workflows.vger.kernel.org archive mirror
 help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: Jinchao Wang <wangjinchao600@gmail.com>
To: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>,
	Masami Hiramatsu <mhiramat@kernel.org>,
	Peter Zijlstra <peterz@infradead.org>,
	Mike Rapoport <rppt@kernel.org>,
	Alexander Potapenko <glider@google.com>,
	Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@redhat.com>, Borislav Petkov <bp@alien8.de>,
	Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@linux.intel.com>,
	x86@kernel.org, "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com>,
	Juri Lelli <juri.lelli@redhat.com>,
	Vincent Guittot <vincent.guittot@linaro.org>,
	Dietmar Eggemann <dietmar.eggemann@arm.com>,
	Steven Rostedt <rostedt@goodmis.org>,
	Ben Segall <bsegall@google.com>, Mel Gorman <mgorman@suse.de>,
	Valentin Schneider <vschneid@redhat.com>,
	Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@kernel.org>,
	Namhyung Kim <namhyung@kernel.org>,
	Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@arm.com>,
	Alexander Shishkin <alexander.shishkin@linux.intel.com>,
	Jiri Olsa <jolsa@kernel.org>, Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>,
	Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@intel.com>,
	"Liang, Kan" <kan.liang@linux.intel.com>,
	David Hildenbrand <david@redhat.com>,
	Lorenzo Stoakes <lorenzo.stoakes@oracle.com>,
	"Liam R. Howlett" <Liam.Howlett@oracle.com>,
	Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@suse.cz>,
	Suren Baghdasaryan <surenb@google.com>,
	Michal Hocko <mhocko@suse.com>,
	Nathan Chancellor <nathan@kernel.org>,
	Nick Desaulniers <nick.desaulniers+lkml@gmail.com>,
	Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>,
	Justin Stitt <justinstitt@google.com>,
	Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>, Alice Ryhl <aliceryhl@google.com>,
	Sami Tolvanen <samitolvanen@google.com>,
	Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@kernel.org>,
	Masahiro Yamada <masahiroy@kernel.org>, Rong Xu <xur@google.com>,
	Naveen N Rao <naveen@kernel.org>,
	David Kaplan <david.kaplan@amd.com>,
	Andrii Nakryiko <andrii@kernel.org>,
	Jinjie Ruan <ruanjinjie@huawei.com>,
	Nam Cao <namcao@linutronix.de>,
	workflows@vger.kernel.org, linux-doc@vger.kernel.org,
	linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-perf-users@vger.kernel.org,
	linux-mm@kvack.org, llvm@lists.linux.dev,
	Andrey Ryabinin <ryabinin.a.a@gmail.com>,
	Andrey Konovalov <andreyknvl@gmail.com>,
	Dmitry Vyukov <dvyukov@google.com>,
	Vincenzo Frascino <vincenzo.frascino@arm.com>,
	kasan-dev@googlegroups.com,
	"David S. Miller" <davem@davemloft.net>,
	Mathieu Desnoyers <mathieu.desnoyers@efficios.com>,
	linux-trace-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Cc: Jinchao Wang <wangjinchao600@gmail.com>
Subject: [PATCH v4 20/21] docs: add KStackWatch document
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2025 18:11:30 +0800	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20250912101145.465708-21-wangjinchao600@gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20250912101145.465708-1-wangjinchao600@gmail.com>

Add a new documentation file for KStackWatch, explaining its purpose,
motivation, key features, configuration format, module parameters,
implementation notes, limitations, and testing instructions.

