Merge tag 'pci-v6.16-fixes-3' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/pci/pci
[linux-block.git] / Documentation / bpf / bpf_devel_QA.rst
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1=================================
2HOWTO interact with BPF subsystem
3=================================
4
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5This document provides information for the BPF subsystem about various
6workflows related to reporting bugs, submitting patches, and queueing
7patches for stable kernels.
8
9For general information about submitting patches, please refer to
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10Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst. This document only describes
11additional specifics related to BPF.
34f15bf3 12
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13.. contents::
14 :local:
15 :depth: 2
34f15bf3 16
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17Reporting bugs
18==============
34f15bf3 19
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20Q: How do I report bugs for BPF kernel code?
21--------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 22A: Since all BPF kernel development as well as bpftool and iproute2 BPF
e42da4c6 23loader development happens through the bpf kernel mailing list,
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24please report any found issues around BPF to the following mailing
25list:
34f15bf3 26
e42da4c6 27 bpf@vger.kernel.org
34f15bf3 28
54222838 29This may also include issues related to XDP, BPF tracing, etc.
34f15bf3 30
54222838 31Given netdev has a high volume of traffic, please also add the BPF
64ef3ddf 32maintainers to Cc (from kernel ``MAINTAINERS`` file):
34f15bf3 33
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34* Alexei Starovoitov <ast@kernel.org>
35* Daniel Borkmann <daniel@iogearbox.net>
34f15bf3 36
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37In case a buggy commit has already been identified, make sure to keep
38the actual commit authors in Cc as well for the report. They can
39typically be identified through the kernel's git tree.
34f15bf3 40
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41**Please do NOT report BPF issues to bugzilla.kernel.org since it
42is a guarantee that the reported issue will be overlooked.**
34f15bf3 43
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44Submitting patches
45==================
34f15bf3 46
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47Q: How do I run BPF CI on my changes before sending them out for review?
48------------------------------------------------------------------------
49A: BPF CI is GitHub based and hosted at https://github.com/kernel-patches/bpf.
50While GitHub also provides a CLI that can be used to accomplish the same
51results, here we focus on the UI based workflow.
52
53The following steps lay out how to start a CI run for your patches:
383f1a8d 54
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55- Create a fork of the aforementioned repository in your own account (one time
56 action)
383f1a8d 57
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58- Clone the fork locally, check out a new branch tracking either the bpf-next
59 or bpf branch, and apply your to-be-tested patches on top of it
383f1a8d 60
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61- Push the local branch to your fork and create a pull request against
62 kernel-patches/bpf's bpf-next_base or bpf_base branch, respectively
63
64Shortly after the pull request has been created, the CI workflow will run. Note
65that capacity is shared with patches submitted upstream being checked and so
66depending on utilization the run can take a while to finish.
67
68Note furthermore that both base branches (bpf-next_base and bpf_base) will be
69updated as patches are pushed to the respective upstream branches they track. As
70such, your patch set will automatically (be attempted to) be rebased as well.
71This behavior can result in a CI run being aborted and restarted with the new
72base line.
73
34f15bf3 74Q: To which mailing list do I need to submit my BPF patches?
54222838 75------------------------------------------------------------
e42da4c6 76A: Please submit your BPF patches to the bpf kernel mailing list:
34f15bf3 77
e42da4c6 78 bpf@vger.kernel.org
34f15bf3 79
54222838 80In case your patch has changes in various different subsystems (e.g.
e42da4c6 81networking, tracing, security, etc), make sure to Cc the related kernel mailing
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82lists and maintainers from there as well, so they are able to review
83the changes and provide their Acked-by's to the patches.
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84
85Q: Where can I find patches currently under discussion for BPF subsystem?
54222838 86-------------------------------------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 87A: All patches that are Cc'ed to netdev are queued for review under netdev
54222838 88patchwork project:
34f15bf3 89
ebb034b1 90 https://patchwork.kernel.org/project/netdevbpf/list/
34f15bf3 91
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92Those patches which target BPF, are assigned to a 'bpf' delegate for
93further processing from BPF maintainers. The current queue with
94patches under review can be found at:
34f15bf3 95
ebb034b1 96 https://patchwork.kernel.org/project/netdevbpf/list/?delegate=121173
34f15bf3 97
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98Once the patches have been reviewed by the BPF community as a whole
99and approved by the BPF maintainers, their status in patchwork will be
100changed to 'Accepted' and the submitter will be notified by mail. This
101means that the patches look good from a BPF perspective and have been
102applied to one of the two BPF kernel trees.
