mirror of
https://github.com/torvalds/linux
synced 2024-09-06 18:01:05 +00:00
![Lukas Bulwahn](/assets/img/avatar_default.png)
Commit 31b24bee33
("docs: add a warning to submitting-drivers.rst")
in October 2016 already warns "This (...) should maybe just be deleted,
but I'm not quite ready to do that yet".
Maybe, six years ago, we were not ready but let us remove old content
for the better now and structure and maintain less content in the kernel
documentation with a better result.
Drop this already outdated document and adjust all textual references.
Here is an argument why deleting the content will not remove any useful
information to the existing kernel documentation, individually broken down
for each section.
Section "Allocating Device Numbers" refers to https://www.lanana.org/, and
then refers to Documentation/admin-guide/devices.rst.
However, the devices.rst clearly states:
"The version of this document at lanana.org is no longer maintained."
Everything needed for submitting drivers is already stated in devices.rst
and the reference to https://www.lanana.org/ is outdated, and should be
just deleted.
Section "Who To Submit Drivers To" is all about Linux 2.0 - 2.6, before
the new release version scheme; the mentioned developers are still around,
but actually not the first developers to contact anymore.
Section "What Criteria Determine Acceptance" has a few bullet points:
Licensing and Copyright is well-covered in process/kernel-license.rst.
Interfaces, Code, Portability, Clarity state some obvious things about
ensuring kernel code quality.
Control suggests to add a MAINTAINERS entry, which is already mentioned in
6.Followthrough.rst: "... added yourself to the MAINTAINERS file..."
PM support states a bit about implementing and testing power management of
a driver, it remains an open question where to place that in the process
documents. Driver developers interested in power management will find the
corresponding part on power management in the kernel documentation anyway.
In section "What Criteria Do Not Determine Acceptance", the points Vendor
and Author states something basic consequence of the kernel being an
open-source community software development. Probably no need to mention it
nowadays.
Section "Resources" lists resources that are also mentioned elsewhere more
central.
- Linux kernel tree and mailing list is mentioned in many places.
- https://lwn.net/Kernel/LDD3/ is mentioned in
Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst.
- https://lwn.net/ is mentioned in:
- Documentation/process/8.Conclusion.rst
- Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst
- https://kernelnewbies.org/ is mentioned in:
- Documentation/process/8.Conclusion.rst
- Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst
- http://www.linux-usb.org/ is mentioned in
Documentation/driver-api/usb/usb.rst
- https://landley.net/kdocs/ols/2002/ols2002-pages-545-555.pdf
is mentioned in Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst
- https://kernelnewbies.org/KernelJanitors is mentioned in
Documentation/process/howto.rst
- https://git-scm.com/ is mentioned in
- Documentation/process/2.Process.rst
- Documentation/process/7.AdvancedTopics.rst
- Documentation/process/howto.rst
Signed-off-by: Lukas Bulwahn <lukas.bulwahn@gmail.com>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20220704122537.3407-7-lukas.bulwahn@gmail.com
Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
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ReStructuredText
831 lines
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ReStructuredText
.. _kernel_hacking_hack:
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============================================
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Unreliable Guide To Hacking The Linux Kernel
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============================================
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:Author: Rusty Russell
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Introduction
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============
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Welcome, gentle reader, to Rusty's Remarkably Unreliable Guide to Linux
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Kernel Hacking. This document describes the common routines and general
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requirements for kernel code: its goal is to serve as a primer for Linux
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kernel development for experienced C programmers. I avoid implementation
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details: that's what the code is for, and I ignore whole tracts of
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useful routines.
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Before you read this, please understand that I never wanted to write
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this document, being grossly under-qualified, but I always wanted to
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read it, and this was the only way. I hope it will grow into a
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compendium of best practice, common starting points and random
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information.
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The Players
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===========
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At any time each of the CPUs in a system can be:
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- not associated with any process, serving a hardware interrupt;
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- not associated with any process, serving a softirq or tasklet;
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- running in kernel space, associated with a process (user context);
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- running a process in user space.
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There is an ordering between these. The bottom two can preempt each
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other, but above that is a strict hierarchy: each can only be preempted
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by the ones above it. For example, while a softirq is running on a CPU,
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no other softirq will preempt it, but a hardware interrupt can. However,
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any other CPUs in the system execute independently.
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We'll see a number of ways that the user context can block interrupts,
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to become truly non-preemptable.