Signed-off-by: Jinchao Wang <wangjinchao600@gmail.com>
---
 Documentation/dev-tools/kstackwatch.rst | 94 +++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 94 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 Documentation/dev-tools/kstackwatch.rst

diff --git a/Documentation/dev-tools/kstackwatch.rst b/Documentation/dev-tools/kstackwatch.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f741de08ca56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/dev-tools/kstackwatch.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+====================================
+KStackWatch: Kernel Stack Watch
+====================================
+
+Overview
+========
+KStackWatch is a lightweight debugging tool designed to detect
+kernel stack corruption in real time. It helps developers capture the
+moment corruption occurs, rather than only observing a later crash.
+
+Motivation
+==========
+Stack corruption may originate in one function but manifest much later
+with no direct call trace linking the two. This makes such issues
+extremely difficult to diagnose. KStackWatch addresses this by combining
+hardware breakpoints with kprobe and fprobe instrumentation, monitoring
+stack canaries or local variables at the point of corruption.
+
+Key Features
+============
+- Lightweight overhead:
+   Minimal runtime cost, preserving bug reproducibility.
+- Real-time detection:
+  Detect stack corruption immediately.
+- Flexible configuration:
+  Control via a procfs interface.
+- Depth filtering:
+  Optional recursion depth tracking per task.
+
+Configuration
+=============
+The control file is created at::
+
+  /proc/kstackwatch
+
+To configure, write a string in the following format::
+
+  function+ip_offset[+depth] [local_var_offset:local_var_len]
+    - function         : name of the target function
+    - ip_offset        : instruction pointer offset within the function
+    - depth            : recursion depth to watch, starting from 0
+    - local_var_offset : offset from the stack pointer at function+ip_offset
+    - local_var_len    : length of the local variable(1,2,4,8)
+
+Fields
+------
+- ``function``:
+  Name of the target function to watch.
+- ``ip_offset``:
+  Instruction pointer offset within the function.
+- ``depth`` (optional):
+  Maximum recursion depth for the watch.
+- ``local_var_offset:local_var_len`` (optional):
+  A region of a local variable to monitor, relative to the stack pointer.
+  If not given, KStackWatch monitors the stack canary by default.
+
+Examples
+--------
+1. Watch the canary at the entry of ``canary_test_write``::
+
+     echo 'canary_test_write+0x12' > /proc/kstackwatch
+
+2. Watch a local variable of 8 bytes at offset 0 in
+   ``silent_corruption_victim``::
+
+     echo 'silent_corruption_victim+0x7f 0:8' > /proc/kstackwatch
+
+Module Parameters
+=================
+``panic_on_catch`` (bool)
+  - If true, trigger a kernel panic immediately on detecting stack
+    corruption.
+  - Default is false (log a message only).
+
+Implementation Notes
+====================
+- Hardware breakpoints are preallocated at watch start.
+- Function exit is monitored using ``fprobe``.
+- Per-task depth tracking is used to handle recursion across scheduling.
+- The procfs interface allows dynamic reconfiguration at runtime.
+- Active state is cleared before applying new settings.
+
+Limitations
+===========
+- Only one active watch can be configured at a time (singleton).
+- Local variable offset and size must be known in advance.
+
+Testing
+=======
+KStackWatch includes a companion test module (`kstackwatch_test`) and
+a helper script (`kstackwatch_test.sh`) to exercise different stack
+corruption scenarios:
-- 
2.43.0


  parent reply	other threads:[~2025-09-12 10:13 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 28+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2025-09-12 10:11 [PATCH v4 00/21] mm/ksw: Introduce real-time KStackWatch debugging tool Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 01/21] x86/hw_breakpoint: Unify breakpoint install/uninstall Jinchao Wang
2025-09-14 13:52   ` Masami Hiramatsu
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 02/21] x86/hw_breakpoint: Add arch_reinstall_hw_breakpoint Jinchao Wang
2025-09-14 13:53   ` Masami Hiramatsu
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 03/21] HWBP: Add modify_wide_hw_breakpoint_local() API Jinchao Wang
2025-09-13  4:13   ` Randy Dunlap
2025-09-14 13:02     ` Masami Hiramatsu
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 04/21] mm/ksw: add build system support Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 05/21] mm/ksw: add ksw_config struct and parser Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 06/21] mm/ksw: add singleton /proc/kstackwatch interface Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 07/21] mm/ksw: add HWBP pre-allocation Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 08/21] mm/ksw: Add atomic ksw_watch_on() and ksw_watch_off() Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 09/21] mm/ksw: support CPU hotplug Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 10/21] sched: add per-task KStackWatch context Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 11/21] mm/ksw: add probe management helpers Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 12/21] mm/ksw: resolve stack watch addr and len Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 13/21] mm/ksw: manage probe and HWBP lifecycle via procfs Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 14/21] mm/ksw: add self-debug helpers Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 15/21] mm/ksw: add test module Jinchao Wang
2025-09-13  4:07   ` Randy Dunlap
2025-09-15  2:03     ` Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 16/21] mm/ksw: add stack overflow test Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 17/21] mm/ksw: add silent corruption test case Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 18/21] mm/ksw: add recursive stack corruption test Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 19/21] tools/ksw: add test script Jinchao Wang
2025-09-12 10:11 ` Jinchao Wang [this message]
2025-09-12 10:11 ` [PATCH v4 21/21] MAINTAINERS: add entry for KStackWatch Jinchao Wang

