Re: [PATCH] sparc: Add support for seek and shorter read to /dev/mdesc

Sam Ravnborg
2014-07-16T21:00:28Z

On Wed, Jul 16, 2014 at 02:35:32PM -0600, Khalid Aziz wrote:
> Hi Sam,
>
> Thanks for the feedback.
>
> On 07/16/2014 01:04 PM, Sam Ravnborg wrote:
> >Hi Kahlid.
> >
> >On Wed, Jul 16, 2014 at 08:02:03AM -0600, Khalid Aziz wrote:
> >>/dev/mdesc on Linux does not support reading arbitrary number
> >>of bytes and seeking while /dev/mdesc on Solaris does. This
> >>causes tools that work on Solaris to break on Linux. This patch
> >>adds these two capabilities to /dev/mdesc.
> >>
> >>Signed-off-by: Khalid Aziz <khalid.aziz@oracle.com>
> >>---
> >> arch/sparc/kernel/mdesc.c | 77 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------
> >> 1 file changed, 66 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)
> >>
> >>+/* mdesc_open() - Grab a reference to mdesc_handle when /dev/mdesc is
> >>+ * opened. Hold this reference until /dev/mdesc is closed to ensure
> >>+ * mdesc data structure is not released underneath us. Store the
> >>+ * pointer to mdesc structure in private_data for read and seek to use
> >>+ */
> >>+static int mdesc_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
> >> {
> >> struct mdesc_handle *hp = mdesc_grab();
> >>
> >> if (!hp)
> >> return -ENODEV;
> >>
> >>+ file->private_data = hp;
> >>+ return 0;
> >>+}
> >
> >Do we know the open/close always come in pairs?
> >I assume so - but there is no check fo this (at least on this level).
>
> Most likely yes, but I wouldn't assume that to be guaranteed. Is that a
> concern? Isn't "struct file" unique for each instance of open?
I did not know. But I have checked a few other users
of file_operations and they do not provide any protections.
So you implementation is OK.

> >>+
> >>+static ssize_t mdesc_read(struct file *file, char __user *buf,
> >>+ size_t len, loff_t *offp)
> >>+{
> >>+ struct mdesc_handle *hp = file->private_data;
> >>+ unsigned char *mdesc;
> >>+ int err, bytes_left;
> >>+
> >>+ if (*offp >= hp->handle_size)
> >>+ return 0;
> >>+ err = len;
> >>+ bytes_left = hp->handle_size - *offp;
> >>+ if (len > bytes_left)
> >>+ err = bytes_left;
> >>+ mdesc = (unsigned char *)&hp->mdesc;
> >>+ mdesc += *offp;
> >>+ if (copy_to_user(buf, mdesc, err))
> >> err = -EFAULT;
> >>- mdesc_release(hp);
> >>+ else
> >>+ *offp += err;
> >>+
> >>+ return err;
> >>+}
> >
> >When reading your code it is confusing to read that err is set to len,
> >and then maybe later set to an error value or a new len.
> >
> >See the following refactoring of mdesc_read() that avoids the err local
> >variable resulting in more readable code.
> >
> >static ssize_t mdesc_read(struct file *file, char __user *buf,
> > size_t len, loff_t *offp)
> >{
> > struct mdesc_handle *hp = file->private_data;
> > unsigned char *mdesc;
> > int bytes_left;
> >
> > if (*offp >= hp->handle_size)
> > return 0;
> >
> > bytes_left = hp->handle_size - *offp;
> > if (len > bytes_left)
> > len = bytes_left;
> >
> > mdesc = (unsigned char *)&hp->mdesc;
> > mdesc += *offp;
> > if (!copy_to_user(buf, mdesc, len)) {
> > *offp += len;
> > return len;
> > } else {
> > return -EFAULT;
> > }
> >}
> >
> >The above is IMO more readable.
>
> I was simply following how err was used in the original code, but I agree
> this is more readable. I can redo the patch.
Please do so.

Sam