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From: "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com>
To: Ingo Molnar <mingo@kernel.org>
Cc: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@infradead.org>,
	Jesse Brandeburg <jesse.brandeburg@intel.com>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: Regression due to 0c44c2d0f459 x86: Use asm goto to implement better modify_and_test() functions
Date: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 08:44:50 -0800	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <529F5C02.2060706@zytor.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20131204085953.GC31778@gmail.com>

On 12/04/2013 12:59 AM, Ingo Molnar wrote:
> 
> * H. Peter Anvin <hpa@zytor.com> wrote:
> 
>> Hi guys,
>>
>> 0c44c2d0f459 x86: Use asm goto to implement better modify_and_test()
>> functions
>>
>> causes a regression, because it incorrectly changed the constraints of
>> bitops.
>>
>> Specifically, the GEN_BINARY_RMWcc() hardcodes a constraint as "er", but
>> it needs to be "Ir" for the bitops themselves.  "I" is correct (as
>> opposed to "J" even on 64 bits, because we only generate the 64-bit
>> version when we have a register operand.
>>
>> Unfortunately there isn't a way we can get gcc+gas to generate a version
>> with an offset pointer.
> 
> Does the regression manifest itself in any actual breakage - if yes, 
> how does it look like? (People experiencing similar symptoms will be 
> helped by seeing a fix matching their problems.)
> 

It was discovered because it caused a build failure in a
not-yet-submitted driver patch.  This happens when someone uses
test_and_set_bit() or another similar operation on a fixed bit index
above 255; the assembler throws an error at that point and the build fails.

*HOWEVER*, for bit indicies in the range 32-255, the current code will
instead silently miscompile, as the CPU will truncate the argument to 5
bits.  I don't know if there are any such instances in the current
kernel, but it is entirely possible there is, with unknown but
potentially disastrous results.

	-hpa


  reply	other threads:[~2013-12-04 16:45 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 5+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2013-12-04  1:36 Regression due to 0c44c2d0f459 x86: Use asm goto to implement better modify_and_test() functions H. Peter Anvin
2013-12-04  8:59 ` Ingo Molnar
2013-12-04 16:44   ` H. Peter Anvin [this message]
2014-01-31 21:32     ` Alex Williamson
2013-12-04 22:51 ` [tip:x86/urgent] x86, bitops: Correct the assembly constraints to testing bitops tip-bot for H. Peter Anvin

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