34f15bf3 103
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104In case feedback from the community requires a respin of the patches,
105their status in patchwork will be set to 'Changes Requested', and purged
106from the current review queue. Likewise for cases where patches would
107get rejected or are not applicable to the BPF trees (but assigned to
108the 'bpf' delegate).
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109
110Q: How do the changes make their way into Linux?
54222838 111------------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 112A: There are two BPF kernel trees (git repositories). Once patches have
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113been accepted by the BPF maintainers, they will be applied to one
114of the two BPF trees:
34f15bf3 115
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116 * https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/bpf/bpf.git/
117 * https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/bpf/bpf-next.git/
34f15bf3 118
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119The bpf tree itself is for fixes only, whereas bpf-next for features,
120cleanups or other kind of improvements ("next-like" content). This is
121analogous to net and net-next trees for networking. Both bpf and
122bpf-next will only have a master branch in order to simplify against
123which branch patches should get rebased to.
34f15bf3 124
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125Accumulated BPF patches in the bpf tree will regularly get pulled
126into the net kernel tree. Likewise, accumulated BPF patches accepted
127into the bpf-next tree will make their way into net-next tree. net and
128net-next are both run by David S. Miller. From there, they will go
129into the kernel mainline tree run by Linus Torvalds. To read up on the
130process of net and net-next being merged into the mainline tree, see
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131the documentation on netdev subsystem at
132Documentation/process/maintainer-netdev.rst.
287f4fa9 133
34f15bf3 134
34f15bf3 135
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136Occasionally, to prevent merge conflicts, we might send pull requests
137to other trees (e.g. tracing) with a small subset of the patches, but
138net and net-next are always the main trees targeted for integration.
34f15bf3 139
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140The pull requests will contain a high-level summary of the accumulated
141patches and can be searched on netdev kernel mailing list through the
142following subject lines (``yyyy-mm-dd`` is the date of the pull
143request)::
34f15bf3 144
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145 pull-request: bpf yyyy-mm-dd
146 pull-request: bpf-next yyyy-mm-dd
34f15bf3 147
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148Q: How do I indicate which tree (bpf vs. bpf-next) my patch should be applied to?
149---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 150
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151A: The process is the very same as described in the netdev subsystem
152documentation at Documentation/process/maintainer-netdev.rst,
287f4fa9 153so please read up on it. The subject line must indicate whether the
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154patch is a fix or rather "next-like" content in order to let the
155maintainers know whether it is targeted at bpf or bpf-next.
34f15bf3 156
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157For fixes eventually landing in bpf -> net tree, the subject must
158look like::
34f15bf3 159
54222838 160 git format-patch --subject-prefix='PATCH bpf' start..finish
34f15bf3 161
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162For features/improvements/etc that should eventually land in
163bpf-next -> net-next, the subject must look like::
34f15bf3 164
54222838 165 git format-patch --subject-prefix='PATCH bpf-next' start..finish
34f15bf3 166
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167If unsure whether the patch or patch series should go into bpf
168or net directly, or bpf-next or net-next directly, it is not a
169problem either if the subject line says net or net-next as target.
170It is eventually up to the maintainers to do the delegation of
171the patches.
34f15bf3 172
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173If it is clear that patches should go into bpf or bpf-next tree,
174please make sure to rebase the patches against those trees in
175order to reduce potential conflicts.
34f15bf3 176
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177In case the patch or patch series has to be reworked and sent out
178again in a second or later revision, it is also required to add a
179version number (``v2``, ``v3``, ...) into the subject prefix::
34f15bf3 180
4d0d1673 181 git format-patch --subject-prefix='PATCH bpf-next v2' start..finish
34f15bf3 182
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183When changes have been requested to the patch series, always send the
184whole patch series again with the feedback incorporated (never send
185individual diffs on top of the old series).
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186
187Q: What does it mean when a patch gets applied to bpf or bpf-next tree?
54222838 188-----------------------------------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 189A: It means that the patch looks good for mainline inclusion from
54222838 190a BPF point of view.