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User Context
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------------
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User context is when you are coming in from a system call or other trap:
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like userspace, you can be preempted by more important tasks and by
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interrupts. You can sleep, by calling :c:func:`schedule()`.
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.. note::
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You are always in user context on module load and unload, and on
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operations on the block device layer.
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In user context, the ``current`` pointer (indicating the task we are
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currently executing) is valid, and :c:func:`in_interrupt()`
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(``include/linux/preempt.h``) is false.
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.. warning::
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Beware that if you have preemption or softirqs disabled (see below),
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:c:func:`in_interrupt()` will return a false positive.
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Hardware Interrupts (Hard IRQs)
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-------------------------------
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Timer ticks, network cards and keyboard are examples of real hardware
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which produce interrupts at any time. The kernel runs interrupt
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handlers, which services the hardware. The kernel guarantees that this
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handler is never re-entered: if the same interrupt arrives, it is queued
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(or dropped). Because it disables interrupts, this handler has to be
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fast: frequently it simply acknowledges the interrupt, marks a 'software
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interrupt' for execution and exits.
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You can tell you are in a hardware interrupt, because in_hardirq() returns
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true.
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.. warning::
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Beware that this will return a false positive if interrupts are
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disabled (see below).
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Software Interrupt Context: Softirqs and Tasklets
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-------------------------------------------------
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Whenever a system call is about to return to userspace, or a hardware
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interrupt handler exits, any 'software interrupts' which are marked
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pending (usually by hardware interrupts) are run (``kernel/softirq.c``).
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Much of the real interrupt handling work is done here. Early in the
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transition to SMP, there were only 'bottom halves' (BHs), which didn't
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take advantage of multiple CPUs. Shortly after we switched from wind-up
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computers made of match-sticks and snot, we abandoned this limitation
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and switched to 'softirqs'.
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``include/linux/interrupt.h`` lists the different softirqs. A very
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important softirq is the timer softirq (``include/linux/timer.h``): you
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can register to have it call functions for you in a given length of
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time.
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Softirqs are often a pain to deal with, since the same softirq will run
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simultaneously on more than one CPU. For this reason, tasklets
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(``include/linux/interrupt.h``) are more often used: they are
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dynamically-registrable (meaning you can have as many as you want), and
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they also guarantee that any tasklet will only run on one CPU at any
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time, although different tasklets can run simultaneously.
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.. warning::
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The name 'tasklet' is misleading: they have nothing to do with
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'tasks'.
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You can tell you are in a softirq (or tasklet) using the
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:c:func:`in_softirq()` macro (``include/linux/preempt.h``).
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.. warning::
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Beware that this will return a false positive if a
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:ref:`botton half lock <local_bh_disable>` is held.
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Some Basic Rules
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================
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No memory protection
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If you corrupt memory, whether in user context or interrupt context,
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the whole machine will crash. Are you sure you can't do what you
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want in userspace?
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No floating point or MMX
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The FPU context is not saved; even in user context the FPU state
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probably won't correspond with the current process: you would mess
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with some user process' FPU state. If you really want to do this,
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you would have to explicitly save/restore the full FPU state (and
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avoid context switches). It is generally a bad idea; use fixed point
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arithmetic first.
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A rigid stack limit
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Depending on configuration options the kernel stack is about 3K to
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6K for most 32-bit architectures: it's about 14K on most 64-bit
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archs, and often shared with interrupts so you can't use it all.
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Avoid deep recursion and huge local arrays on the stack (allocate
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them dynamically instead).
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The Linux kernel is portable
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Let's keep it that way. Your code should be 64-bit clean, and
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endian-independent. You should also minimize CPU specific stuff,
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e.g. inline assembly should be cleanly encapsulated and minimized to
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ease porting. Generally it should be restricted to the
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architecture-dependent part of the kernel tree.
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ioctls: Not writing a new system call
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=====================================
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A system call generally looks like this::
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asmlinkage long sys_mycall(int arg)
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{
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return 0;
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}
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First, in most cases you don't want to create a new system call. You
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create a character device and implement an appropriate ioctl for it.
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This is much more flexible than system calls, doesn't have to be entered
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in every architecture's ``include/asm/unistd.h`` and
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``arch/kernel/entry.S`` file, and is much more likely to be accepted by
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Linus.
