2014-02-17 15:54:25 +00:00
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kpatch: dynamic kernel patching
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===============================
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2014-02-11 20:34:19 +00:00
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2014-05-01 17:15:30 +00:00
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kpatch is a Linux dynamic kernel patching infrastructure which allows you to
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patch a running kernel without rebooting or restarting any processes. It
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enables sysadmins to apply critical security patches to the kernel immediately,
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without having to wait for long-running tasks to complete, for users to log
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off, or for scheduled reboot windows. It gives more control over uptime
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without sacrificing security or stability.
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2014-02-11 20:34:19 +00:00
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2014-02-19 03:32:24 +00:00
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kpatch is currently in active development. For now, it should _not_ be used
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2014-02-19 21:49:15 +00:00
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in production environments.
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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2014-02-18 23:33:20 +00:00
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**WARNING: Use with caution! Kernel crashes, spontaneous reboots, and data loss
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may occur!**
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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Here's a video of kpatch in action:
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[![kpatch video](http://img.youtube.com/vi/juyQ5TsJRTA/0.jpg)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juyQ5TsJRTA)
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2014-02-17 15:54:25 +00:00
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Installation
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------------
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2014-02-13 16:04:35 +00:00
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2014-04-29 18:33:02 +00:00
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###Prerequisites
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####Fedora 20
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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*NOTE: You'll need about 15GB of free disk space for the kpatch-build cache in
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`~/.kpatch` and for ccache.*
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2014-06-13 22:29:29 +00:00
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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Install the dependencies for compiling kpatch:
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sudo yum install gcc kernel-devel elfutils elfutils-devel
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2014-03-10 14:24:40 +00:00
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Install the dependencies for the "kpatch-build" command:
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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2014-05-02 10:18:36 +00:00
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sudo yum install rpmdevtools pesign yum-utils
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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sudo yum-builddep kernel
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2014-05-16 03:46:57 +00:00
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sudo debuginfo-install kernel
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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2014-02-18 21:56:47 +00:00
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# optional, but highly recommended
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sudo yum install ccache
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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ccache --max-size=5G
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2014-02-18 21:56:47 +00:00
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2014-04-29 18:33:02 +00:00
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####Ubuntu 14.04
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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*NOTE: You'll need about 15GB of free disk space for the kpatch-build cache in
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`~/.kpatch` and for ccache.*
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2014-06-13 22:29:29 +00:00
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2014-04-29 18:33:02 +00:00
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Install the dependencies for compiling kpatch:
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apt-get install make gcc libelf-dev
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Install the dependencies for the "kpatch-build" command:
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apt-get install dpkg-dev
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apt-get build-dep linux
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# optional, but highly recommended
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apt-get install ccache
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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ccache --max-size=5G
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2014-04-29 18:33:02 +00:00
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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Install kernel debug symbols:
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2014-05-23 13:39:03 +00:00
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```bash
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# Add ddebs repository
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codename=$(lsb_release -sc)
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sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ddebs.list << EOF
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deb http://ddebs.ubuntu.com/ ${codename} main restricted universe multiverse
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deb http://ddebs.ubuntu.com/ ${codename}-security main restricted universe multiverse
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deb http://ddebs.ubuntu.com/ ${codename}-updates main restricted universe multiverse
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deb http://ddebs.ubuntu.com/ ${codename}-proposed main restricted universe multiverse
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EOF
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# add APT key
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wget -Nq http://ddebs.ubuntu.com/dbgsym-release-key.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -
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apt-get update && apt-get install linux-image-$(uname -r)-dbgsym
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```
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2014-07-08 17:21:47 +00:00
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####Debian 8.0
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*NOTE: You'll need about 15GB of free disk space for the kpatch-build cache in
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`~/.kpatch` and for ccache.*
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Install the dependencies for compiling kpatch:
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2014-07-08 17:25:29 +00:00
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apt-get install make gcc libelf-dev build-essential
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2014-07-08 17:21:47 +00:00
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Install and prepare the kernel sources:
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apt-get install linux-source-$(uname -r)
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cd /usr/src && tar xvf linux-source-$(uname -r).tar.xz && ln -s linux-source-$(uname -r) linux && cd linux
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cp /boot/config-$(uname -r) .config
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for OPTION in CONFIG_KALLSYMS_ALL CONFIG_FUNCTION_TRACER ; do sed -i "s/# $OPTION is not set/$OPTION=y/g" .config ; done
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sed -i "s/^SUBLEVEL.*/SUBLEVEL =/" Makefile
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make -j`getconf _NPROCESSORS_CONF` deb-pkg KDEB_PKGVERSION=$(uname -r).9-1
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Install the kernel packages and reboot
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dpkg -i /usr/src/*.deb
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reboot
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Install the dependencies for the "kpatch-build" command:
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apt-get install dpkg-dev
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apt-get build-dep linux
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# optional, but highly recommended
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apt-get install ccache
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ccache --max-size=5G
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2014-04-29 18:33:02 +00:00
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###Build
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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Compile kpatch:
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2014-02-13 16:04:35 +00:00
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make
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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2014-04-29 18:33:02 +00:00
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###Install
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2014-04-22 02:43:57 +00:00
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OPTIONAL: Install kpatch to /usr/local:
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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2014-02-13 16:04:35 +00:00
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sudo make install
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2014-04-22 02:43:57 +00:00
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Alternatively, the kpatch and kpatch-build scripts can be run directly from the
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git tree.
