Eduard Zingerman 6762e3a0bc bpf: simplify liveness to use (callsite, depth) keyed func_instances
Rework func_instance identification and remove the dynamic liveness
API, completing the transition to fully static stack liveness analysis.

Replace callchain-based func_instance keys with (callsite, depth)
pairs. The full callchain (all ancestor callsites) is no longer part
of the hash key; only the immediate callsite and the call depth
matter. This does not lose precision in practice and simplifies the
data structure significantly: struct callchain is removed entirely,
func_instance stores just callsite, depth.

Drop must_write_acc propagation. Previously, must_write marks were
accumulated across successors and propagated to the caller via
propagate_to_outer_instance(). Instead, callee entry liveness
(live_before at subprog start) is pulled directly back to the
caller's callsite in analyze_subprog() after each callee returns.

Since (callsite, depth) instances are shared across different call
chains that invoke the same subprog at the same depth, must_write
marks from one call may be stale for another. To handle this,
analyze_subprog() records into a fresh_instance() when the instance
was already visited (must_write_initialized), then merge_instances()
combines the results: may_read is unioned, must_write is intersected.
This ensures only slots written on ALL paths through all call sites
are marked as guaranteed writes.
This replaces commit_stack_write_marks() logic.

Skip recursive descent into callees that receive no FP-derived
arguments (has_fp_args() check). This is needed because global
subprogram calls can push depth beyond MAX_CALL_FRAMES (max depth
is 64 for global calls but only 8 frames are accommodated for FP
passing). It also handles the case where a callback subprog cannot be
determined by argument tracking: such callbacks will be processed by
analyze_subprog() at depth 0 independently.

Update lookup_instance() (used by is_live_before queries) to search
for the func_instance with maximal depth at the corresponding
callsite, walking depth downward from frameno to 0. This accounts for
the fact that instance depth no longer corresponds 1:1 to
bpf_verifier_state->curframe, since skipped non-FP calls create gaps.

Remove the dynamic public liveness API from verifier.c:
  - bpf_mark_stack_{read,write}(), bpf_reset/commit_stack_write_marks()
  - bpf_update_live_stack(), bpf_reset_live_stack_callchain()
  - All call sites in check_stack_{read,write}_fixed_off(),
    check_stack_range_initialized(), mark_stack_slot_obj_read(),
    mark/unmark_stack_slots_{dynptr,iter,irq_flag}()
  - The per-instruction write mark accumulation in do_check()
  - The bpf_update_live_stack() call in prepare_func_exit()

mark_stack_read() and mark_stack_write() become static functions in
liveness.c, called only from the static analysis pass. The
func_instance->updated and must_write_dropped flags are removed.
Remove spis_single_slot(), spis_one_bit() helpers from bpf_verifier.h
as they are no longer used.

Signed-off-by: Eduard Zingerman <eddyz87@gmail.com>
Tested-by: Paul Chaignon <paul.chaignon@gmail.com>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20260410-patch-set-v4-9-5d4eecb343db@gmail.com
Signed-off-by: Alexei Starovoitov <ast@kernel.org>
2026-04-10 15:13:20 -07:00
2026-01-26 19:07:09 -08:00
2022-09-28 09:02:20 +02:00
2025-02-19 14:53:27 -07:00
2026-03-29 15:40:00 -07:00

Linux kernel
============

The Linux kernel is the core of any Linux operating system. It manages hardware,
system resources, and provides the fundamental services for all other software.

Quick Start
-----------

* Report a bug: See Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst
* Get the latest kernel: https://kernel.org
* Build the kernel: See Documentation/admin-guide/quickly-build-trimmed-linux.rst
* Join the community: https://lore.kernel.org/

Essential Documentation
-----------------------

All users should be familiar with:

* Building requirements: Documentation/process/changes.rst
* Code of Conduct: Documentation/process/code-of-conduct.rst
* License: See COPYING

Documentation can be built with make htmldocs or viewed online at:
https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/


Who Are You?
============

Find your role below:

