powerpc/mm: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array
PATCH 1/1 powerpc/mm: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array
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]
sizeof(flexible-array-member) triggers a warning because flexible array members have incomplete type[1]. There are some instances of code in which the sizeof operator is being incorrectly/erroneously applied to zero-length arrays and the result is zero. Such instances may be hiding some bugs. So, this work (flexible-array member conversions) will also help to get completely rid of those sorts of issues.
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")
--- arch/powerpc/mm/hugetlbpage.c | 2 +- tools/testing/selftests/powerpc/pmu/ebb/trace.h | 4 ++-- 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
arch/powerpc/mm/hugetlbpage.c +1 -1
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ int __init alloc_bootmem_huge_page(struct hstate *h)struct hugepd_freelist {struct rcu_head rcu;unsigned int index; -void *ptes[0 ]; +void *ptes[]; }; static DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct hugepd_freelist *, hugepd_freelist_cur);
tools/testing/selftests/powerpc/pmu/ebb/trace.h +2 -2
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ struct trace_entry {u8 type;u8 length; -u8 data[0 ]; +u8 data[]; };struct trace_buffer
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ struct trace_bufferu64 size;bool overflow;void *tail; -u8 data[0 ]; +u8 data[]; };struct trace_buffer *trace_buffer_allocate (u64 size);
Signature · 1 line
2.26.2
Michael Ellerman
AppliedQuoted 11 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[]; };[...]
Applied to powerpc/next.
[1/1] powerpc/mm: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array
https://git.kernel.org/powerpc/c/02bddf21c34d0a918acc8647195ba4507e3db8fc
cheers