Re: [PATCH RFC] fs/binfmt_elf: fix memory map for PIE applications

[Timo Teras <timo.teras@iki.fi>]

On Thu, 19 Dec 2013 16:02:19 +0100 (CET)
Jiri Kosina <jkosina@suse.cz> wrote:

> On Thu, 19 Dec 2013, Timo Teras wrote:
> 
> > As you see, the main executable is mapped 57620000-57708000 and
> > 57708000-5770a000. Heap follow immediately after that
> > 5770a000-5770c000 followed by anything mmaped after it (stack or
> > some other libraries). Heap can grow only up to 5ffdf000 meaning the
> > application is limited to 140 megs or so in this instance. This
> > limit can go much lower depending how the randomization went. And
> > even 140 megs is very little for big apps.
> 
> So what is the real problem again (i.e. the actual symptoms), please?
> Is it that your userspace memory allocator doesn't use mmap() for
> allocations at all?

Random application failures with uclibc and musl c-libraries. Both seem
to use mmap() for large allocations, and brk() for small ones. IIRC,
there was also some minor breakage with other applications that use
brk() to do some self-accounting / other funny stuff.

While this is not strictly a bug, I would still hope that the memory
layout is configured for maximum compatibility... or do you see it
introducing unwanted side effects?