* New Kernel Developer - Getting started with kernel development
* Academic Researcher - Studying kernel internals and architecture
* Security Expert - Hardening and vulnerability analysis
* Backport/Maintenance Engineer - Maintaining stable kernels
* System Administrator - Configuring and troubleshooting
* Maintainer - Leading subsystems and reviewing patches
* Hardware Vendor - Writing drivers for new hardware
* Distribution Maintainer - Packaging kernels for distros
* AI Coding Assistant - LLMs and AI-powered development tools


For Specific Users
==================

New Kernel Developer
--------------------

Welcome! Start your kernel development journey here:

* Getting Started: Documentation/process/development-process.rst
* Your First Patch: Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
* Coding Style: Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
* Build System: Documentation/kbuild/index.rst
* Development Tools: Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst
* Kernel Hacking Guide: Documentation/kernel-hacking/hacking.rst
* Core APIs: Documentation/core-api/index.rst

Academic Researcher
-------------------

Explore the kernel's architecture and internals:

* Researcher Guidelines: Documentation/process/researcher-guidelines.rst
* Memory Management: Documentation/mm/index.rst
* Scheduler: Documentation/scheduler/index.rst
* Networking Stack: Documentation/networking/index.rst
* Filesystems: Documentation/filesystems/index.rst
* RCU (Read-Copy Update): Documentation/RCU/index.rst
* Locking Primitives: Documentation/locking/index.rst
* Power Management: Documentation/power/index.rst

Security Expert
---------------

Security documentation and hardening guides:

* Security Documentation: Documentation/security/index.rst
* LSM Development: Documentation/security/lsm-development.rst
* Self Protection: Documentation/security/self-protection.rst
* Reporting Vulnerabilities: Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst
* CVE Procedures: Documentation/process/cve.rst
* Embargoed Hardware Issues: Documentation/process/embargoed-hardware-issues.rst
* Security Features: Documentation/userspace-api/seccomp_filter.rst

Backport/Maintenance Engineer
-----------------------------

Maintain and stabilize kernel versions:

* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst
* Backporting Guide: Documentation/process/backporting.rst
* Applying Patches: Documentation/process/applying-patches.rst
* Subsystem Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst
* Git for Maintainers: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst

System Administrator
--------------------

Configure, tune, and troubleshoot Linux systems:

* Admin Guide: Documentation/admin-guide/index.rst
* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst
* Sysctl Tuning: Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/index.rst
* Tracing/Debugging: Documentation/trace/index.rst
* Performance Security: Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst
* Hardware Monitoring: Documentation/hwmon/index.rst

Maintainer
----------

Lead kernel subsystems and manage contributions:

* Maintainer Handbook: Documentation/maintainer/index.rst
* Pull Requests: Documentation/maintainer/pull-requests.rst
* Managing Patches: Documentation/maintainer/modifying-patches.rst
* Rebasing and Merging: Documentation/maintainer/rebasing-and-merging.rst
* Development Process: Documentation/process/maintainer-handbooks.rst
* Maintainer Entry Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst
* Git Configuration: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst

Hardware Vendor
---------------

Write drivers and support new hardware:

* Driver API Guide: Documentation/driver-api/index.rst
* Driver Model: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/driver.rst
* Device Drivers: Documentation/driver-api/infrastructure.rst
* Bus Types: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/bus.rst
* Device Tree Bindings: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/
* Power Management: Documentation/driver-api/pm/index.rst
* DMA API: Documentation/core-api/dma-api.rst

Distribution Maintainer
-----------------------

Package and distribute the kernel:

* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst
* ABI Documentation: Documentation/ABI/README
* Kernel Configuration: Documentation/kbuild/kconfig.rst
* Module Signing: Documentation/admin-guide/module-signing.rst
* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst
* Tainted Kernels: Documentation/admin-guide/tainted-kernels.rst

AI Coding Assistant
-------------------

CRITICAL: If you are an LLM or AI-powered coding assistant, you MUST read and
follow the AI coding assistants documentation before contributing to the Linux
kernel:

* Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst

This documentation contains essential requirements about licensing, attribution,
and the Developer Certificate of Origin that all AI tools must comply with.


Communication and Support
=========================

* Mailing Lists: https://lore.kernel.org/
* IRC: #kernelnewbies on irc.oftc.net
* Bugzilla: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/
* MAINTAINERS file: Lists subsystem maintainers and mailing lists
* Email Clients: Documentation/process/email-clients.rst
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