[PATCH 05/12] util/error: allow non-NUL-terminated err->src

Paolo Bonzini posted 12 patches 5 months, 3 weeks ago
Maintainers: "Michael S. Tsirkin" <mst@redhat.com>, Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com>, Markus Armbruster <armbru@redhat.com>, Michael Roth <michael.roth@amd.com>, Manos Pitsidianakis <manos.pitsidianakis@linaro.org>
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[PATCH 05/12] util/error: allow non-NUL-terminated err->src
Posted by Paolo Bonzini 5 months, 3 weeks ago
Rust makes the current file available as a statically-allocated string,
but without a NUL terminator.  Allow this by storing an optional maximum
length in the Error.

Note that for portability I am not relying on fprintf's precision
specifier not accessing memory beyond what will be printed.

Signed-off-by: Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com>
---
 include/qapi/error-internal.h | 1 +
 util/error.c                  | 8 +++++++-
 2 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/include/qapi/error-internal.h b/include/qapi/error-internal.h
index d5c3904adec..6178ce4a63d 100644
--- a/include/qapi/error-internal.h
+++ b/include/qapi/error-internal.h
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ struct Error
     char *msg;
     ErrorClass err_class;
     const char *src, *func;
+    ssize_t src_len;
     int line;
     GString *hint;
 };
diff --git a/util/error.c b/util/error.c
index e5bcb7c0225..6c1033eaba5 100644
--- a/util/error.c
+++ b/util/error.c
@@ -24,8 +24,13 @@ Error *error_warn;
 static void error_handle(Error **errp, Error *err)
 {
     if (errp == &error_abort) {
+        const char *src = err->src;
+        if (err->src_len >= 0) {
+            /* No need to free it, the program will abort very soon...  */
+            src = g_strndup(err->src, err->src_len);
+        }
         fprintf(stderr, "Unexpected error in %s() at %s:%d:\n",
-                err->func, err->src, err->line);
+                err->func, src, err->line);
         error_report("%s", error_get_pretty(err));
         if (err->hint) {
             error_printf("%s", err->hint->str);
@@ -67,6 +72,7 @@ static void error_setv(Error **errp,
         g_free(msg);
     }
     err->err_class = err_class;
+    err->src_len = -1;
     err->src = src;
     err->line = line;
     err->func = func;
-- 
2.49.0
Re: [PATCH 05/12] util/error: allow non-NUL-terminated err->src
Posted by Markus Armbruster 5 months, 3 weeks ago
Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com> writes:

> Rust makes the current file available as a statically-allocated string,
> but without a NUL terminator.  Allow this by storing an optional maximum
> length in the Error.
>
> Note that for portability I am not relying on fprintf's precision
> specifier not accessing memory beyond what will be printed.

Can you elaborate on the portability problem?  I figure ...

> Signed-off-by: Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com>
> ---
>  include/qapi/error-internal.h | 1 +
>  util/error.c                  | 8 +++++++-
>  2 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
>
> diff --git a/include/qapi/error-internal.h b/include/qapi/error-internal.h
> index d5c3904adec..6178ce4a63d 100644
> --- a/include/qapi/error-internal.h
> +++ b/include/qapi/error-internal.h
> @@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ struct Error
>      char *msg;
>      ErrorClass err_class;
>      const char *src, *func;
> +    ssize_t src_len;
>      int line;
>      GString *hint;
>  };
> diff --git a/util/error.c b/util/error.c
> index e5bcb7c0225..6c1033eaba5 100644
> --- a/util/error.c
> +++ b/util/error.c
> @@ -24,8 +24,13 @@ Error *error_warn;
>  static void error_handle(Error **errp, Error *err)
>  {
>      if (errp == &error_abort) {
> +        const char *src = err->src;
> +        if (err->src_len >= 0) {
> +            /* No need to free it, the program will abort very soon...  */
> +            src = g_strndup(err->src, err->src_len);
> +        }
>          fprintf(stderr, "Unexpected error in %s() at %s:%d:\n",
> -                err->func, err->src, err->line);
> +                err->func, src, err->line);

... you're avoiding the simpler

           fprintf(stderr, "Unexpected error in %s() at %.*s:%d:\n",
                   err->func, err->src_len, err->src, err->line);

because of it.

