# Re: \[PATCH\] Syscall arguments are unsigned long (full registers)

- From: Tautschnig, Michael \<hidden\>
- Date: 2016-07-04 20:13:35 
- List: linux-api
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/linux-api/2016/07/4788140
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/linux-api/2016/07/4788017/t.md

```text

> On 4 Jul 2016, at 20:27, H. Peter Anvin [ref] wrote:
> 
> On July 4, 2016 6:52:58 AM PDT, "Tautschnig, Michael" [ref] wrote:
>> All syscall arguments are passed in as types of the same byte size as
>> unsigned long (width of full registers). Using a smaller type without a
>> cast may result in losing bits of information. In all other instances
>> apart from the ones fixed by the patch the code explicitly introduces
>> type casts (using, e.g., SYSCALL_DEFINE1).
>> 
>> While goto-cc reported these problems at build time, it is noteworthy
>> that the calling conventions specified in the System V AMD64 ABI do
>> ensure that parameters 1-6 are passed via registers, thus there is no
>> implied risk of misaligned stack access.
>> 
>> 
[...]
> 
> Wrong.  Syscall arguments aren't necessarily full registers, and on x86 truncation is already done by the callee, so we don't need any special handing.  Some other architectures have other constraints. 

Ok - I'm assuming I have thus misunderstood eb974c62565072e10c1422eb3205f5b611dd99a1 ? Supposedly all those SYSCALL_DEFINEx are required for other architectures only?

Best,
Michael
```