Date:   Mon, 27 Dec 2021 12:34:25 +0100
From:   Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>
To:     Lars-Peter Clausen <lars@metafoo.de>
Cc:     Uwe =?iso-8859-1?Q?Kleine-K=F6nig?= 
        <u.kleine-koenig@pengutronix.de>,
        William Breathitt Gray <vilhelm.gray@gmail.com>,
        kernel@pengutronix.de,
        Jonathan Cameron <Jonathan.Cameron@huawei.com>,
        linux-iio@vger.kernel.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
        Ahmad Fatoum <a.fatoum@pengutronix.de>,
        Oleksij Rempel <linux@rempel-privat.de>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 16/23] counter: interrupt-cnt: Convert to new counter
 registration
Message-ID: <YcmkwaeHBy9Jca+2@kroah.com>
References: <20211227094526.698714-1-u.kleine-koenig@pengutronix.de>
 <20211227094526.698714-17-u.kleine-koenig@pengutronix.de>
 <YcmcdftX3YO06nD1@kroah.com>
 <7e3a4a67-4e97-8660-9437-0250588d5e5e@metafoo.de>
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On Mon, Dec 27, 2021 at 12:21:14PM +0100, Lars-Peter Clausen wrote:
> On 12/27/21 11:59 AM, Greg Kroah-Hartman wrote:
> > On Mon, Dec 27, 2021 at 10:45:19AM +0100, Uwe Kleine-K?nig wrote:
> > > This fixes device lifetime issues where it was possible to free a live
> > > struct device.
> > > 
> > > Fixes: a55ebd47f21f ("counter: add IRQ or GPIO based counter")
> > > Signed-off-by: Uwe Kleine-K?nig <u.kleine-koenig@pengutronix.de>
> > > ---
> > >   drivers/counter/interrupt-cnt.c | 28 ++++++++++++++++------------
> > >   1 file changed, 16 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)
> > > 
> > > diff --git a/drivers/counter/interrupt-cnt.c b/drivers/counter/interrupt-cnt.c
> > > index 4bf706ef46e2..9e99702470c2 100644
> > > --- a/drivers/counter/interrupt-cnt.c
> > > +++ b/drivers/counter/interrupt-cnt.c
> > > @@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
> > >   struct interrupt_cnt_priv {
> > >   	atomic_t count;
> > > -	struct counter_device counter;
> > >   	struct gpio_desc *gpio;
> > >   	int irq;
> > >   	bool enabled;
> > > @@ -148,12 +147,14 @@ static const struct counter_ops interrupt_cnt_ops = {
> > >   static int interrupt_cnt_probe(struct platform_device *pdev)
> > >   {
> > >   	struct device *dev = &pdev->dev;
> > > +	struct counter_device *counter;
> > >   	struct interrupt_cnt_priv *priv;
> > >   	int ret;
> > > -	priv = devm_kzalloc(dev, sizeof(*priv), GFP_KERNEL);
> > > -	if (!priv)
> > > +	counter = devm_counter_alloc(dev, sizeof(*priv));
> > I just picked one of these patches at random, nothing specific about
> > this driver...
> > 
> > You can not have a 'struct device' in memory allocated by devm_*()
> > functions for the obvious reason that now that memory is being
> > controlled by a reference count that is OUTSIDE of the structure itself.
> > 
> > So while your goal might be good here, this is not the correct solution
> > at all, sorry.
> 
> Before this patch the memory for the struct device was devm_kzalloc'ed.
> Which as you point out is a bug.
> 
> After this patch the memory is reference counted and will be freed when the
> last reference is dropped, in the release callback of the struct device.
> 
> The alloc function is still a devm_ function, but on 'free' it will only
> drop the reference to the struct device that it holds. This is a very common
> pattern that is used by basically any driver subsystem in the kernel.

Then it is not a real devm_() call, let's not call it that please as it
is obviously very confusing :)

Just call it counter_alloc(), or , counter_create(), or something a bit
more in line with the rest of all driver subsystems.

thanks,

greg k-h