[PATCH] arm64: vmlinux.lds.S: keep .entry.tramp.text section

Fangrui Song maskray at google.com
Fri Feb 26 23:32:57 EST 2021


On 2021-02-26, Kees Cook wrote:
>On Fri, Feb 26, 2021 at 03:03:39PM +0100, Arnd Bergmann wrote:
>> From: Arnd Bergmann <arnd at arndb.de>
>>
>> When building with CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION,
>> I sometimes see an assertion
>>
>>  ld.lld: error: Entry trampoline text too big
>
>Heh, "too big" seems a weird report for having it discarded. :)
>
>Any idea on this Fangrui?
>
>( I see this is https://github.com/ClangBuiltLinux/linux/issues/1311 )

This diagnostic is from an ASSERT in arch/arm64/kernel/vmlinux.lds

   ASSERT((__entry_tramp_text_end - __entry_tramp_text_start) == (1 << 16),
    "Entry trampoline text too big")

In our case (aarch64-linux-gnu-ld or LLD, --gc-sections), all the input sections with this name
are discarded, so the output section is either absent (GNU ld) or empty (LLD).

KEEP  makes the sections GC roots, and it is appropriate to use here.


However, I worry that many other KEEP keywords in vmlinux.lds are unnecessary:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-arm-kernel/20210226211323.arkvjnr4hifxapqu@google.com/

git log -S KEEP -- include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h => there is quite a
bit unjustified usage. Sure, adding KEEP (GC root) is easy and
works around problems, but it not good for CONFIG_LD_DEAD_CODE_DATA_ELIMINATION.

Reviewed-by: Fangrui Song <maskray at google.com>

>

>>
>> This happens when any reference to the trampoline is discarded at link
>> time. Marking the section as KEEP() avoids the assertion, but I have
>> not figured out whether this is the correct solution for the underlying
>> problem.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Arnd Bergmann <arnd at arndb.de>
>
>As a work-around, it seems fine to me.
>
>Reviewed-by: Kees Cook <keescook at chromium.org>
>
>-Kees
>
>> ---
>>  arch/arm64/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S | 2 +-
>>  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/arch/arm64/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S b/arch/arm64/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
>> index 926cdb597a45..c5ee9d5842db 100644
>> --- a/arch/arm64/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
>> +++ b/arch/arm64/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
>> @@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ jiffies = jiffies_64;
>>  #define TRAMP_TEXT					\
>>  	. = ALIGN(PAGE_SIZE);				\
>>  	__entry_tramp_text_start = .;			\
>> -	*(.entry.tramp.text)				\
>> +	KEEP(*(.entry.tramp.text))			\
>>  	. = ALIGN(PAGE_SIZE);				\
>>  	__entry_tramp_text_end = .;
>>  #else
>> --
>> 2.29.2
>>
>
>-- 
>Kees Cook



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