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If all your routine does is read or write some parameter, consider
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implementing a :c:func:`sysfs()` interface instead.
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Inside the ioctl you're in user context to a process. When a error
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occurs you return a negated errno (see
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``include/uapi/asm-generic/errno-base.h``,
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``include/uapi/asm-generic/errno.h`` and ``include/linux/errno.h``),
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otherwise you return 0.
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After you slept you should check if a signal occurred: the Unix/Linux
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way of handling signals is to temporarily exit the system call with the
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``-ERESTARTSYS`` error. The system call entry code will switch back to
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user context, process the signal handler and then your system call will
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be restarted (unless the user disabled that). So you should be prepared
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to process the restart, e.g. if you're in the middle of manipulating
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some data structure.
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::
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if (signal_pending(current))
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return -ERESTARTSYS;
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If you're doing longer computations: first think userspace. If you
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**really** want to do it in kernel you should regularly check if you need
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to give up the CPU (remember there is cooperative multitasking per CPU).
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Idiom::
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cond_resched(); /* Will sleep */
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A short note on interface design: the UNIX system call motto is "Provide
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mechanism not policy".
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Recipes for Deadlock
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====================
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You cannot call any routines which may sleep, unless:
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- You are in user context.
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- You do not own any spinlocks.
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- You have interrupts enabled (actually, Andi Kleen says that the
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scheduling code will enable them for you, but that's probably not
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what you wanted).
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Note that some functions may sleep implicitly: common ones are the user
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space access functions (\*_user) and memory allocation functions
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without ``GFP_ATOMIC``.
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You should always compile your kernel ``CONFIG_DEBUG_ATOMIC_SLEEP`` on,
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and it will warn you if you break these rules. If you **do** break the
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rules, you will eventually lock up your box.
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Really.
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Common Routines
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===============
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:c:func:`printk()`
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------------------
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Defined in ``include/linux/printk.h``
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:c:func:`printk()` feeds kernel messages to the console, dmesg, and
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the syslog daemon. It is useful for debugging and reporting errors, and
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can be used inside interrupt context, but use with caution: a machine
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which has its console flooded with printk messages is unusable. It uses
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a format string mostly compatible with ANSI C printf, and C string
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concatenation to give it a first "priority" argument::
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printk(KERN_INFO "i = %u\n", i);
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See ``include/linux/kern_levels.h``; for other ``KERN_`` values; these are
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interpreted by syslog as the level. Special case: for printing an IP
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address use::
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__be32 ipaddress;
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printk(KERN_INFO "my ip: %pI4\n", &ipaddress);
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:c:func:`printk()` internally uses a 1K buffer and does not catch
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overruns. Make sure that will be enough.
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.. note::
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You will know when you are a real kernel hacker when you start
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typoing printf as printk in your user programs :)
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.. note::
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Another sidenote: the original Unix Version 6 sources had a comment
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on top of its printf function: "Printf should not be used for
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chit-chat". You should follow that advice.
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:c:func:`copy_to_user()` / :c:func:`copy_from_user()` / :c:func:`get_user()` / :c:func:`put_user()`
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Defined in ``include/linux/uaccess.h`` / ``asm/uaccess.h``
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**[SLEEPS]**
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:c:func:`put_user()` and :c:func:`get_user()` are used to get
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and put single values (such as an int, char, or long) from and to
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userspace. A pointer into userspace should never be simply dereferenced:
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data should be copied using these routines. Both return ``-EFAULT`` or
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0.
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:c:func:`copy_to_user()` and :c:func:`copy_from_user()` are
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more general: they copy an arbitrary amount of data to and from
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userspace.
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.. warning::
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Unlike :c:func:`put_user()` and :c:func:`get_user()`, they
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return the amount of uncopied data (ie. 0 still means success).
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[Yes, this objectionable interface makes me cringe. The flamewar comes
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up every year or so. --RR.]
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The functions may sleep implicitly. This should never be called outside
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user context (it makes no sense), with interrupts disabled, or a
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spinlock held.
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:c:func:`kmalloc()`/:c:func:`kfree()`
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-------------------------------------
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Defined in ``include/linux/slab.h``
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**[MAY SLEEP: SEE BELOW]**
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These routines are used to dynamically request pointer-aligned chunks of
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memory, like malloc and free do in userspace, but
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:c:func:`kmalloc()` takes an extra flag word. Important values:
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``GFP_KERNEL``
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May sleep and swap to free memory. Only allowed in user context, but
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is the most reliable way to allocate memory.