34f15bf3 191
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192Be aware that this is not a final verdict that the patch will
193automatically get accepted into net or net-next trees eventually:
194
e42da4c6 195On the bpf kernel mailing list reviews can come in at any point
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196in time. If discussions around a patch conclude that they cannot
197get included as-is, we will either apply a follow-up fix or drop
198them from the trees entirely. Therefore, we also reserve to rebase
199the trees when deemed necessary. After all, the purpose of the tree
200is to:
201
202i) accumulate and stage BPF patches for integration into trees
203 like net and net-next, and
34f15bf3 204
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205ii) run extensive BPF test suite and
206 workloads on the patches before they make their way any further.
207
208Once the BPF pull request was accepted by David S. Miller, then
209the patches end up in net or net-next tree, respectively, and
210make their way from there further into mainline. Again, see the
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211documentation for netdev subsystem at
212Documentation/process/maintainer-netdev.rst for additional information
213e.g. on how often they are merged to mainline.
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214
215Q: How long do I need to wait for feedback on my BPF patches?
216-------------------------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 217A: We try to keep the latency low. The usual time to feedback will
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218be around 2 or 3 business days. It may vary depending on the
219complexity of changes and current patch load.
34f15bf3 220
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221Q: How often do you send pull requests to major kernel trees like net or net-next?
222----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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223
224A: Pull requests will be sent out rather often in order to not
54222838 225accumulate too many patches in bpf or bpf-next.
34f15bf3 226
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227As a rule of thumb, expect pull requests for each tree regularly
228at the end of the week. In some cases pull requests could additionally
229come also in the middle of the week depending on the current patch
230load or urgency.
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231
232Q: Are patches applied to bpf-next when the merge window is open?
54222838 233-----------------------------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 234A: For the time when the merge window is open, bpf-next will not be
54222838 235processed. This is roughly analogous to net-next patch processing,
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236so feel free to read up on the netdev docs at
237Documentation/process/maintainer-netdev.rst about further details.
34f15bf3 238
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239During those two weeks of merge window, we might ask you to resend
240your patch series once bpf-next is open again. Once Linus released
241a ``v*-rc1`` after the merge window, we continue processing of bpf-next.
34f15bf3 242
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243For non-subscribers to kernel mailing lists, there is also a status
244page run by David S. Miller on net-next that provides guidance:
34f15bf3 245
54222838 246 http://vger.kernel.org/~davem/net-next.html
34f15bf3 247
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248Q: Verifier changes and test cases
249----------------------------------
34f15bf3 250Q: I made a BPF verifier change, do I need to add test cases for
54222838 251BPF kernel selftests_?
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252
253A: If the patch has changes to the behavior of the verifier, then yes,
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254it is absolutely necessary to add test cases to the BPF kernel
255selftests_ suite. If they are not present and we think they are
256needed, then we might ask for them before accepting any changes.
257
258In particular, test_verifier.c is tracking a high number of BPF test
259cases, including a lot of corner cases that LLVM BPF back end may
260generate out of the restricted C code. Thus, adding test cases is
261absolutely crucial to make sure future changes do not accidentally
262affect prior use-cases. Thus, treat those test cases as: verifier
263behavior that is not tracked in test_verifier.c could potentially
264be subject to change.
265
266Q: samples/bpf preference vs selftests?
267---------------------------------------
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268Q: When should I add code to ``samples/bpf/`` and when to BPF kernel
269selftests_?
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270
271A: In general, we prefer additions to BPF kernel selftests_ rather than
64ef3ddf 272``samples/bpf/``. The rationale is very simple: kernel selftests are
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273regularly run by various bots to test for kernel regressions.
274
275The more test cases we add to BPF selftests, the better the coverage
276and the less likely it is that those could accidentally break. It is
277not that BPF kernel selftests cannot demo how a specific feature can
278be used.
279
64ef3ddf 280That said, ``samples/bpf/`` may be a good place for people to get started,
54222838 281so it might be advisable that simple demos of features could go into
64ef3ddf 282``samples/bpf/``, but advanced functional and corner-case testing rather
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283into kernel selftests.
284
285If your sample looks like a test case, then go for BPF kernel selftests
286instead!
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287
288Q: When should I add code to the bpftool?
54222838 289-----------------------------------------
34f15bf3 290A: The main purpose of bpftool (under tools/bpf/bpftool/) is to provide
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291a central user space tool for debugging and introspection of BPF programs
292and maps that are active in the kernel. If UAPI changes related to BPF
293enable for dumping additional information of programs or maps, then
294bpftool should be extended as well to support dumping them.
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295
296Q: When should I add code to iproute2's BPF loader?
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297---------------------------------------------------
298A: For UAPI changes related to the XDP or tc layer (e.g. ``cls_bpf``),
299the convention is that those control-path related changes are added to
300iproute2's BPF loader as well from user space side. This is not only
301useful to have UAPI changes properly designed to be usable, but also
302to make those changes available to a wider user base of major
303downstream distributions.
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304
305Q: Do you accept patches as well for iproute2's BPF loader?
54222838 306-----------------------------------------------------------
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307A: Patches for the iproute2's BPF loader have to be sent to:
308
54222838 309 netdev@vger.kernel.org
34f15bf3 310
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311While those patches are not processed by the BPF kernel maintainers,
312please keep them in Cc as well, so they can be reviewed.
34f15bf3 313
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314The official git repository for iproute2 is run by Stephen Hemminger
315and can be found at:
34f15bf3 316
54222838 317 https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/shemminger/iproute2.git/
34f15bf3 318
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319The patches need to have a subject prefix of '``[PATCH iproute2
320master]``' or '``[PATCH iproute2 net-next]``'. '``master``' or
321'``net-next``' describes the target branch where the patch should be
322applied to. Meaning, if kernel changes went into the net-next kernel
323tree, then the related iproute2 changes need to go into the iproute2
324net-next branch, otherwise they can be targeted at master branch. The
325iproute2 net-next branch will get merged into the master branch after
326the current iproute2 version from master has been released.
34f15bf3 327
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328Like BPF, the patches end up in patchwork under the netdev project and
329are delegated to 'shemminger' for further processing:
34f15bf3 330
54222838 331 http://patchwork.ozlabs.org/project/netdev/list/?delegate=389
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332
333Q: What is the minimum requirement before I submit my BPF patches?
54222838 334------------------------------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 335A: When submitting patches, always take the time and properly test your
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336patches *prior* to submission. Never rush them! If maintainers find
337that your patches have not been properly tested, it is a good way to
338get them grumpy. Testing patch submissions is a hard requirement!
339
340Note, fixes that go to bpf tree *must* have a ``Fixes:`` tag included.
341The same applies to fixes that target bpf-next, where the affected
342commit is in net-next (or in some cases bpf-next). The ``Fixes:`` tag is
343crucial in order to identify follow-up commits and tremendously helps
344for people having to do backporting, so it is a must have!
345
346We also don't accept patches with an empty commit message. Take your
347time and properly write up a high quality commit message, it is
348essential!
349
350Think about it this way: other developers looking at your code a month
351from now need to understand *why* a certain change has been done that
352way, and whether there have been flaws in the analysis or assumptions
353that the original author did. Thus providing a proper rationale and
354describing the use-case for the changes is a must.
355
356Patch submissions with >1 patch must have a cover letter which includes
357a high level description of the series. This high level summary will
358then be placed into the merge commit by the BPF maintainers such that
359it is also accessible from the git log for future reference.
360
361Q: Features changing BPF JIT and/or LLVM
362----------------------------------------
34f15bf3 363Q: What do I need to consider when adding a new instruction or feature
54222838 364that would require BPF JIT and/or LLVM integration as well?
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365
366A: We try hard to keep all BPF JITs up to date such that the same user
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367experience can be guaranteed when running BPF programs on different
368architectures without having the program punt to the less efficient
369interpreter in case the in-kernel BPF JIT is enabled.
34f15bf3 370
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371If you are unable to implement or test the required JIT changes for
372certain architectures, please work together with the related BPF JIT
373developers in order to get the feature implemented in a timely manner.
374Please refer to the git log (``arch/*/net/``) to locate the necessary
375people for helping out.
34f15bf3 376
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377Also always make sure to add BPF test cases (e.g. test_bpf.c and
378test_verifier.c) for new instructions, so that they can receive
379broad test coverage and help run-time testing the various BPF JITs.
34f15bf3 380
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381In case of new BPF instructions, once the changes have been accepted
382into the Linux kernel, please implement support into LLVM's BPF back
383end. See LLVM_ section below for further information.
34f15bf3 384
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385Q: What "BPF_INTERNAL" symbol namespace is for?
386-----------------------------------------------
387A: Symbols exported as BPF_INTERNAL can only be used by BPF infrastructure
388like preload kernel modules with light skeleton. Most symbols outside
389of BPF_INTERNAL are not expected to be used by code outside of BPF either.
390Symbols may lack the designation because they predate the namespaces,
391or due to an oversight.
392
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393Stable submission
394=================
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395
396Q: I need a specific BPF commit in stable kernels. What should I do?
54222838 397--------------------------------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 398A: In case you need a specific fix in stable kernels, first check whether
54222838 399the commit has already been applied in the related ``linux-*.y`` branches:
34f15bf3 400
54222838 401 https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git/
34f15bf3 402
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403If not the case, then drop an email to the BPF maintainers with the
404netdev kernel mailing list in Cc and ask for the fix to be queued up:
34f15bf3 405
54222838 406 netdev@vger.kernel.org
34f15bf3 407
54222838 408The process in general is the same as on netdev itself, see also the
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409the documentation on networking subsystem at
410Documentation/process/maintainer-netdev.rst.
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411
412Q: Do you also backport to kernels not currently maintained as stable?
54222838 413----------------------------------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 414A: No. If you need a specific BPF commit in kernels that are currently not
54222838 415maintained by the stable maintainers, then you are on your own.
34f15bf3 416
54222838 417The current stable and longterm stable kernels are all listed here:
34f15bf3 418
54222838 419 https://www.kernel.org/
34f15bf3 420
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421Q: The BPF patch I am about to submit needs to go to stable as well
422-------------------------------------------------------------------
423What should I do?
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424
425A: The same rules apply as with netdev patch submissions in general, see
0f10f647 426the netdev docs at Documentation/process/maintainer-netdev.rst.
34f15bf3 427
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428Never add "``Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org``" to the patch description, but
429ask the BPF maintainers to queue the patches instead. This can be done
430with a note, for example, under the ``---`` part of the patch which does
431not go into the git log. Alternatively, this can be done as a simple
432request by mail instead.
34f15bf3 433
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434Q: Queue stable patches
435-----------------------
34f15bf3 436Q: Where do I find currently queued BPF patches that will be submitted
54222838 437to stable?
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438
439A: Once patches that fix critical bugs got applied into the bpf tree, they
54222838 440are queued up for stable submission under:
34f15bf3 441
54222838 442 http://patchwork.ozlabs.org/bundle/bpf/stable/?state=*
34f15bf3 443
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444They will be on hold there at minimum until the related commit made its
445way into the mainline kernel tree.
34f15bf3 446
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447After having been under broader exposure, the queued patches will be
448submitted by the BPF maintainers to the stable maintainers.
34f15bf3 449
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450Testing patches
451===============
34f15bf3 452
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453Q: How to run BPF selftests
454---------------------------
455A: After you have booted into the newly compiled kernel, navigate to
456the BPF selftests_ suite in order to test BPF functionality (current
457working directory points to the root of the cloned git tree)::
458
459 $ cd tools/testing/selftests/bpf/
460 $ make
461
462To run the verifier tests::
463
464 $ sudo ./test_verifier
465
466The verifier tests print out all the current checks being
467performed. The summary at the end of running all tests will dump
468information of test successes and failures::
469
470 Summary: 418 PASSED, 0 FAILED
471
472In order to run through all BPF selftests, the following command is
473needed::
474
475 $ sudo make run_tests
476
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477See :doc:`kernel selftest documentation </dev-tools/kselftest>`
478for details.
b7a27c3a 479
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480To maximize the number of tests passing, the .config of the kernel
481under test should match the config file fragment in
482tools/testing/selftests/bpf as closely as possible.
483
484Finally to ensure support for latest BPF Type Format features -
a07484c0 485discussed in Documentation/bpf/btf.rst - pahole version 1.16
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486is required for kernels built with CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO_BTF=y.
487pahole is delivered in the dwarves package or can be built
488from source at
489
490https://github.com/acmel/dwarves
491
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492pahole starts to use libbpf definitions and APIs since v1.13 after the
493commit 21507cd3e97b ("pahole: add libbpf as submodule under lib/bpf").
494It works well with the git repository because the libbpf submodule will
495use "git submodule update --init --recursive" to update.
496
497Unfortunately, the default github release source code does not contain
498libbpf submodule source code and this will cause build issues, the tarball
499from https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/devel/pahole/pahole.git/ is same with
500github, you can get the source tarball with corresponding libbpf submodule
501codes from
502
503https://fedorapeople.org/~acme/dwarves
504
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505Some distros have pahole version 1.16 packaged already, e.g.
