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brcmfmac: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array member

PATCH In review Gustavo A. R. Silva 3 participants 3 messages Feb 25, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020

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PATCH 1/1 brcmfmac: 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/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/firmware.h | 2 +-
 drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/fweh.c     | 2 +-
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/firmware.h +1 -1
index 3347439543bb..46c66415b4a6 100644
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ struct brcmf_fw_request {
 	u16 bus_nr;
 	u32 n_items;
 	const char *board_type;
-	struct brcmf_fw_item items[0];
+	struct brcmf_fw_item items[];
 };
 
 struct brcmf_fw_name {
drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/fweh.c +1 -1
index 79c8a858b6d6..a5cced2c89ac 100644
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ struct brcmf_fweh_queue_item {
 	u8 ifaddr[ETH_ALEN];
 	struct brcmf_event_msg_be emsg;
 	u32 datalen;
-	u8 data[0];
+	u8 data[];
 };
 
 /**
Signature · 1 line
2.25.0
maintainer Acked-by on v1 1/1
#1 lore raw
Quoted 4 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:

[...]

Quoted 9 lines

"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 5 lines
---
  drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/firmware.h | 2 +-
  drivers/net/wireless/broadcom/brcm80211/brcmfmac/fweh.c     | 2 +-
  2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
#2 lore raw
In reply to Gustavo A. R. Silva
Quoted 22 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]

Quoted 8 lines

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")

Patch applied to wireless-drivers-next.git, thanks.

232c897eb5ca brcmfmac: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array member

Signature · 3 lines
https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/11402413/

https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/developers/documentation/submittingpatches