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Re: PowerPC: gettimeofday optimization by using IFUNC
On 14-03-2013 12:14, Richard Henderson wrote:
>> +/* Macro to return vdso_xxx value on IFUNC implementations.
>> + On PPC64 the returned value is actually an OPD entry. */
>> +#if defined(__PPC64__) || defined(__powerpc64__)
>> +#define PTR_IFUNC_RET(value) &value
>> +#else
>> +#define PTR_IFUNC_RET(value) value
>> +#endif
> needs better commentary, or in fact a bug fix, because __vdso_gettimeofday *is*
> a plain pointer variable, and not an OPD entry at all.
>
> You probably get away with this because the code in the vdso doesn't actually
> use its toc pointer, and the next word after __vdso_gettimeofday just so
> happens to be readable. So the loaded toc pointer is garbage, but gets
> restored to the caller's valid value on return.
>
> Which to me means that while you may be able to get away with this for the
> vdso, the macro itself is not generally valid and may come back to bite you in
> future if this macro is used in any other context.
>
> I guess I'd be happy for now with the macro moved to gettimeofday.c and the
> comment expanded as per above. At least then one will have to work harder to
> be bitten the next time someone plays with ifuncs on ppc.
>
>
> r~
>
Hi Richard, thanks for the comments. Indeed I should have make my comment more clear.
The issue is at fixup phase on first PLT call, on IFUNC resolve at elf/dl-runtime.c:
value = elf_ifunc_invoke (DL_FIXUP_VALUE_ADDR (value));
The value returned is expected to be an OPD entry for PPC64, while _dl_vdso_vsym always
return the function address (even on PPC64). So '__vdso_gettimeofday' will always point
to the symbol address and that's why we need the extra indirection only on PPC64.
Maybe if I rephrase the comments to:
/* This macros is need for PPC64 to return the ODP entry of vDSO symbol
since _dl_vdso_vsym always return the function address and the fixup
code expects a ODP entry. */
What do you think?