On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 9:32 AM Greg KH <gregkh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> On Tue, May 14, 2024 at 10:39:18AM +0200, Uros Bizjak wrote:
> > commit a55c1fdad5f61b4bfe42319694b23671a758cb28 upstream.
> >
> > Fix Sparse warning when casting from __percpu address space by using
> > __force in the cast. x86 named address spaces are not considered to
> > be subspaces of the generic (flat) address space, so explicit casts
> > are required to convert pointers between these address spaces and the
> > generic address space (the application should cast to uintptr_t and
> > apply the segment base offset). The cast to uintptr_t removes
> > __percpu address space tag and Sparse reports:
> >
> > warning: cast removes address space '__percpu' of expression
> >
> > Use __force to inform Sparse that the cast is intentional.
>
> Why is a fix for sparse required for stable kernels?
Named address spaces is a new feature in the 6.8 kernel. When someone
compiles this version with Sparse (and certain sparse parameters), it
will spew many sparse warnings. We have fixed this in the tip tree
(so, the fix will be in v6.9), but the tip tree diverted from the
mainline in this area, so it was not possible to fix the issue in 6.8
via "urgent" tip branches.
I thought that the fix falls into "some “oh, that’s not good” issue"
category (due to many sparse warnings). Also, the fix is
straightforward with a low possibility of breaking something.
> > The patch deviates from upstream commit due to the unification of
> > arch_raw_cpu_ptr() defines in the commit:
> >
> > 4e5b0e8003df ("x86/percpu: Unify arch_raw_cpu_ptr() defines").
> >
> > Fixes: 9a462b9eafa6 ("x86/percpu: Use compiler segment prefix qualifier")
> > Reported-by: Charlemagne Lasse <charlemagnelasse@xxxxxxxxx>
> > Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAFGhKbzev7W4aHwhFPWwMZQEHenVgZUj7=aunFieVqZg3mt14A@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx/
> > Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx # v6.8
> > Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20240402175058.52649-1-ubizjak@xxxxxxxxx
> > Signed-off-by: Uros Bizjak <ubizjak@xxxxxxxxx>
> > ---
> > arch/x86/include/asm/percpu.h | 8 ++++----
> > 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
>
> And also, what kernel version(s) is this for?
As instructed in the "Procedure for submitting patches to the -stable
tree", it is stated at:
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx # v6.8
>
> I don't see this in any released kernels yet either, is that
> intentional?
The original fix was committed to the current mainline and will be in
v6.9, but please also see the above reasoning. However, it is your
call, so if you think that this issue is not problematic for a stable
kernel, it's also OK with me.
Thanks,
Uros.
