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From: Alan Modra via Libc-alpha <libc-alpha@sourceware.org>
To: Florian Weimer <fweimer@redhat.com>
Cc: Fangrui Song <i@maskray.me>,
	libc-alpha@sourceware.org, binutils@sourceware.org
Subject: Re: ifunc resolving
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2021 09:01:53 +1030	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20210119223153.GZ26219@bubble.grove.modra.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <87sg6xezv9.fsf@oldenburg.str.redhat.com>

On Tue, Jan 19, 2021 at 03:59:54PM +0100, Florian Weimer via Binutils wrote:
> We have two positions that still need to be reconciled:
> 
> * IFUNC resolvers must not themselves have relocation dependencies
>   because they can be called at any time during relocation.  This
>   restricts the functionality available to an IFUNC resolver.

On many architectures this cannot be achieved without hand-crafted
assembly.  The reason is obvious.  Ifunc resolvers return an address.
Compilers load addresses from the GOT, particularly for PIC.  GOT
entries need relocation.

> * IFUNC resolvers may have relocation dependencies, but they may only be
>   called after the object that contains them has been relocated.  This
>   restricts how IFUNC symbols can be used (interposition is limited,
>   correct dependency ordering via DT_NEEDED is required).

No interposition in practice, because the object doing the interposing
is almost always relocated later.

> I do not think we have ever achieved consensus which position is the
> correct one.

There is a third possibility.  If ld.so defers all irelative and other
relocations using ifunc symbols until all non-ifunc relocations have
been performed, globally, then ifunc resolvers would only have the
restriction that they not call other ifuncs.

That idea was floated a very long time ago.  For some reason it is
too hard or too slow to do in ld.so.

> We have removed several IFUNC resolvers with IFUNC dependencies from
> glibc itself because we could not follow the interposition/dependency
> rules for the second approach.

Right, I'm inclined to say ifunc has a fatal design flaw without
deferred relocation processing.  If it's too hard for glibc itself,
it's too hard for anyone to use anywhere.

> Due to the x86-specific checks we have, those architectures currently
> land in the second category.  I do not know if other architecture
> maintainers agree.
> 
> Thanks,
> Florian
> -- 
> Red Hat GmbH, https://de.redhat.com/ , Registered seat: Grasbrunn,
> Commercial register: Amtsgericht Muenchen, HRB 153243,
> Managing Directors: Charles Cachera, Brian Klemm, Laurie Krebs, Michael O'Neill

-- 
Alan Modra
Australia Development Lab, IBM

  reply	other threads:[~2021-01-19 22:32 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 7+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2021-01-18 22:04 ifunc resolving Fangrui Song
2021-01-18 22:53 ` H.J. Lu via Libc-alpha
2021-01-19 14:59 ` Florian Weimer via Libc-alpha
2021-01-19 22:31   ` Alan Modra via Libc-alpha [this message]
2021-01-20  9:33     ` Florian Weimer via Libc-alpha
2021-01-20 16:13       ` Zack Weinberg
2021-01-20 16:17         ` Florian Weimer via Libc-alpha

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