LLVM cannot see static function - c

I am trying to instrument the linux kernel code to insert a function call in every function right after a BitCast instruction.
So I modify the C code to #include <linux/my_header.h> where I have my printer function.
The header looks something like this.
#ifndef __header_ID
#define __header_ID
static inline void print_typecast(...){
printk(...);
}
#endif
Then I use Xclang to load my FunctionPass, which looks something like this.
// M is of type llvm::Module*
Function* f = M->getFunction("print_typecast");
if (f == nullptr) {
errs() << "Function not found in the module\n";
}
else {
// insert function in the code
}
However, my pass never finds the function in the module. When I remove the static it will find the function but then the linker in the final compilation step will complain of duplicate definition.
Anyone knows how to make LLVM "see" static imported/included functions?
Edit: I have also gone to the extreme where I have the same function directly written in every c file of the kernel code (the ones that #include <linux/kernel.h>)

static means that all calls to this function will be visible to this compiller now, and by implication that if the compiler sees no such calls, then it can skip compiling any output for the function, because you as programmer have promised that noone will want it.

Related

changing extern function pointer to extern pointer using preprocessor

I am using library that I shouldn't change it files, that including my h file.
the code of the library looks somthing like like:
#include "my_file"
extern void (*some_func)();
void foo()
{
(some_func)();
}
my problem is that I want that some_func will be extern function and not extern pointer to function (I am implementing and linking some_func). and that how main will call it.
that way I will save little run time and code space, and no one in mistake will change this global.
is it possible?
I thought about adding in my_file.h somthing as
#define *some_func some_func
but it won't compile because asterisk is not allowed in #define.
EDIT
The file is not compiled already, so changes at my_file.h will effect the compilation.
First of all, you say that you can't change the source of the library. Well, this is bad, and some "betrayal" is necessary.
My approach is to let the declaration of the pointer some_func as is, a non-constant writable variable, but to implement it as constant non-writable variable, which will be initialized once for all with the wanted address.
Here comes the minimal, reproducible example.
The library is implemented as you show us:
// lib.c
#include "my_file"
extern void (*some_func)();
void foo()
{
(some_func)();
}
Since you have this include file in the library's source, I provide one. But it is empty.
// my_file
I use a header file that declares the public API of the library. This file still has the writable declaration of the pointer, so that offenders believe they can change it.
// lib.h
extern void (*some_func)();
void foo();
I separated an offending module to try the impossible. It has a header file and an implementation file. In the source the erroneous assignment is marked, already revealing what will happen.
// offender.h
void offend(void);
// offender.c
#include <stdio.h>
#include "lib.h"
#include "offender.h"
static void other_func()
{
puts("other_func");
}
void offend(void)
{
some_func = other_func; // the assignment gives a run-time error
}
The test program consists of this little source. To avoid compiler errors, the declaration has to be attributed as const. Here, where we are including the declarating header file, we can use some preprocessor magic.
// main.c
#include <stdio.h>
#define some_func const some_func
#include "lib.h"
#undef some_func
#include "offender.h"
static void my_func()
{
puts("my_func");
}
void (* const some_func)() = my_func;
int main(void)
{
foo();
offend();
foo();
return 0;
}
The trick is, that the compiler places the pointer variable in the read-only section of the executable. The const attribute is just used by the compiler and is not stored in the intermediate object files, and the linker happily resolves all references. Any write access to the variable will generate a runtime error.
Now all of this is compiled in an executable, I used GCC on Windows. I did not bother to create a separated library, because it doesn't make a difference for the effect.
gcc -Wall -Wextra -g main.c offender.c lib.c -o test.exe
If I run the executable in "cmd", it just prints "my_func". Apparently the second call of foo() is never executed. The ERRORLEVEL is -1073741819, which is 0xC0000005. Looking up this code gives the meaning "STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION", on other systems known as "segmentation fault".
Because I deliberately compiled with the debugging flag -g, I can use the debugger to examine more deeply.
d:\tmp\StackOverflow\103> gdb -q test.exe
Reading symbols from test.exe...done.
(gdb) r
Starting program: d:\tmp\StackOverflow\103\test.exe
[New Thread 12696.0x1f00]
[New Thread 12696.0x15d8]
my_func
Thread 1 received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
0x00000000004015c9 in offend () at offender.c:16
16 some_func = other_func;
Alright, as I intended, the assignment is blocked. However, the reaction of the system is quite harsh.
Unfortunately we cannot get a compile-time or link-time error. This is because of the design of the library, which is fixed, as you say.
You could look at the ifunc attribute if you are using GCC or related. It should patch a small trampoline at load time. So when calling the function, the trampoline is called with a known static address and then inside the trampoline there is a jump instruction that was patched with the real address. So when running, all jump locations are directly in the code, which should be efficient with the instruction cache. Note that it might even be more efficient than this, but at most as bad as calling the function pointer. Here is how you would implement it:
extern void (*some_func)(void); // defined in the header you do not have control about
void some_func_resolved(void) __attribute__((ifunc("resolve_some_func")));
static void (*resolve_some_func(void)) (void)
{
return some_func;
}
// call some_func_resolved instead now

implicit declaration of function ‘mygets’ [-Wimplicit-function-declaration] mygets(str1);

