[PATCH] powerpc: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

[PATCH] powerpc: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

[Gustavo A. R. Silva]

The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language
extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare
variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2],
introduced in C99:

struct foo {
        int stuff;
        struct boo array[];
};

By making use of the mechanism above, we will get a compiler warning
in case the flexible array does not occur last in the structure, which
will help us prevent some kind of undefined behavior bugs from being
inadvertently introduced[3] to the codebase from now on.

Also, notice that, dynamic memory allocations won't be affected by
this change:

"Flexible array members have incomplete type, and so the sizeof operator
may not be applied. As a quirk of the original implementation of
zero-length arrays, sizeof evaluates to zero."[1]

sizeof(flexible-array-member) triggers a warning because flexible array
members have incomplete type[1]. There are some instances of code in
which the sizeof operator is being incorrectly/erroneously applied to
zero-length arrays and the result is zero. Such instances may be hiding
some bugs. So, this work (flexible-array member conversions) will also
help to get completely rid of those sorts of issues.

This issue was found with the help of Coccinelle.

[1] https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Zero-Length.html
[2] https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/21
[3] commit 76497732932f ("cxgb3/l2t: Fix undefined behaviour")

Signed-off-by: Gustavo A. R. Silva <gustavoars@kernel.org>
---
 arch/powerpc/platforms/powermac/nvram.c |    2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/arch/powerpc/platforms/powermac/nvram.c b/arch/powerpc/platforms/powermac/nvram.c
index dc7a5bae8f1c..853ccc4480e2 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/platforms/powermac/nvram.c
+++ b/arch/powerpc/platforms/powermac/nvram.c
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ struct chrp_header {
   u8		cksum;
   u16		len;
   char          name[12];
-  u8		data[0];
+  u8		data[];
 };
 
 struct core99_header {

Re: [PATCH] powerpc: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

[Michael Ellerman]

On Thu, 7 May 2020 13:57:49 -0500, Gustavo A. R. Silva wrote:
> The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language
> extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare
> variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2],
> introduced in C99:
> 
> struct foo {
>         int stuff;
>         struct boo array[];
> };
> 
> [...]

Applied to powerpc/next.

[1/1] powerpc: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array
      https://git.kernel.org/powerpc/c/0f6be41c60699fd8cdfa93e5e85a306cec1ac1d0

cheers

Re: [PATCH] powerpc: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array

[Michael Ellerman]

On Thu, 7 May 2020 13:57:49 -0500, Gustavo A. R. Silva wrote:
> The current codebase makes use of the zero-length array language
> extension to the C90 standard, but the preferred mechanism to declare
> variable-length types such as these ones is a flexible array member[1][2],
> introduced in C99:
> 
> struct foo {
>         int stuff;
>         struct boo array[];
> };
> 
> [...]

Applied to powerpc/next.

[1/1] powerpc: Replace zero-length array with flexible-array
      https://git.kernel.org/powerpc/c/0f6be41c60699fd8cdfa93e5e85a306cec1ac1d0

cheers