From: David Laight > Sent: 12 April 2021 10:37 ... > I'm guessing that compat_pid_t is 16 bits? > So the native 32bit version has an unnamed 2 byte structure pad. > The 'packed' removes this pad from the compat structure. > > AFAICT (apart from mips) the __ARCH_COMPAT_FLOCK_PAD is just > adding an explicit pad for the implicit pad the compiler > would generate because compat_pid_t is 16 bits. I've just looked at the header. compat_pid_t is 32 bits. So Linux must have gained 32bit pids at some earlier time. (Historically Unix pids were 16 bit - even on 32bit systems.) Which makes the explicit pad in 'sparc' rather 'interesting'. Actually the tail pad can just be removed from the compat structures. Just a comment that mips and sparc have extra fields in the uapi header is enough. The kernel never needs to read/write the pad. userspace must provide the pad in case the kernel writes it. oh - compat_loff_t is only used in a couple of other places. neither care in any way about the alignment. (Provided get_user() doesn't fault on a 8n+4 aligned address.) David - Registered Address Lakeside, Bramley Road, Mount Farm, Milton Keynes, MK1 1PT, UK Registration No: 1397386 (Wales)
