[PATCH v3 1/4] rust: transmute: add `cast_slice[_mut]` functions

[Benno Lossin <benno.lossin@proton.me>]

Add functions to make casting slices only one `unsafe` block.

Signed-off-by: Benno Lossin <benno.lossin@proton.me>
---
 rust/kernel/transmute.rs | 41 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 41 insertions(+)

diff --git a/rust/kernel/transmute.rs b/rust/kernel/transmute.rs
index 1c7d43771a37..242623bbb565 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/transmute.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/transmute.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 //! Traits for transmuting types.
 
+use core::slice;
+
 /// Types for which any bit pattern is valid.
 ///
 /// Not all types are valid for all values. For example, a `bool` must be either zero or one, so
@@ -69,3 +71,42 @@ macro_rules! impl_asbytes {
     {<T: AsBytes>} [T],
     {<T: AsBytes, const N: usize>} [T; N],
 }
+
+/// Casts the type of a slice to another.
+///
+/// # Examples
+///
+/// ```rust
+/// # use kernel::transmute::cast_slice;
+/// #[repr(transparent)]
+/// #[derive(Debug)]
+/// struct Container<T>(T);
+///
+/// let array = [0u32; 42];
+/// let slice = &array;
+/// // SAFETY: `Container<T>` transparently wraps a `T`.
+/// let container_slice = unsafe { cast_slice(slice) };
+/// pr_info!("{container_slice}");
+/// ```
+///
+/// # Safety
+/// - `T` and `U` must have the same layout.
+pub unsafe fn cast_slice<T, U>(slice: &[T]) -> &[U] {
+    // CAST: by the safety requirements, `T` and `U` have the same layout.
+    let ptr = slice.as_ptr().cast::<U>();
+    // SAFETY: `ptr` and `len` come from the same slice reference.
+    unsafe { slice::from_raw_parts(ptr, slice.len()) }
+}
+
+/// Casts the type of a slice to another.
+///
+/// Also see [`cast_slice`].
+///
+/// # Safety
+/// - `T` and `U` must have the same layout.
+pub unsafe fn cast_slice_mut<T, U>(slice: &mut [T]) -> &mut [U] {
+    // CAST: by the safety requirements, `T` and `U` have the same layout.
+    let ptr = slice.as_mut_ptr().cast::<U>();
+    // SAFETY: `ptr` and `len` come from the same slice reference.
+    unsafe { slice::from_raw_parts_mut(ptr, slice.len()) }
+}
-- 
2.48.1