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net/mlx5: IPsec, Replace zero-length array with flexible-array member

PATCH In review Gustavo A. R. Silva 2 participants 3 messages Feb 17, 2020 – Feb 18, 2020

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#0 lore raw

PATCH 1/1 net/mlx5: IPsec, Replace zero-length array with flexible-array member

The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2], introduced in C99:

struct foo {
        int stuff;
        struct boo array[];
};

By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.

Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by this change:

"Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]

This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.

[1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
[2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
[3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")

---
 drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/fpga/ipsec.c | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/fpga/ipsec.c +1 -1
index 4c61d25d2e88..b794888fa3ba 100644
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ struct mlx5_fpga_ipsec_cmd_context {
 	struct completion complete;
 	struct mlx5_fpga_device *dev;
 	struct list_head list; /* Item in pending_cmds */
-	u8 command[0];
+	u8 command[];
 };
 
 struct mlx5_fpga_esp_xfrm;
Signature · 1 line
2.25.0
#1 lore raw
Quoted 24 lines · Gustavo A. R. Silva

The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2], introduced in C99:

struct foo {
        int stuff;
        struct boo array[];
};

By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.

Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by this change:

"Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]

This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.

Quoted 8 lines

[1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
[2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
[3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")

---
 drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/fpga/ipsec.c | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

Can you please do one patch for whole mlx5,
instead of many identical patches?

Thanks

#2 lore raw
Quoted 29 lines · Leon Romanovsky
Quoted 28 lines · Gustavo A. R. Silva

The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2], introduced in C99:

struct foo {
        int stuff;
        struct boo array[];
};

By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.

Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by this change:

"Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]

This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.

[1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
[2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
[3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")

Quoted 8 lines
Quoted 4 lines
---
 drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/fpga/ipsec.c | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

Can you please do one patch for whole mlx5,
instead of many identical patches?

Sure thing. I can do that.

Thanks
--
Gustavo