On 2018-12-25, Lai Jiangshan [off-list ref] wrote:

On Tue, Dec 25, 2018 at 1:32 PM Lai Jiangshan
[off-list ref] wrote:

quoted

Is it possible to avoid adding any syscall?

Since holding /proc/pid/reg_file can also hold the pid.
With this guarantee, /proc/pid/uuid (universally unique identifier ) can be
introduced to identify tasks, the kernel generates
a uuid for every task when created.

save_pid_uuid_pair_for_later_kill(int pid) {
  /* save via /proc/$pid/uuid */
  /* don't need to keep any fd after save */
}

safe_kill(pid, uuid, sig) {
    fd = open(/proc/$pid/uuid); /* also hold the pid until close() if
open() successes */
    if (open successes and read uuid from fd and if it equals to uuid)
        kill(pid, sig)
    close(fd)
}

All things needed to be done is to implement /proc/pid/uuid. And if pid can't
be recycled within 1 ticket, or the user can ensure it. The user can use
starttime(in /proc/pid/stat) instead.

save_pid_starttime_pair_for_later_kill(int pid) {
  /* save via /proc/$pid/stat */
  /* don't need to keep any fd after save or keep it for 1 ticket at most */
}

safe_kill(pid, starttime, sig) {
    fd = open(/proc/$pid/stat); /* also hold the pid until close() if
open() successes */
    if (open successes and read starttime from fd and if it equals to starttime)
        kill(pid, sig)
    close(fd)
}

In this case, zero LOC is added in the kernel. All of it depends on
the guarantee that holding /proc/pid/reg_file also holds the pid,
one of which I haven't checked carefully either.

Oh, Sorry, I was wrong, the pid isn't reserved even when
the fd is kept in the user space. And I'm sorry that I had
replied to an "old" email thread.

Don't worry, this was a common point of confusion during this (and
sister) threads. All the fd ensures is that access through that fd will
give you -ESRCH if the process is gone (and if the PID is reused it will
still give you -ESRCH).


-- 
Aleksa Sarai
Senior Software Engineer (Containers)
SUSE Linux GmbH
<https://www.cyphar.com/>