Reply instructions:

You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:

* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
  and reply-to-all from there: mbox

  Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style

* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
  switches of git-send-email(1):

  git send-email \
    --in-reply-to=20250912101145.465708-21-wangjinchao600@gmail.com \
    --to=wangjinchao600@gmail.com \
    --cc=Liam.Howlett@oracle.com \
    --cc=acme@kernel.org \
    --cc=adrian.hunter@intel.com \
    --cc=akpm@linux-foundation.org \
    --cc=alexander.shishkin@linux.intel.com \
    --cc=aliceryhl@google.com \
    --cc=andreyknvl@gmail.com \
    --cc=andrii@kernel.org \
    --cc=bp@alien8.de \
    --cc=bsegall@google.com \
    --cc=corbet@lwn.net \
    --cc=dave.hansen@linux.intel.com \
    --cc=davem@davemloft.net \
    --cc=david.kaplan@amd.com \
    --cc=david@redhat.com \
    --cc=dietmar.eggemann@arm.com \
    --cc=dvyukov@google.com \
    --cc=glider@google.com \
    --cc=hpa@zytor.com \
    --cc=irogers@google.com \
    --cc=jolsa@kernel.org \
    --cc=juri.lelli@redhat.com \
    --cc=justinstitt@google.com \
    --cc=kan.liang@linux.intel.com \
    --cc=kasan-dev@googlegroups.com \
    --cc=kees@kernel.org \
    --cc=linux-doc@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=linux-mm@kvack.org \
    --cc=linux-perf-users@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=linux-trace-kernel@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=llvm@lists.linux.dev \
    --cc=lorenzo.stoakes@oracle.com \
    --cc=mark.rutland@arm.com \
    --cc=masahiroy@kernel.org \
    --cc=mathieu.desnoyers@efficios.com \
    --cc=mgorman@suse.de \
    --cc=mhiramat@kernel.org \
    --cc=mhocko@suse.com \
    --cc=mingo@redhat.com \
    --cc=morbo@google.com \
    --cc=namcao@linutronix.de \
    --cc=namhyung@kernel.org \
    --cc=nathan@kernel.org \
    --cc=naveen@kernel.org \
    --cc=nick.desaulniers+lkml@gmail.com \
    --cc=ojeda@kernel.org \
    --cc=peterz@infradead.org \
    --cc=rostedt@goodmis.org \
    --cc=rppt@kernel.org \
    --cc=ruanjinjie@huawei.com \
    --cc=ryabinin.a.a@gmail.com \
    --cc=samitolvanen@google.com \
    --cc=surenb@google.com \
    --cc=tglx@linutronix.de \
    --cc=vbabka@suse.cz \
    --cc=vincent.guittot@linaro.org \
    --cc=vincenzo.frascino@arm.com \
    --cc=vschneid@redhat.com \
    --cc=workflows@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=x86@kernel.org \
    --cc=xur@google.com \
    /path/to/YOUR_REPLY

  https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html

* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
  via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox