Linux kernel mirror (for testing) git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git
kernel os linux

compiler: Remove uninitialized_var() macro

Using uninitialized_var() is dangerous as it papers over real bugs[1]
(or can in the future), and suppresses unrelated compiler warnings
(e.g. "unused variable"). If the compiler thinks it is uninitialized,
either simply initialize the variable or make compiler changes.

As recommended[2] by[3] Linus[4], remove the macro. With the recent
change to disable -Wmaybe-uninitialized in v5.7 in commit 78a5255ffb6a
("Stop the ad-hoc games with -Wno-maybe-initialized"), this is likely
the best time to make this treewide change.

[1] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20200603174714.192027-1-glider@google.com/
[2] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFw+Vbj0i=1TGqCR5vQkCzWJ0QxK6CernOU6eedsudAixw@mail.gmail.com/
[3] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFwgbgqhbp1fkxvRKEpzyR5J8n1vKT1VZdz9knmPuXhOeg@mail.gmail.com/
[4] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFz2500WfbKXAx8s67wrm9=yVJu65TpLgN_ybYNv0VEOKA@mail.gmail.com/

Suggested-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
Reviewed-by: Bart van Assche <bvanassche@acm.org>
Reviewed-by: Miguel Ojeda <miguel.ojeda.sandonis@gmail.com>
Tested-by: Nathan Chancellor <natechancellor@gmail.com>
Tested-by: Sedat Dilek <sedat.dilek@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <keescook@chromium.org>

-12
-2
include/linux/compiler-clang.h
··· 5 5 6 6 /* Compiler specific definitions for Clang compiler */ 7 7 8 - #define uninitialized_var(x) x = *(&(x)) 9 - 10 8 /* same as gcc, this was present in clang-2.6 so we can assume it works 11 9 * with any version that can compile the kernel 12 10 */
-6
include/linux/compiler-gcc.h
··· 59 59 (typeof(ptr)) (__ptr + (off)); \ 60 60 }) 61 61 62 - /* 63 - * A trick to suppress uninitialized variable warning without generating any 64 - * code 65 - */ 66 - #define uninitialized_var(x) x = x 67 - 68 62 #ifdef CONFIG_RETPOLINE 69 63 #define __noretpoline __attribute__((__indirect_branch__("keep"))) 70 64 #endif
-2
tools/include/linux/compiler.h
··· 111 111 # define noinline 112 112 #endif 113 113 114 - #define uninitialized_var(x) x = *(&(x)) 115 - 116 114 #include <linux/types.h> 117 115 118 116 /*
-2
tools/virtio/linux/kernel.h
··· 110 110 const typeof( ((type *)0)->member ) *__mptr = (ptr); \ 111 111 (type *)( (char *)__mptr - offsetof(type,member) );}) 112 112 113 - #define uninitialized_var(x) x = x 114 - 115 113 # ifndef likely 116 114 # define likely(x) (__builtin_expect(!!(x), 1)) 117 115 # endif