Re: [Bug report] hash_name() may cross page boundary and trigger sleep in RCU context

["Russell King (Oracle)" <linux@armlinux.org.uk>]

On Mon, Dec 08, 2025 at 10:32:06AM +0800, Xie Yuanbin wrote:
> On Fri, 5 Dec 2025 12:08:14 +0000, Russell King wrote:
> > Right, let's split these issues into separate patches. Please test this
> > patch, which should address only the hash_name() fault issue, and
> > provides the basis for fixing the branch predictor issue.
> 
> I conducted a simple test, and it seems that both the hash_name()
> might sleep issue and the branch predictor issue have been fixed.

This isn't entirely fixed. A data abort for an alignment fault (thus
calling do_alignment()) will enable interrupts, and then may call
do_bad_area(). We can't short-circuit this path like we can with
do_page_fault() as alignment faults from userspace can be valid for
the vectors page - not that we should see them, but that doesn't mean
that there isn't something in userspace that does.

> BTW, even with this patch, test cases may still fail. There is another
> bug in hash_name() will also be triggered by the testcase, which will be
> fixed in this patch:
> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20251127025848.363992-1-pangliyuan1@huawei.com

That patch got missed - I'm notoriously bad at catching every email.
There's just way too much email coming in.

> Test case is from:
> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20251127140109.191657-1-xieyuanbin1@huawei.com
> 
> Test in commit 6987d58a9cbc5bd57c98 ("Add linux-next specific files for
> 20251205") from linux-next branch.
> 
> I still have a question about this patch: Is 
> ```patch
> +		if (interrupts_enabled(regs))
> +			local_irq_enable();
> ```
> necessary? Although this implementation is closer to the original code,
> which can reduce side effects, do_bad_area(), do_sect_fault(),
> and do_translation_fault() all call __do_kernel_fault() with interrupts
> disabled.

It's to keep the behaviour closer to the original as possible, on the
principle of avoiding unnecessary behavioural changes to the code. As
noted above, do_bad_area() can be called with interrupts enabled.

Whether RT folk would be happy removing that is a different question,
given that they want as much of the kernel to be preemptable.

-- 
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