[BOOT-WRAPPER 01/11] Always enter AArch32 kernels in ARM mode

Mark Rutland mark.rutland at arm.com
Sat Aug 3 03:53:08 PDT 2024


On Fri, Aug 02, 2024 at 12:26:39PM +0100, Andre Przywara wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Jul 2024 17:14:51 +0100
> Mark Rutland <mark.rutland at arm.com> wrote:
> 
> > Currnetly we try to support entering AArch32 kernels, but this is
> 
> I think you are missing "in Thumb mode" here? The read is a bit confusing
> otherwise.
> 
> > unnecessary, and the code is never exercised.
> > 
> > Per Linux's Documentation/arch/arm/booting.txt, AArch32 kernels
> > supported by the AArch64 boot-wrapper should always be entered in ARM
> > mode:
> > 
> > | The boot loader is expected to call the kernel image by jumping
> > | directly to the first instruction of the kernel image.
> > |
> > | On CPUs supporting the ARM instruction set, the entry must be
> > | made in ARM state, even for a Thumb-2 kernel.
> > |
> > | On CPUs supporting only the Thumb instruction set such as
> > | Cortex-M class CPUs, the entry must be made in Thumb state.
> > 
> > Additionally, the kernel__start symbol that we use as the kernel
> > entrypoint is always PHYS_OFFSET + KERNEL_OFFSET, which doesn't take
> > into account any ARM/Thumb distinction in the AArch32 kernel image, and
> > hence we'll never try to set the Thumb bit in the SPSR.
> 
> Is that true? I see the first_spin code path for CPU 0 using those values,
> which indeed never have bit 0 set, but the address could come from *mbox
> as well, given by the live kernel in the PSCI code path, and we don't have
> any control over that.
> Or do I miss anything here?

You're right, and PSCI explicitly describes that bit 0 in the entry
address results in the T bit being set in CPSR.

I will drop this patch, and adjust subsequent paqtches accordingly.

Mark.

> I think the patch is still valid, but we might need to relax the commit
> message here a bit?
> 
> Cheers,
> Andre
> 
> > 
> > Remove the redundant code.
> > 
> > Signed-off-by: Mark Rutland <mark.rutland at arm.com>
> > Cc: Akos Denke <akos.denke at arm.com>
> > Cc: Andre Przywara <andre.przywara at arm.com>
> > Cc: Luca Fancellu <luca.fancellu at arm.com>
> > Cc: Marc Zyngier <maz at kernel.org>
> > ---
> >  arch/aarch32/boot.S | 4 ----
> >  arch/aarch64/boot.S | 7 -------
> >  2 files changed, 11 deletions(-)
> > 
> > diff --git a/arch/aarch32/boot.S b/arch/aarch32/boot.S
> > index 4d16c9c..5c2a183 100644
> > --- a/arch/aarch32/boot.S
> > +++ b/arch/aarch32/boot.S
> > @@ -105,10 +105,6 @@ ASM_FUNC(jump_kernel)
> >  	bxeq	lr				@ no EL3
> >  
> >  	ldr	r4, =SPSR_KERNEL
> > -	/* Return in thumb2 mode when bit 0 of address is 1 */
> > -	tst	lr, #1
> > -	orrne	r4, #PSR_T
> > -
> >  	msr	spsr_cxf, r4
> >  	movs	pc, lr
> >  
> > diff --git a/arch/aarch64/boot.S b/arch/aarch64/boot.S
> > index da5fa65..b889137 100644
> > --- a/arch/aarch64/boot.S
> > +++ b/arch/aarch64/boot.S
> > @@ -136,13 +136,6 @@ ASM_FUNC(jump_kernel)
> >  	br	x19			// No EL3
> >  
> >  1:	mov	x4, #SPSR_KERNEL
> > -
> > -	/*
> > -	 * If bit 0 of the kernel address is set, we're entering in AArch32
> > -	 * thumb mode. Set SPSR.T accordingly.
> > -	 */
> > -	bfi	x4, x19, #5, #1
> > -
> >  	msr	elr_el3, x19
> >  	msr	spsr_el3, x4
> >  	eret
> 



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