On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 23:07:47 -0500
Jody Bruchon <jody@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> There's this piece of code with no comments in arch/i86/mm/malloc.c:
>
> if (currentp->t_begstack > currentp->t_endbrk)
> if(len > currentp->t_endseg - 0x1000) {
> return -ENOMEM;
> }
>
> I don't understand why t_endseg is being reduced by 0x1000 before
> checking and can't find any justification for it anywhere else in the
> kernel code; fs/exec.c:sys_execve() sets t_endseg and only says "needed
> for sys_brk()" which is of no help. Documentation/text/bin_formats.txt
> mentions 0x1000 as part of an example while discussing the ELKS
> executable file format but it doesn't quite seem to be related. From
> what I can gather, ELKS uses 0x1000 as a data segment offset in some
> places but I can't see any of those being related to what's going on in
> sys_brk()...
>
> One thing is for certain: this check is causing the frustrating problem
> with the "login:" prompt that never ends. Removing the offset in the
> check fixes the login loop problem (which has plagued ELKS for a long
> time) and I can't seem to trigger any bad behavior in any random
> userspace programs with the check removed.
Why does it cause the login prompt problem ?
Removing the check fixes it but you don't say why that cures it, just
that it does.
Alan
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