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``GFP_ATOMIC``
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Don't sleep. Less reliable than ``GFP_KERNEL``, but may be called
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from interrupt context. You should **really** have a good
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out-of-memory error-handling strategy.
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``GFP_DMA``
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Allocate ISA DMA lower than 16MB. If you don't know what that is you
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don't need it. Very unreliable.
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If you see a sleeping function called from invalid context warning
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message, then maybe you called a sleeping allocation function from
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interrupt context without ``GFP_ATOMIC``. You should really fix that.
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Run, don't walk.
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If you are allocating at least ``PAGE_SIZE`` (``asm/page.h`` or
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``asm/page_types.h``) bytes, consider using :c:func:`__get_free_pages()`
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(``include/linux/gfp.h``). It takes an order argument (0 for page sized,
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1 for double page, 2 for four pages etc.) and the same memory priority
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flag word as above.
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If you are allocating more than a page worth of bytes you can use
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:c:func:`vmalloc()`. It'll allocate virtual memory in the kernel
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map. This block is not contiguous in physical memory, but the MMU makes
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it look like it is for you (so it'll only look contiguous to the CPUs,
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not to external device drivers). If you really need large physically
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contiguous memory for some weird device, you have a problem: it is
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poorly supported in Linux because after some time memory fragmentation
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in a running kernel makes it hard. The best way is to allocate the block
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early in the boot process via the :c:func:`alloc_bootmem()`
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routine.
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Before inventing your own cache of often-used objects consider using a
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slab cache in ``include/linux/slab.h``
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:c:macro:`current`
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------------------
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Defined in ``include/asm/current.h``
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This global variable (really a macro) contains a pointer to the current
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task structure, so is only valid in user context. For example, when a
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process makes a system call, this will point to the task structure of
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the calling process. It is **not NULL** in interrupt context.
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:c:func:`mdelay()`/:c:func:`udelay()`
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-------------------------------------
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Defined in ``include/asm/delay.h`` / ``include/linux/delay.h``
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The :c:func:`udelay()` and :c:func:`ndelay()` functions can be
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used for small pauses. Do not use large values with them as you risk
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overflow - the helper function :c:func:`mdelay()` is useful here, or
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consider :c:func:`msleep()`.
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:c:func:`cpu_to_be32()`/:c:func:`be32_to_cpu()`/:c:func:`cpu_to_le32()`/:c:func:`le32_to_cpu()`
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Defined in ``include/asm/byteorder.h``
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The :c:func:`cpu_to_be32()` family (where the "32" can be replaced
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by 64 or 16, and the "be" can be replaced by "le") are the general way
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to do endian conversions in the kernel: they return the converted value.
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All variations supply the reverse as well:
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:c:func:`be32_to_cpu()`, etc.
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There are two major variations of these functions: the pointer
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variation, such as :c:func:`cpu_to_be32p()`, which take a pointer
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to the given type, and return the converted value. The other variation
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is the "in-situ" family, such as :c:func:`cpu_to_be32s()`, which
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convert value referred to by the pointer, and return void.
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:c:func:`local_irq_save()`/:c:func:`local_irq_restore()`
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--------------------------------------------------------
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Defined in ``include/linux/irqflags.h``
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These routines disable hard interrupts on the local CPU, and restore
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them. They are reentrant; saving the previous state in their one
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``unsigned long flags`` argument. If you know that interrupts are
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enabled, you can simply use :c:func:`local_irq_disable()` and
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:c:func:`local_irq_enable()`.
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.. _local_bh_disable:
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:c:func:`local_bh_disable()`/:c:func:`local_bh_enable()`
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--------------------------------------------------------
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Defined in ``include/linux/bottom_half.h``
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These routines disable soft interrupts on the local CPU, and restore
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them. They are reentrant; if soft interrupts were disabled before, they
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will still be disabled after this pair of functions has been called.
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They prevent softirqs and tasklets from running on the current CPU.
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:c:func:`smp_processor_id()`
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----------------------------
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Defined in ``include/linux/smp.h``
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:c:func:`get_cpu()` disables preemption (so you won't suddenly get
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moved to another CPU) and returns the current processor number, between
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0 and ``NR_CPUS``. Note that the CPU numbers are not necessarily
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continuous. You return it again with :c:func:`put_cpu()` when you
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are done.
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If you know you cannot be preempted by another task (ie. you are in
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interrupt context, or have preemption disabled) you can use
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smp_processor_id().
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``__init``/``__exit``/``__initdata``
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------------------------------------
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Defined in ``include/linux/init.h``
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After boot, the kernel frees up a special section; functions marked with
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``__init`` and data structures marked with ``__initdata`` are dropped
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after boot is complete: similarly modules discard this memory after
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initialization. ``__exit`` is used to declare a function which is only
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required on exit: the function will be dropped if this file is not
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compiled as a module. See the header file for use. Note that it makes no
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sense for a function marked with ``__init`` to be exported to modules
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with :c:func:`EXPORT_SYMBOL()` or :c:func:`EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL()`- this
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will break.
|
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:c:func:`__initcall()`/:c:func:`module_init()`
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|
----------------------------------------------
|
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Defined in ``include/linux/init.h`` / ``include/linux/module.h``
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Many parts of the kernel are well served as a module
|
|
(dynamically-loadable parts of the kernel). Using the
|
|
:c:func:`module_init()` and :c:func:`module_exit()` macros it
|
|
is easy to write code without #ifdefs which can operate both as a module
|
|
or built into the kernel.
|
|
|
|
The :c:func:`module_init()` macro defines which function is to be
|
|
called at module insertion time (if the file is compiled as a module),
|
|
or at boot time: if the file is not compiled as a module the
|
|
:c:func:`module_init()` macro becomes equivalent to
|
|
:c:func:`__initcall()`, which through linker magic ensures that
|
|
the function is called on boot.
|
|
|
|
The function can return a negative error number to cause module loading
|
|
to fail (unfortunately, this has no effect if the module is compiled
|
|
into the kernel). This function is called in user context with
|
|
interrupts enabled, so it can sleep.
|
|
|
|
:c:func:`module_exit()`
|
|
-----------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
Defined in ``include/linux/module.h``
|
|
|
|
This macro defines the function to be called at module removal time (or
|
|
never, in the case of the file compiled into the kernel). It will only
|
|
be called if the module usage count has reached zero. This function can
|
|
also sleep, but cannot fail: everything must be cleaned up by the time
|
|
it returns.
|
|
|
|
Note that this macro is optional: if it is not present, your module will
|
|
not be removable (except for 'rmmod -f').
|
|
|
|
:c:func:`try_module_get()`/:c:func:`module_put()`
|
|
-------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Defined in ``include/linux/module.h``
|
|
|
|
These manipulate the module usage count, to protect against removal (a
|
|
module also can't be removed if another module uses one of its exported
|
|
symbols: see below). Before calling into module code, you should call
|
|
:c:func:`try_module_get()` on that module: if it fails, then the
|
|
module is being removed and you should act as if it wasn't there.
|
|
Otherwise, you can safely enter the module, and call
|
|
:c:func:`module_put()` when you're finished.
|
|
|
|
Most registerable structures have an owner field, such as in the
|
|
:c:type:`struct file_operations <file_operations>` structure.
|
|
Set this field to the macro ``THIS_MODULE``.
|
|
|
|
Wait Queues ``include/linux/wait.h``
|
|
====================================
|
|
|
|
**[SLEEPS]**
|
|
|
|
A wait queue is used to wait for someone to wake you up when a certain
|
|
condition is true. They must be used carefully to ensure there is no
|
|
race condition. You declare a :c:type:`wait_queue_head_t`, and then processes
|
|
which want to wait for that condition declare a :c:type:`wait_queue_entry_t`
|
|
referring to themselves, and place that in the queue.
|
|
|
|
Declaring
|
|
---------
|
|
|
|
You declare a ``wait_queue_head_t`` using the
|
|
:c:func:`DECLARE_WAIT_QUEUE_HEAD()` macro, or using the
|
|
:c:func:`init_waitqueue_head()` routine in your initialization
|
|
code.
|
|
|
|
Queuing
|
|
-------
|
|
|
|
Placing yourself in the waitqueue is fairly complex, because you must
|
|
put yourself in the queue before checking the condition. There is a
|
|
macro to do this: :c:func:`wait_event_interruptible()`
|
|
(``include/linux/wait.h``) The first argument is the wait queue head, and
|
|
the second is an expression which is evaluated; the macro returns 0 when
|
|
this expression is true, or ``-ERESTARTSYS`` if a signal is received. The
|
|
:c:func:`wait_event()` version ignores signals.
|
|
|
|
Waking Up Queued Tasks
|
|
----------------------
|
|
|
|
Call :c:func:`wake_up()` (``include/linux/wait.h``), which will wake
|
|
up every process in the queue. The exception is if one has
|
|
``TASK_EXCLUSIVE`` set, in which case the remainder of the queue will
|
|
not be woken. There are other variants of this basic function available
|
|
in the same header.
|
|
|
|
Atomic Operations
|
|
=================
|
|
|
|
Certain operations are guaranteed atomic on all platforms. The first
|
|
class of operations work on :c:type:`atomic_t` (``include/asm/atomic.h``);
|
|
this contains a signed integer (at least 32 bits long), and you must use
|
|
these functions to manipulate or read :c:type:`atomic_t` variables.
|
|
:c:func:`atomic_read()` and :c:func:`atomic_set()` get and set
|
|
the counter, :c:func:`atomic_add()`, :c:func:`atomic_sub()`,
|
|
:c:func:`atomic_inc()`, :c:func:`atomic_dec()`, and
|
|
:c:func:`atomic_dec_and_test()` (returns true if it was
|
|
decremented to zero).
|
|
|
|
Yes. It returns true (i.e. != 0) if the atomic variable is zero.
|
|
|
|
Note that these functions are slower than normal arithmetic, and so
|
|
should not be used unnecessarily.
|
|
|
|
The second class of atomic operations is atomic bit operations on an
|
|
``unsigned long``, defined in ``include/linux/bitops.h``. These
|
|
operations generally take a pointer to the bit pattern, and a bit
|
|
number: 0 is the least significant bit. :c:func:`set_bit()`,
|
|
:c:func:`clear_bit()` and :c:func:`change_bit()` set, clear,
|
|
and flip the given bit. :c:func:`test_and_set_bit()`,
|
|
:c:func:`test_and_clear_bit()` and
|
|
:c:func:`test_and_change_bit()` do the same thing, except return
|
|
true if the bit was previously set; these are particularly useful for
|
|
atomically setting flags.
|
|
|
|
It is possible to call these operations with bit indices greater than
|
|
``BITS_PER_LONG``. The resulting behavior is strange on big-endian
|
|
platforms though so it is a good idea not to do this.
|
|
|
|
Symbols
|
|
=======
|
|
|
|
Within the kernel proper, the normal linking rules apply (ie. unless a
|
|
symbol is declared to be file scope with the ``static`` keyword, it can
|
|
be used anywhere in the kernel). However, for modules, a special
|
|
exported symbol table is kept which limits the entry points to the
|
|
kernel proper. Modules can also export symbols.
|
|
|
|
:c:func:`EXPORT_SYMBOL()`
|
|
-------------------------
|
|
|
|
Defined in ``include/linux/export.h``
|
|
|
|
This is the classic method of exporting a symbol: dynamically loaded
|
|
modules will be able to use the symbol as normal.
|
|
|
|
:c:func:`EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL()`
|
|
-----------------------------
|
|
|
|
Defined in ``include/linux/export.h``
|
|
|
|
Similar to :c:func:`EXPORT_SYMBOL()` except that the symbols
|
|
exported by :c:func:`EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL()` can only be seen by
|
|
modules with a :c:func:`MODULE_LICENSE()` that specifies a GPL
|
|
compatible license. It implies that the function is considered an
|
|
internal implementation issue, and not really an interface. Some
|
|
maintainers and developers may however require EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL()
|
|
when adding any new APIs or functionality.
|
|
|
|
:c:func:`EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS()`
|
|
----------------------------
|
|
|
|
Defined in ``include/linux/export.h``
|
|
|
|
This is the variant of `EXPORT_SYMBOL()` that allows specifying a symbol
|
|
namespace. Symbol Namespaces are documented in
|
|
Documentation/core-api/symbol-namespaces.rst
|
|
|
|
:c:func:`EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS_GPL()`
|
|
--------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Defined in ``include/linux/export.h``
|
|
|
|
This is the variant of `EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL()` that allows specifying a symbol
|
|
namespace. Symbol Namespaces are documented in
|
|
Documentation/core-api/symbol-namespaces.rst
|
|
|
|
Routines and Conventions
|
|
========================
|
|
|
|
Double-linked lists ``include/linux/list.h``
|
|
--------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
There used to be three sets of linked-list routines in the kernel
|
|
headers, but this one is the winner. If you don't have some particular
|
|
pressing need for a single list, it's a good choice.
|
|
|
|
In particular, :c:func:`list_for_each_entry()` is useful.
|
|
|
|
Return Conventions
|
|
------------------
|
|
|
|
For code called in user context, it's very common to defy C convention,
|
|
and return 0 for success, and a negative error number (eg. ``-EFAULT``) for
|
|
failure. This can be unintuitive at first, but it's fairly widespread in
|
|
the kernel.
|
|
|
|
Using :c:func:`ERR_PTR()` (``include/linux/err.h``) to encode a
|
|
negative error number into a pointer, and :c:func:`IS_ERR()` and
|
|
:c:func:`PTR_ERR()` to get it back out again: avoids a separate
|
|
pointer parameter for the error number. Icky, but in a good way.
|
|
|
|
Breaking Compilation
|
|
--------------------
|
|
|
|
Linus and the other developers sometimes change function or structure
|
|
names in development kernels; this is not done just to keep everyone on
|
|
their toes: it reflects a fundamental change (eg. can no longer be
|
|
called with interrupts on, or does extra checks, or doesn't do checks
|
|
which were caught before). Usually this is accompanied by a fairly
|
|
complete note to the appropriate kernel development mailing list; search
|
|
the archives. Simply doing a global replace on the file usually makes
|
|
things **worse**.
|
|
|
|
Initializing structure members
|
|
------------------------------
|
|
|
|
The preferred method of initializing structures is to use designated
|
|
initialisers, as defined by ISO C99, eg::
|
|
|
|
static struct block_device_operations opt_fops = {
|
|
.open = opt_open,
|
|
.release = opt_release,
|
|
.ioctl = opt_ioctl,
|
|
.check_media_change = opt_media_change,
|
|
};
|
|
|
|
|
|
This makes it easy to grep for, and makes it clear which structure
|
|
fields are set. You should do this because it looks cool.
|
|
|
|
GNU Extensions
|
|
--------------
|
|
|
|
GNU Extensions are explicitly allowed in the Linux kernel. Note that
|
|
some of the more complex ones are not very well supported, due to lack
|
|
of general use, but the following are considered standard (see the GCC
|
|
info page section "C Extensions" for more details - Yes, really the info
|
|
page, the man page is only a short summary of the stuff in info).
|
|
|
|
- Inline functions
|
|
|
|
- Statement expressions (ie. the ({ and }) constructs).
|
|
|
|
- Declaring attributes of a function / variable / type
|
|
(__attribute__)
|
|
|
|
- typeof
|
|
|
|
- Zero length arrays
|
|
|
|
- Macro varargs
|
|
|
|
- Arithmetic on void pointers
|
|
|
|
- Non-Constant initializers
|
|
|
|
- Assembler Instructions (not outside arch/ and include/asm/)
|
|
|
|
- Function names as strings (__func__).
|
|
|
|
- __builtin_constant_p()
|
|
|
|
Be wary when using long long in the kernel, the code gcc generates for
|
|
it is horrible and worse: division and multiplication does not work on
|
|
i386 because the GCC runtime functions for it are missing from the
|
|
kernel environment.
|
|
|
|
C++
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
Using C++ in the kernel is usually a bad idea, because the kernel does
|
|
not provide the necessary runtime environment and the include files are
|
|
not tested for it. It is still possible, but not recommended. If you
|
|
really want to do this, forget about exceptions at least.
|
|
|
|
#if
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
It is generally considered cleaner to use macros in header files (or at
|
|
the top of .c files) to abstract away functions rather than using \`#if'
|
|
pre-processor statements throughout the source code.
|
|
|
|
Putting Your Stuff in the Kernel
|
|
================================
|
|
|
|
In order to get your stuff into shape for official inclusion, or even to
|
|
make a neat patch, there's administrative work to be done:
|
|
|
|
- Figure out who are the owners of the code you've been modifying. Look
|
|
at the top of the source files, inside the ``MAINTAINERS`` file, and
|
|
last of all in the ``CREDITS`` file. You should coordinate with these
|
|
people to make sure you're not duplicating effort, or trying something
|
|
that's already been rejected.
