2008-10-23 18:18:22

by M Lammertink

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: [PATCH] netlink: fix append of whole original message on negative ack.

From: Michel Lammertink <mlammertink <at> ti-wmc.nl>
Signed-off-by: Michel Lammertink <mlammertink <at> ti-wmc.nl>

Netlink can return an negative acknowledgement, which AFAICT should include an error code and the whole original message. This patch fixes the size argument given to the __nlmsg_put call. Without this patch only the original header was attached.
---

Can anyone explain to me why struct nlmsgerr contains an int error and the nlmsghdr struct. The comment in netlink_ack states that the whole message should be appended. Why not only include an int error in struct nlmsgerr and just append the original message?

Comments appreciated.

diff -uprN linux-2.6.27.3.orig/net/netlink/af_netlink.c linux-2.6.27.3/net/netlink/af_netlink.c
--- linux-2.6.27.3.orig/net/netlink/af_netlink.c 2008-10-23 18:01:54.000000000 +0200
+++ linux-2.6.27.3/net/netlink/af_netlink.c 2008-10-23 18:04:22.000000000 +0200
@@ -1656,7 +1656,7 @@ void netlink_ack(struct sk_buff *in_skb,
}

rep = __nlmsg_put(skb, NETLINK_CB(in_skb).pid, nlh->nlmsg_seq,
- NLMSG_ERROR, sizeof(struct nlmsgerr), 0);
+ NLMSG_ERROR, payload, 0);
errmsg = nlmsg_data(rep);
errmsg->error = err;
memcpy(&errmsg->msg, nlh, err ? nlh->nlmsg_len : sizeof(*nlh));


2008-10-23 20:45:48

by David Miller

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: [PATCH] netlink: fix append of whole original message on negative ack.

From: M Lammertink <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:17:51 +0200

You'll get a much better review of this if you send it to
the netdev mailing list, which is where all the networking
developers are subscribed. They don't read linux-kernel

Added to CC:

> From: Michel Lammertink <mlammertink <at> ti-wmc.nl>
> Signed-off-by: Michel Lammertink <mlammertink <at> ti-wmc.nl>
>
> Netlink can return an negative acknowledgement, which AFAICT should include an error code and the whole original message. This patch fixes the size argument given to the __nlmsg_put call. Without this patch only the original header was attached.
> ---
>
> Can anyone explain to me why struct nlmsgerr contains an int error and the nlmsghdr struct. The comment in netlink_ack states that the whole message should be appended. Why not only include an int error in struct nlmsgerr and just append the original message?
>
> Comments appreciated.
>
> diff -uprN linux-2.6.27.3.orig/net/netlink/af_netlink.c linux-2.6.27.3/net/netlink/af_netlink.c
> --- linux-2.6.27.3.orig/net/netlink/af_netlink.c 2008-10-23 18:01:54.000000000 +0200
> +++ linux-2.6.27.3/net/netlink/af_netlink.c 2008-10-23 18:04:22.000000000 +0200
> @@ -1656,7 +1656,7 @@ void netlink_ack(struct sk_buff *in_skb,
> }
>
> rep = __nlmsg_put(skb, NETLINK_CB(in_skb).pid, nlh->nlmsg_seq,
> - NLMSG_ERROR, sizeof(struct nlmsgerr), 0);
> + NLMSG_ERROR, payload, 0);
> errmsg = nlmsg_data(rep);
> errmsg->error = err;
> memcpy(&errmsg->msg, nlh, err ? nlh->nlmsg_len : sizeof(*nlh));
> --
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2008-10-23 20:55:58

by Evgeniy Polyakov

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: [PATCH] netlink: fix append of whole original message on negative ack.

Hi.

On Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 01:45:13PM -0700, David Miller ([email protected]) wrote:
> > Netlink can return an negative acknowledgement, which AFAICT should include an error code and the whole original message. This patch fixes the size argument given to the __nlmsg_put call. Without this patch only the original header was attached.
> > ---
> >
> > Can anyone explain to me why struct nlmsgerr contains an int error and the nlmsghdr struct. The comment in netlink_ack states that the whole message should be appended. Why not only include an int error in struct nlmsgerr and just append the original message?

Having header (even seq/pid only) is enough to find a message
for that userspace which cares. Looks like your patch can break
existing applications which are used to work with header only,
even if that was a mistake? Although application is supposed to
check the length, it still can expect only a header. I have to
note, that I do not know any such application though.

--
Evgeniy Polyakov

2008-10-23 21:05:28

by Patrick McHardy

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: [PATCH] netlink: fix append of whole original message on negative ack.

David Miller wrote:
> From: M Lammertink <[email protected]>
> Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:17:51 +0200
>
>> Can anyone explain to me why struct nlmsgerr contains an int error and the nlmsghdr struct. The comment in netlink_ack states that the whole message should be appended. Why not only include an int error in struct nlmsgerr and just append the original message?
>>
>> Comments appreciated.
>>
>> diff -uprN linux-2.6.27.3.orig/net/netlink/af_netlink.c linux-2.6.27.3/net/netlink/af_netlink.c
>> --- linux-2.6.27.3.orig/net/netlink/af_netlink.c 2008-10-23 18:01:54.000000000 +0200
>> +++ linux-2.6.27.3/net/netlink/af_netlink.c 2008-10-23 18:04:22.000000000 +0200
>> @@ -1656,7 +1656,7 @@ void netlink_ack(struct sk_buff *in_skb,
>> }
>>
>> rep = __nlmsg_put(skb, NETLINK_CB(in_skb).pid, nlh->nlmsg_seq,
>> - NLMSG_ERROR, sizeof(struct nlmsgerr), 0);
>> + NLMSG_ERROR, payload, 0)

You can't include the full message since the resulting message
might exceed the 64k netlink limit.