linux/net
Jakub Kicinski 374d345d9b netlink: add variable-length / auto integers
We currently push everyone to use padding to align 64b values
in netlink. Un-padded nla_put_u64() doesn't even exist any more.

The story behind this possibly start with this thread:
https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20121204.130914.1457976839967676240.davem@davemloft.net/
where DaveM was concerned about the alignment of a structure
containing 64b stats. If user space tries to access such struct
directly:

	struct some_stats *stats = nla_data(attr);
	printf("A: %llu", stats->a);

lack of alignment may become problematic for some architectures.
These days we most often put every single member in a separate
attribute, meaning that the code above would use a helper like
nla_get_u64(), which can deal with alignment internally.
Even for arches which don't have good unaligned access - access
aligned to 4B should be pretty efficient.
Kernel and well known libraries deal with unaligned input already.

Padded 64b is quite space-inefficient (64b + pad means at worst 16B
per attr vs 32b which takes 8B). It is also more typing:

    if (nla_put_u64_pad(rsp, NETDEV_A_SOMETHING_SOMETHING,
                        value, NETDEV_A_SOMETHING_PAD))

Create a new attribute type which will use 32 bits at netlink
level if value is small enough (probably most of the time?),
and (4B-aligned) 64 bits otherwise. Kernel API is just:

    if (nla_put_uint(rsp, NETDEV_A_SOMETHING_SOMETHING, value))

Calling this new type "just" sint / uint with no specific size
will hopefully also make people more comfortable with using it.
Currently telling people "don't use u8, you may need the bits,
and netlink will round up to 4B, anyway" is the #1 comment
we give to newcomers.

In terms of netlink layout it looks like this:

         0       4       8       12      16
32b:     [nlattr][ u32  ]
64b:     [  pad ][nlattr][     u64      ]
uint(32) [nlattr][ u32  ]
uint(64) [nlattr][     u64      ]

Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>
Acked-by: Nicolas Dichtel <nicolas.dichtel@6wind.com>
Signed-off-by: David S. Miller <davem@davemloft.net>
2023-10-20 11:43:35 +01:00
..
6lowpan
9p net: annotate data-races around sock->ops 2023-08-09 15:32:43 -07:00
802
8021q Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-08-18 12:44:56 -07:00
appletalk appletalk: remove special handling code for ipddp 2023-10-13 17:59:32 -07:00
atm
ax25 net: implement lockless SO_PRIORITY 2023-10-01 19:09:54 +01:00
batman-adv Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-08-24 10:51:39 -07:00
bluetooth Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
bpf bpf: Prevent inlining of bpf_fentry_test7() 2023-08-30 08:36:17 +02:00
bpfilter
bridge netfilter: bridge: convert br_netfilter to NF_DROP_REASON 2023-10-18 10:26:43 +02:00
caif
can Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-12 17:07:34 -07:00
ceph Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
core Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
dcb net: dcb: choose correct policy to parse DCB_ATTR_BCN 2023-08-01 21:07:46 -07:00
dccp tcp: record last received ipv6 flowlabel 2023-10-10 10:02:59 +02:00
devlink devlink: convert most of devlink_fmsg_*() to return void 2023-10-20 11:34:51 +01:00
dns_resolver
dsa net: dsa: remove dsa_port_phylink_validate() 2023-10-11 10:06:05 +01:00
ethernet
ethtool Revert "ethtool: Fix mod state of verbose no_mask bitset" 2023-10-19 09:27:12 -07:00
handshake handshake: Fix sign of key_serial_t fields 2023-10-02 12:34:21 -07:00
hsr net: hsr: Add __packed to struct hsr_sup_tlv. 2023-09-18 08:26:19 +01:00
ieee802154 sysctl-6.6-rc1 2023-08-29 17:39:15 -07:00
ife
ipv4 Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
ipv6 Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
iucv
kcm kcm: Fix error handling for SOCK_DGRAM in kcm_sendmsg(). 2023-09-14 10:43:51 +02:00
key Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-08-18 12:44:56 -07:00
l2tp Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-05 13:16:47 -07:00
l3mdev
lapb
llc net/llc/llc_conn.c: fix 4 instances of -Wmissing-variable-declarations 2023-08-09 15:34:28 -07:00
mac80211 wifi: mac80211: fix error path key leak 2023-10-11 16:36:14 +02:00
mac802154
mctp mctp: perform route lookups under a RCU read-side lock 2023-10-10 19:43:22 -07:00
mpls networking: Update to register_net_sysctl_sz 2023-08-15 15:26:18 -07:00
mptcp Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
ncsi ncsi: Propagate carrier gain/loss events to the NCSI controller 2023-09-18 07:06:05 +01:00
netfilter Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
netlabel netlabel: Remove unused declaration netlbl_cipsov4_doi_free() 2023-08-02 12:28:22 -07:00
netlink netlink: add variable-length / auto integers 2023-10-20 11:43:35 +01:00
netrom net: implement lockless SO_PRIORITY 2023-10-01 19:09:54 +01:00
nfc nfc: nci: fix possible NULL pointer dereference in send_acknowledge() 2023-10-16 17:34:53 -07:00
nsh
openvswitch net: openvswitch: Annotate struct mask_array with __counted_by 2023-10-17 13:56:03 +02:00
packet Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-12 17:07:34 -07:00
phonet
psample
qrtr net: qrtr: Handle IPCR control port format of older targets 2023-07-17 09:02:30 +01:00
rds net: prevent address rewrite in kernel_bind() 2023-10-01 19:31:29 +01:00
rfkill net: rfkill: reduce data->mtx scope in rfkill_fop_open 2023-10-11 16:55:10 +02:00
rose net: implement lockless SO_PRIORITY 2023-10-01 19:09:54 +01:00
rxrpc
sched Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
sctp Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-05 13:16:47 -07:00
smc Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
strparser
sunrpc SUNRPC/TLS: Lock the lower_xprt during the tls handshake 2023-09-27 15:16:40 -04:00
switchdev net: switchdev: Add a helper to replay objects on a bridge port 2023-07-21 08:54:03 +01:00
tipc Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-05 13:16:47 -07:00
tls Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
unix bpf: Implement cgroup sockaddr hooks for unix sockets 2023-10-11 17:27:47 -07:00
vmw_vsock vsock: enable setting SO_ZEROCOPY 2023-10-15 13:19:42 +01:00
wireless Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
x25 net: implement lockless SO_PRIORITY 2023-10-01 19:09:54 +01:00
xdp Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-12 17:07:34 -07:00
xfrm Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2023-10-19 13:29:01 -07:00
compat.c
devres.c
Kconfig net: add skb_segment kunit test 2023-10-11 10:39:01 +01:00
Kconfig.debug
Makefile
socket.c net: prevent address rewrite in kernel_bind() 2023-10-01 19:31:29 +01:00
sysctl_net.c sysctl: Add size to register_net_sysctl function 2023-08-15 15:26:17 -07:00