers/mtd/mtdoops.c | 3 +--
include/linux/kmsg_dump.h | 1 -
kernel/kexec.c | 3 ---
5 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff -puN drivers/char/ramoops.c~kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec drivers/char/ramoops.c
--- a/drivers/char/ramoops.c~kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec
+++ a/drivers/char/ramoops.c
@@ -69,8 +69,7 @@ static void ramoops_do_dump(struct kmsg_
struct timeval timestamp;

if (reason != KMSG_DUMP_OOPS &&
- reason != KMSG_DUMP_PANIC &&
- reason != KMSG_DUMP_KEXEC)
+ reason != KMSG_DUMP_PANIC)
return;

/* Only dump oopses if dump_oops is set */
diff -puN drivers/mtd/mtdoops.c~kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec drivers/mtd/mtdoops.c
--- a/drivers/mtd/mtdoops.c~kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec
+++ a/drivers/mtd/mtdoops.c
@@ -308,8 +308,7 @@ static void mtdoops_do_dump(struct kmsg_
char *dst;

if (reason != KMSG_DUMP_OOPS &&
- reason != KMSG_DUMP_PANIC &&
- reason != KMSG_DUMP_KEXEC)
+ reason != KMSG_DUMP_PANIC)
return;

/* Only dump oopses if dump_oops is set */
diff -puN include/linux/kmsg_dump.h~kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec include/linux/kmsg_dump.h
--- a/include/linux/kmsg_dump.h~kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec
+++ a/include/linux/kmsg_dump.h
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
enum kmsg_dump_reason {
KMSG_DUMP_OOPS,
KMSG_DUMP_PANIC,
- KMSG_DUMP_KEXEC,
KMSG_DUMP_RESTART,
KMSG_DUMP_HALT,
KMSG_DUMP_POWEROFF,
diff -puN kernel/kexec.c~kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec kernel/kexec.c
--- a/kernel/kexec.c~kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec
+++ a/kernel/kexec.c
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@
#include <linux/console.h>
#include <linux/vmalloc.h>
#include <linux/swap.h>
-#include <linux/kmsg_dump.h>
#include <linux/syscore_ops.h>

#include <asm/page.h>
@@ -1079,8 +1078,6 @@ void crash_kexec(struct pt_regs *regs)
if (kexec_crash_image) {
struct pt_regs fixed_regs;

- kmsg_dump(KMSG_DUMP_KEXEC);
-
crash_setup_regs(&fixed_regs, regs);
crash_save_vmcoreinfo();
machine_crash_shutdown(&fixed_regs);
diff -puN arch/powerpc/platforms/pseries/nvram.c~kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec arch/powerpc/platforms/pseries/nvram.c
--- a/arch/powerpc/platforms/pseries/nvram.c~kexec-remove-kmsg_dump_kexec
+++ a/arch/powerpc/platforms/pseries/nvram.c
@@ -490,7 +490,6 @@ static void oops_to_nvram(struct kmsg_du
/* These are almost always orderly shutdowns. */
return;
case KMSG_DUMP_OOPS:
- case KMSG_DUMP_KEXEC:
break;
case KMSG_DUMP_PANIC:
panicking = true;
_