# Re: \[RFC PATCH v1 08/16\] unwind\_user: Enable archs that save RA/FP in other registers

- From: Josh Poimboeuf \<jpoimboe@kernel.org\>
- Date: 2025-07-18 04:51:44 
- List: linux-trace-kernel
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/linux-trace-kernel/2025/07/3139528
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/linux-trace-kernel/2025/07/3129870/t.md

```text
On Thu, Jul 17, 2025 at 01:28:25PM +0200, Jens Remus wrote:
> >>  	}
> >>  
> >>  	/* Get the Frame Pointer (FP) */
> >> -	if (frame->fp_off && unwind_get_user_long(fp, cfa + frame->fp_off, state))
> >> +	switch (frame->fp.loc) {
> >> +	case UNWIND_USER_LOC_NONE:
> >> +		break;
> > 
> > The UNWIND_USER_LOC_NONE behavior is different here compared to above.
> 
> See my comments below.
> 
> > Do we also need UNWIND_USER_LOC_PT_REGS?
> 
> Sorry, I cannot follow.  Do you suggest to rename UNWIND_USER_LOC_REG to
> UNWIND_USER_LOC_PT_REGS?

I think I completely misunderstood the meaning of UNWIND_USER_LOC_NONE.
Never mind :-)

> >> +	case UNWIND_USER_LOC_STACK:
> >> +		if (!frame->fp.frame_off)
> >> +			goto done;
> >> +		if (unwind_get_user_long(fp, cfa + frame->fp.frame_off, state))
> >> +			goto done;
> >> +		break;
> >> +	case UNWIND_USER_LOC_REG:
> >> +		if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_HAVE_UNWIND_USER_LOC_REG) || !topmost)
> >> +			goto done;
> > 
> > The topmost checking is *really* getting cumbersome, I do hope we can
> > get rid of that.
> 
> Restoring from arbitrary registers is only valid in the topmost frame,
> as their values (i.e. task_pt_regs(current)) are only available there.
> For other frames only SP, FP, and RA register values are available.
> 
> I think this test makes sense.  Is this test really that expensive?

ra_off=0 (UNWIND_USER_LOC_NONE) on a !topmost frame should never happen
unless the sframe entry is bad.  But 0 is *far* from the only potential
bad RA offset value.  In the absolute worst case of a 4 byte offset,
there are 4+ billion other possible bad values that can still go
undetected.

So I question the usefulness of those !topmost tests.  And they do add
complexity to the code.

-- 
Josh
```