[I've been looking at other questions and none of the solutions have worked so I'll ask my own question.
I'm working on a Ubuntu Kylin16.04(China version) and having trouble compiling my code, here are my gets function, the error received by the compiler]1
Implicit declaration of function means that you don't have function reference somewhere in header file normally.
Or maybe you have it, but the file where your function is called does not see this.
//Declaration, must always be before first function call
void myfunc(void);
//Function usage somewhere in the code
int main(void) {
//Call it here, compiler see the reference and knows what type
//of func it is and what parameters should be used to func
myfunc();
}
//Definition, write function content here
//This part will be compiled in separate way, linked will put everything together
void myfunc(void) {
//Write function content here
}

Using a file-static function as a callback from a different translation unit

Consider the following code:
a.c
#include <stdio.h>
#include "b.h"
static int a = 41;
static void test(void){
a++;
printf("a: %d\n", a);
}
int main(void){
set_callback(test);
call();
return 0;
}
b.c
static void (*callback)(void);
void set_callback(void (*func)(void)){
callback = func;
}
void call(void){
if (callback){
callback();
}
}
b.h
void set_callback(void (*func)(void));
void call(void);
This compiles without warnings with -Wall and prints out a: 42 as expected.
Now, this might not be the best practice, since the writer of a.c probably doesn't expect test() to be called from another file and the variable a modified, but is this legal C code? Will it work portably on different platforms and compilers?
Yes, this is perfectly fine code and even good code. There is no need for your test callback to be global.
The compiler is responsible to ensure that the function isn't called outside the translation unit, before doing any optimizations that would affect calling it from outside.
If it sees that a pointer to the function is passed to an external function, it has to refrain from doing incompatible optimizations to the function.
Thus, the only effect is that the object file won't export a test symbol (This is termed Internal Linkage).
You wrote,
Now, this might not be the best practice, since the writer of a.c probably doesn't expect test() to be called from another file and the variable a modified, but is this legal C code?
If the writer did not want his test() function to be called from another file, he should not have passed a pointer to it to an outside module!
When the writer called set_callback(test); he knew he was passing his static method to an outside module, and giving that outside module permission to call it.
The point is that the author is in charge of the test method and where it goes. He's not prevented from doing anything, but he can control where his data goes; and he chose to pass it to an outsider.

C code parser to track function calls and variable accesses within a project (emacs compatibility would be nice)

What I would like is a tool to be able to tell me which functions call a particular function A() (in a C project), and which functions call those functions etc so that I can have a list of functions which i know that when they are called, there is a possibility that function A() will be called.
For example we have the following functions scattered in a project:
void A()
{ /*does something*/ }
void B()
{
A();
/*and more stuff*/
}
void C()
{
if(unlikely_to_be_false)
A()
/* moar stoff */
}
void D()
{
/* code that does not refer to A() at all */
}
void E()
{
C()
}
When the awesome tool is run with parameter A, It will return somehow a the functions B C and E.
Close to this but not exactly i would like to accomplish this:
Given a variable somewhere in a project find all read/write operations(direct or indirect) to it.
For example:
void A()
{
char* c; // this is our little variable
B(c); // this is in the resulting list
}
void B(char* x)
{
printf("%c", x); // this is definately in the list
*x='d' // this is also in the list
C(x); // also in the list
}
void C(void* ptr)
{
ptr = something; // also in the list
}
If the above could play well with emacs i would be most delighted!
You could have a look on cscope tool (http://cscope.sourceforge.net/). It supports very large projects and a lot of different queries type :
Find this C symbol
Find this global definition
Find functions called by this function
Find functions calling this function
...
First, there is the issue of calls between different compilation units, e.g. foo.c defining function foo1 calling function bar2 defined in bar.c (and that bar2 might call a foobar defined in foo.c or in another file foofoo.c)
Then, you might consider perhaps developing a GCC plugin or a MELT extension to suit your needs.
You could also buy a costly static analyzer tool.
Emacs has cedet which might interest you.

C functions before mainCRTStartup on Mingw?

void start() {
stuff(); //code before mainCRTStartup
mainCRTStartup();
}
int main()
{
//other code
}
In Visual C++,it compiles fine and function "stuff()" gets called before main. How would call "stuff()" before "mainCRTStartup()"? on Mingw(OS:Windows NT)? it seems to ignore "void start()".
You could use the -e argument to ld (the linker) to specify start as your entry point.
I'm not sure how to feed arguments to ld using mingw; perhaps someone can edit my answer to provide that.
The real entry point is always start().
start() calls mainCRTStartup() that initializes CRT functions and call main(), so in stuff(), you can not use CRT functions.

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