Re: mips64-linux-ld: div64.c:undefined reference to `__multi3'

David Laight
2026-01-13T20:04:59Z

On Wed, 14 Jan 2026 01:59:24 +0800
kernel test robot <lkp@intel.com> wrote:

> tree: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git master
> head: b71e635feefc852405b14620a7fc58c4c80c0f73
> commit: d10bb374c41e4c4dced04ae7d2fe2d782a5858a0 lib: mul_u64_u64_div_u64(): optimise the divide code
> date: 8 weeks ago
> config: mips-randconfig-r113-20260113 (https://download.01.org/0day-ci/archive/20260114/202601140146.hMLODc6v-lkp@intel.com/config)
> compiler: mips64-linux-gcc (GCC) 8.5.0
> reproduce (this is a W=1 build): (https://download.01.org/0day-ci/archive/20260114/202601140146.hMLODc6v-lkp@intel.com/reproduce)
>
> If you fix the issue in a separate patch/commit (i.e. not just a new version of
> the same patch/commit), kindly add following tags
> | Reported-by: kernel test robot <lkp@intel.com>
> | Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/oe-kbuild-all/202601140146.hMLODc6v-lkp@intel.com/
>
> All errors (new ones prefixed by >>):
>
> mips64-linux-ld: lib/math/div64.o: in function `mul_u64_add_u64_div_u64':
> div64.c:(.text+0x84): undefined reference to `__multi3'
> >> mips64-linux-ld: div64.c:(.text+0x11c): undefined reference to `__multi3'
>

This looks like a bug in the mips 'port'.
arch/mips/lib/multi3.c has the comment:

/*
* GCC 7 & older can suboptimally generate __multi3 calls for mips64r6, so for
* that specific case only we implement that intrinsic here.
*
* See https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=82981
*/
#if defined(CONFIG_64BIT) && defined(CONFIG_CPU_MIPSR6) && (__GNUC__ < 8)

So this code is excluded for gcc 8.5 but the compiler is generating the call.

Looking at the git log for that file there is a comment that includes:
"we wouldn't expect any calls to __multi3 to be generated from
kernel code".
Not true....
Not sure why the link didn't fail before though, something subtle must
have changed.

I think the fix is just to remove the gcc version check.
The code itself just adds the results of four multiply instructions together.

David