(@src_len needs to be int then, and its default value below INT_MAX)

>          error_report("%s", error_get_pretty(err));
>          if (err->hint) {
>              error_printf("%s", err->hint->str);
> @@ -67,6 +72,7 @@ static void error_setv(Error **errp,
>          g_free(msg);
>      }
>      err->err_class = err_class;
> +    err->src_len = -1;
>      err->src = src;
>      err->line = line;
>      err->func = func;
Re: [PATCH 05/12] util/error: allow non-NUL-terminated err->src
Posted by Paolo Bonzini 5 months, 3 weeks ago
On 5/27/25 15:42, Markus Armbruster wrote:
> Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com> writes:
> 
>> Rust makes the current file available as a statically-allocated string,
>> but without a NUL terminator.  Allow this by storing an optional maximum
>> length in the Error.
>>
>> Note that for portability I am not relying on fprintf's precision
>> specifier not accessing memory beyond what will be printed.
> 
> Can you elaborate on the portability problem?  I figure ...
> 
>>   {
>>       if (errp == &error_abort) {
>> +        const char *src = err->src;
>> +        if (err->src_len >= 0) {
>> +            /* No need to free it, the program will abort very soon...  */
>> +            src = g_strndup(err->src, err->src_len);
>> +        }
>>           fprintf(stderr, "Unexpected error in %s() at %s:%d:\n",
>> -                err->func, err->src, err->line);
>> +                err->func, src, err->line);
> 
> ... you're avoiding the simpler
> 
>             fprintf(stderr, "Unexpected error in %s() at %.*s:%d:\n",
>                     err->func, err->src_len, err->src, err->line);
> 
> because of it.

I couldn't find anything that says %s is allowed to not be 
NUL-terminated if a precision is given.  That is, whether something like 
this:

    char foo[] = {'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o'};
    printf("%.5s\n", foo);

is guaranteed to work.

This is opposed to:

1) strnlen 
(https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/strnlen.html), 
which is guaranteed to examine no more than the number of bytes given by 
the second character;

2) strndup, for which I found at least a clarification at 
https://www.austingroupbugs.net/view.php?id=1397.

3) g_strndup, which guarantees that the allocated block is of length n+1 
and padded with NULs (though in the case above there will be just one 
NUL anyway)

And also, for strndup/g_strndup it would be quite asinine to implement 
it using some kind of min(strlen(s), n) but for printf the complexity is 
greater so you never know.  I erred on the side of caution because 
avoiding an allocation before an abort() isn't particularly interesting.

Paolo
Re: [PATCH 05/12] util/error: allow non-NUL-terminated err->src
Posted by Markus Armbruster 5 months, 3 weeks ago
Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com> writes:

> On 5/27/25 15:42, Markus Armbruster wrote:
>> Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com> writes:
>> 
>>> Rust makes the current file available as a statically-allocated string,
>>> but without a NUL terminator.  Allow this by storing an optional maximum
>>> length in the Error.
>>>
>>> Note that for portability I am not relying on fprintf's precision
>>> specifier not accessing memory beyond what will be printed.
>> Can you elaborate on the portability problem?  I figure ...
>> 
>>>   {
>>>       if (errp == &error_abort) {
>>> +        const char *src = err->src;
>>> +        if (err->src_len >= 0) {
>>> +            /* No need to free it, the program will abort very soon...  */
>>> +            src = g_strndup(err->src, err->src_len);
>>> +        }
>>>           fprintf(stderr, "Unexpected error in %s() at %s:%d:\n",
>>> -                err->func, err->src, err->line);
>>> +                err->func, src, err->line);
>> ... you're avoiding the simpler
>>             fprintf(stderr, "Unexpected error in %s() at %.*s:%d:\n",
>>                     err->func, err->src_len, err->src, err->line);
>> because of it.
>
> I couldn't find anything that says %s is allowed to not be NUL-terminated if a precision is given.  That is, whether something like this:
>
>    char foo[] = {'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o'};
>    printf("%.5s\n", foo);
>
> is guaranteed to work.

From ISO/IEC 9899:1999 §7.19.6.1 "The fprintf function":

       [#8] The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
       [...]
       s       If  no  l  length  modifier is present, the argument
               shall be a pointer to  the  initial  element  of  an
               array of character  type.237)  Characters  from  the
               array  are  written  up  to  (but not including) the
               terminating null character.   If  the  precision  is
               specified, no more than that many bytes are written.
-->            If the precision is not specified or is greater than
-->            the  size  of  the  array, the array shall contain a
-->            null character.

       ____________________

       237No  special provisions are made for multibyte characters.

This clearly implies that the string need not be null-terminated when a
suitable precision is specified.  Which it is here.

> This is opposed to:
>
> 1) strnlen (https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/strnlen.html), which is guaranteed to examine no more than the number of bytes given by the second character;
>
> 2) strndup, for which I found at least a clarification at https://www.austingroupbugs.net/view.php?id=1397.
>
> 3) g_strndup, which guarantees that the allocated block is of length n+1 and padded with NULs (though in the case above there will be just one NUL anyway)
>
> And also, for strndup/g_strndup it would be quite asinine to implement it using some kind of min(strlen(s), n) but for printf the complexity is greater so you never know.  I erred on the side of caution because avoiding an allocation before an abort() isn't particularly interesting.

Keeping the code simple is always interesting, though :)