epoll_event cannot carry provenance on user data
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- Dominant language
- Rust
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Description
The epoll_event type is declared like this in C:
struct epoll_event {
uint32_t events; /* Epoll events */
epoll_data_t data; /* User data variable */
};
union epoll_data {
void *ptr;
int fd;
uint32_t u32;
uint64_t u64;
};
typedef union epoll_data epoll_data_t;
However, the Rust version in libc is different -- it just uses u64 for the data field. That is, unfortunately, not equivalent -- u64 cannot carry pointer provenance, so programs that want to store a pointer in data (which is quite common) need to use exposed-provenance APIs (i.e., ptr/int casts). Tokio carries some funky hacks to avoid that.
Since the C API is actually compatible with strict provenance here, it would be nice to expose that in libc as well. Given this is a breaking change it can only happen for libc 1.0 -- though it would be possible to have a separate event_data type and event_ctl declaration in its own module even in libc 0.2.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start at the existing Rust libc declaration of epoll_event and compare it with the C definitions quoted in the issue. Determine whether libc 1.0 should expose the union directly or whether libc 0.2 needs separate event_data and event_ctl APIs; done means the chosen provenance-preserving interface is implemented and checked against pointer-carrying use cases.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- c, rust
- Domain
- operating-systems
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100