506Fedora, Gentoo.
507
34f15bf3 508Q: Which BPF kernel selftests version should I run my kernel against?
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509---------------------------------------------------------------------
510A: If you run a kernel ``xyz``, then always run the BPF kernel selftests
511from that kernel ``xyz`` as well. Do not expect that the BPF selftest
512from the latest mainline tree will pass all the time.
34f15bf3 513
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514In particular, test_bpf.c and test_verifier.c have a large number of
515test cases and are constantly updated with new BPF test sequences, or
516existing ones are adapted to verifier changes e.g. due to verifier
517becoming smarter and being able to better track certain things.
34f15bf3 518
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519LLVM
520====
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521
522Q: Where do I find LLVM with BPF support?
54222838 523-----------------------------------------
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524A: The BPF back end for LLVM is upstream in LLVM since version 3.7.1.
525
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526All major distributions these days ship LLVM with BPF back end enabled,
527so for the majority of use-cases it is not required to compile LLVM by
528hand anymore, just install the distribution provided package.
34f15bf3 529
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530LLVM's static compiler lists the supported targets through
531``llc --version``, make sure BPF targets are listed. Example::
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532
533 $ llc --version
534 LLVM (http://llvm.org/):
4d0d1673 535 LLVM version 10.0.0
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536 Optimized build.
537 Default target: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
538 Host CPU: skylake
539
540 Registered Targets:
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541 aarch64 - AArch64 (little endian)
542 bpf - BPF (host endian)
543 bpfeb - BPF (big endian)
544 bpfel - BPF (little endian)
545 x86 - 32-bit X86: Pentium-Pro and above
546 x86-64 - 64-bit X86: EM64T and AMD64
34f15bf3 547
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548For developers in order to utilize the latest features added to LLVM's
549BPF back end, it is advisable to run the latest LLVM releases. Support
550for new BPF kernel features such as additions to the BPF instruction
551set are often developed together.
34f15bf3 552
54222838 553All LLVM releases can be found at: http://releases.llvm.org/
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554
555Q: Got it, so how do I build LLVM manually anyway?
54222838 556--------------------------------------------------
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557A: We recommend that developers who want the fastest incremental builds
558use the Ninja build system, you can find it in your system's package
559manager, usually the package is ninja or ninja-build.
560
561You need ninja, cmake and gcc-c++ as build requisites for LLVM. Once you
562have that set up, proceed with building the latest LLVM and clang version
54222838 563from the git repositories::
34f15bf3 564
e42da4c6 565 $ git clone https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project.git
628add78 566 $ mkdir -p llvm-project/llvm/build
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567 $ cd llvm-project/llvm/build
568 $ cmake .. -G "Ninja" -DLLVM_TARGETS_TO_BUILD="BPF;X86" \
569 -DLLVM_ENABLE_PROJECTS="clang" \
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570 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
571 -DLLVM_BUILD_RUNTIME=OFF
e42da4c6 572 $ ninja
34f15bf3 573
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574The built binaries can then be found in the build/bin/ directory, where
575you can point the PATH variable to.
34f15bf3 576
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577Set ``-DLLVM_TARGETS_TO_BUILD`` equal to the target you wish to build, you
578will find a full list of targets within the llvm-project/llvm/lib/Target
579directory.
580
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581Q: Reporting LLVM BPF issues
582----------------------------
34f15bf3 583Q: Should I notify BPF kernel maintainers about issues in LLVM's BPF code
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584generation back end or about LLVM generated code that the verifier
585refuses to accept?
586
587A: Yes, please do!
34f15bf3 588
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589LLVM's BPF back end is a key piece of the whole BPF
590infrastructure and it ties deeply into verification of programs from the
591kernel side. Therefore, any issues on either side need to be investigated
592and fixed whenever necessary.
34f15bf3 593
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594Therefore, please make sure to bring them up at netdev kernel mailing
595list and Cc BPF maintainers for LLVM and kernel bits:
34f15bf3 596
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597* Yonghong Song <yhs@fb.com>
598* Alexei Starovoitov <ast@kernel.org>
599* Daniel Borkmann <daniel@iogearbox.net>
34f15bf3 600
54222838 601LLVM also has an issue tracker where BPF related bugs can be found:
34f15bf3 602
54222838 603 https://bugs.llvm.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=bpf
34f15bf3 604
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605However, it is better to reach out through mailing lists with having
606maintainers in Cc.