|
|
|
|
Make sure you put your name and email address at the top of any files
|
|
you create or modify significantly. This is the first place people
|
|
will look when they find a bug, or when **they** want to make a change.
|
|
|
|
- Usually you want a configuration option for your kernel hack. Edit
|
|
``Kconfig`` in the appropriate directory. The Config language is
|
|
simple to use by cut and paste, and there's complete documentation in
|
|
``Documentation/kbuild/kconfig-language.rst``.
|
|
|
|
In your description of the option, make sure you address both the
|
|
expert user and the user who knows nothing about your feature.
|
|
Mention incompatibilities and issues here. **Definitely** end your
|
|
description with “if in doubt, say N” (or, occasionally, \`Y'); this
|
|
is for people who have no idea what you are talking about.
|
|
|
|
- Edit the ``Makefile``: the CONFIG variables are exported here so you
|
|
can usually just add a "obj-$(CONFIG_xxx) += xxx.o" line. The syntax
|
|
is documented in ``Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.rst``.
|
|
|
|
- Put yourself in ``CREDITS`` if you consider what you've done
|
|
noteworthy, usually beyond a single file (your name should be at the
|
|
top of the source files anyway). ``MAINTAINERS`` means you want to be
|
|
consulted when changes are made to a subsystem, and hear about bugs;
|
|
it implies a more-than-passing commitment to some part of the code.
|
|
|
|
- Finally, don't forget to read
|
|
``Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst``
|
|
|
|
Kernel Cantrips
|
|
===============
|
|
|
|
Some favorites from browsing the source. Feel free to add to this list.
|
|
|
|
``arch/x86/include/asm/delay.h``::
|
|
|
|
#define ndelay(n) (__builtin_constant_p(n) ? \
|
|
((n) > 20000 ? __bad_ndelay() : __const_udelay((n) * 5ul)) : \
|
|
__ndelay(n))
|
|
|
|
|
|
``include/linux/fs.h``::
|
|
|
|
/*
|
|
* Kernel pointers have redundant information, so we can use a
|
|
* scheme where we can return either an error code or a dentry
|
|
* pointer with the same return value.
|
|
*
|
|
* This should be a per-architecture thing, to allow different
|
|
* error and pointer decisions.
|
|
*/
|
|
#define ERR_PTR(err) ((void *)((long)(err)))
|
|
#define PTR_ERR(ptr) ((long)(ptr))
|
|
#define IS_ERR(ptr) ((unsigned long)(ptr) > (unsigned long)(-1000))
|
|
|
|
``arch/x86/include/asm/uaccess_32.h:``::
|
|
|
|
#define copy_to_user(to,from,n) \
|
|
(__builtin_constant_p(n) ? \
|
|
__constant_copy_to_user((to),(from),(n)) : \
|
|
__generic_copy_to_user((to),(from),(n)))
|
|
|
|
|
|
``arch/sparc/kernel/head.S:``::
|
|
|
|
/*
|
|
* Sun people can't spell worth damn. "compatability" indeed.
|
|
* At least we *know* we can't spell, and use a spell-checker.
|
|
*/
|
|
|
|
/* Uh, actually Linus it is I who cannot spell. Too much murky
|
|
* Sparc assembly will do this to ya.
|
|
*/
|
|
C_LABEL(cputypvar):
|
|
.asciz "compatibility"
|
|
|
|
/* Tested on SS-5, SS-10. Probably someone at Sun applied a spell-checker. */
|
|
.align 4
|
|
C_LABEL(cputypvar_sun4m):
|
|
.asciz "compatible"
|
|
|
|
|
|
``arch/sparc/lib/checksum.S:``::
|
|
|
|
/* Sun, you just can't beat me, you just can't. Stop trying,
|
|
* give up. I'm serious, I am going to kick the living shit
|
|
* out of you, game over, lights out.
|
|
*/
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks
|
|
======
|
|
|
|
Thanks to Andi Kleen for the idea, answering my questions, fixing my
|
|
mistakes, filling content, etc. Philipp Rumpf for more spelling and
|
|
clarity fixes, and some excellent non-obvious points. Werner Almesberger
|
|
for giving me a great summary of :c:func:`disable_irq()`, and Jes
|
|
Sorensen and Andrea Arcangeli added caveats. Michael Elizabeth Chastain
|
|
for checking and adding to the Configure section. Telsa Gwynne for
|
|
teaching me DocBook.
|