34f15bf3 607
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608Q: New BPF instruction for kernel and LLVM
609------------------------------------------
34f15bf3 610Q: I have added a new BPF instruction to the kernel, how can I integrate
54222838 611it into LLVM?
34f15bf3 612
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613A: LLVM has a ``-mcpu`` selector for the BPF back end in order to allow
614the selection of BPF instruction set extensions. By default the
615``generic`` processor target is used, which is the base instruction set
616(v1) of BPF.
34f15bf3 617
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618LLVM has an option to select ``-mcpu=probe`` where it will probe the host
619kernel for supported BPF instruction set extensions and selects the
620optimal set automatically.
34f15bf3 621
54222838 622For cross-compilation, a specific version can be select manually as well ::
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623
624 $ llc -march bpf -mcpu=help
625 Available CPUs for this target:
626
627 generic - Select the generic processor.
628 probe - Select the probe processor.
629 v1 - Select the v1 processor.
630 v2 - Select the v2 processor.
631 [...]
632
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633Newly added BPF instructions to the Linux kernel need to follow the same
634scheme, bump the instruction set version and implement probing for the
635extensions such that ``-mcpu=probe`` users can benefit from the
636optimization transparently when upgrading their kernels.
34f15bf3 637
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638If you are unable to implement support for the newly added BPF instruction
639please reach out to BPF developers for help.
34f15bf3 640
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641By the way, the BPF kernel selftests run with ``-mcpu=probe`` for better
642test coverage.
34f15bf3 643
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644Q: clang flag for target bpf?
645-----------------------------
bbaf1ff0 646Q: In some cases clang flag ``--target=bpf`` is used but in other cases the
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647default clang target, which matches the underlying architecture, is used.
648What is the difference and when I should use which?
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649
650A: Although LLVM IR generation and optimization try to stay architecture
bbaf1ff0 651independent, ``--target=<arch>`` still has some impact on generated code:
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652
653- BPF program may recursively include header file(s) with file scope
654 inline assembly codes. The default target can handle this well,
655 while ``bpf`` target may fail if bpf backend assembler does not
656 understand these assembly codes, which is true in most cases.
657
658- When compiled without ``-g``, additional elf sections, e.g.,
659 .eh_frame and .rela.eh_frame, may be present in the object file
660 with default target, but not with ``bpf`` target.
661
662- The default target may turn a C switch statement into a switch table
663 lookup and jump operation. Since the switch table is placed
664 in the global readonly section, the bpf program will fail to load.
665 The bpf target does not support switch table optimization.
666 The clang option ``-fno-jump-tables`` can be used to disable
667 switch table generation.
668
bbaf1ff0 669- For clang ``--target=bpf``, it is guaranteed that pointer or long /
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670 unsigned long types will always have a width of 64 bit, no matter
671 whether underlying clang binary or default target (or kernel) is
672 32 bit. However, when native clang target is used, then it will
673 compile these types based on the underlying architecture's conventions,
674 meaning in case of 32 bit architecture, pointer or long / unsigned
675 long types e.g. in BPF context structure will have width of 32 bit
676 while the BPF LLVM back end still operates in 64 bit. The native
677 target is mostly needed in tracing for the case of walking ``pt_regs``
678 or other kernel structures where CPU's register width matters.
bbaf1ff0 679 Otherwise, ``clang --target=bpf`` is generally recommended.
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680
681You should use default target when:
682
683- Your program includes a header file, e.g., ptrace.h, which eventually
684 pulls in some header files containing file scope host assembly codes.
685
686- You can add ``-fno-jump-tables`` to work around the switch table issue.
687
688Otherwise, you can use ``bpf`` target. Additionally, you *must* use bpf target
689when:
690
691- Your program uses data structures with pointer or long / unsigned long
692 types that interface with BPF helpers or context data structures. Access
693 into these structures is verified by the BPF verifier and may result
694 in verification failures if the native architecture is not aligned with
695 the BPF architecture, e.g. 64-bit. An example of this is
bbaf1ff0 696 BPF_PROG_TYPE_SK_MSG require ``--target=bpf``
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697
698
699.. Links
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700.. _selftests:
701 https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/
6215ea6b 702
34f15bf3 703Happy BPF hacking!