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2014-02-13 16:04:35 +00:00
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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Quick start
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2014-02-17 15:54:25 +00:00
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-----------
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2014-02-13 03:53:05 +00:00
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2014-02-17 15:54:25 +00:00
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*NOTE: While kpatch is designed to work with any recent Linux
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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kernel on any distribution, the "kpatch-build" command currently only works on
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Fedora 20 and Ubuntu 14.04.*
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2014-02-13 03:53:05 +00:00
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2014-05-02 22:28:58 +00:00
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First, make a source code patch against the kernel tree using diff, git, or
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quilt.
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As a contrived example, let's patch /proc/meminfo to show VmallocChunk in ALL
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CAPS so we can see it better:
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$ cat meminfo-string.patch
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Index: src/fs/proc/meminfo.c
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===================================================================
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--- src.orig/fs/proc/meminfo.c
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+++ src/fs/proc/meminfo.c
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@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ static int meminfo_proc_show(struct seq_
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"Committed_AS: %8lu kB\n"
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"VmallocTotal: %8lu kB\n"
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"VmallocUsed: %8lu kB\n"
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- "VmallocChunk: %8lu kB\n"
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+ "VMALLOCCHUNK: %8lu kB\n"
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#ifdef CONFIG_MEMORY_FAILURE
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"HardwareCorrupted: %5lu kB\n"
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#endif
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2014-02-18 04:37:07 +00:00
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2014-04-01 21:40:28 +00:00
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Build the patch module:
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2014-02-18 04:37:07 +00:00
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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$ kpatch-build -t vmlinux meminfo-string.patch
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2014-05-02 22:28:58 +00:00
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Using cache at /home/jpoimboe/.kpatch/3.13.10-200.fc20.x86_64/src
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Testing patch file
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checking file fs/proc/meminfo.c
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Building original kernel
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Building patched kernel
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Detecting changed objects
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Rebuilding changed objects
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Extracting new and modified ELF sections
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meminfo.o: changed function: meminfo_proc_show
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Building patch module: kpatch-meminfo-string.ko
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SUCCESS
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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> NOTE: The `-t vmlinux` option is used to tell `kpatch-build` to only look for
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> changes in the `vmlinux` base kernel image, which is much faster than also
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> compiling all the kernel modules. If your patch affects a kernel module, you
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> can either omit this option to build everything, and have `kpatch-build`
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> detect which modules changed, or you can specify the affected kernel build
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> targets with multiple `-t` options.
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2014-05-02 22:28:58 +00:00
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That outputs a patch module named `kpatch-meminfo-string.ko` in the current
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2014-02-18 04:37:07 +00:00
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directory. Now apply it to the running kernel:
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2014-05-02 22:28:58 +00:00
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$ sudo kpatch load kpatch-meminfo-string.ko
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loading core module: /usr/local/lib/modules/3.13.10-200.fc20.x86_64/kpatch/kpatch.ko
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loading patch module: kpatch-meminfo-string.ko
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2014-02-18 04:37:07 +00:00
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Done! The kernel is now patched.
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2014-02-13 03:53:05 +00:00
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2014-05-02 22:28:58 +00:00
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$ grep -i chunk /proc/meminfo
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VMALLOCCHUNK: 34359337092 kB
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2014-02-13 16:04:35 +00:00
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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How it works
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------------
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2014-02-11 18:00:17 +00:00
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2014-02-19 03:32:24 +00:00
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kpatch works at a function granularity: old functions are replaced with new
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ones. It has four main components:
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- **kpatch-build**: a collection of tools which convert a source diff patch to
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2014-04-01 21:40:28 +00:00
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a patch module. They work by compiling the kernel both with and without
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the source patch, comparing the binaries, and generating a patch module
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2014-02-19 03:32:24 +00:00
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which includes new binary versions of the functions to be replaced.
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2014-04-01 21:40:28 +00:00
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- **patch module**: a kernel module (.ko file) which includes the
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replacement functions and metadata about the original functions.
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- **kpatch core module**: a kernel module (.ko file) which provides an
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interface for the patch modules to register new functions for
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replacement. It uses the kernel ftrace subsystem to hook into the original
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function's mcount call instruction, so that a call to the original function
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is redirected to the replacement function.
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- **kpatch utility:** a command-line tool which allows a user to manage a
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collection of patch modules. One or more patch modules may be
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2014-02-19 15:50:56 +00:00
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configured to load at boot time, so that a system can remain patched
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2014-02-19 03:32:24 +00:00
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even after a reboot into the same version of the kernel.
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2014-03-10 14:24:40 +00:00
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### kpatch-build
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2014-02-11 18:00:17 +00:00
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2014-04-01 21:40:28 +00:00
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The "kpatch-build" command converts a source-level diff patch file to a kernel
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patch module. Most of its work is performed by the kpatch-build script
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2014-06-16 04:32:08 +00:00
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which uses a utility named `create-diff-object` to compare changed objects.
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2014-02-11 18:00:17 +00:00
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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The primary steps in kpatch-build are:
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- Build the unstripped vmlinux for the kernel
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- Patch the source tree
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- Rebuild vmlinux and monitor which objects are being rebuilt.
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These are the "changed objects".
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- Recompile each changed object with `-ffunction-sections -fdata-sections`,
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resulting in the changed patched objects
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- Unpatch the source tree
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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- Recompile each changed object with `-ffunction-sections -fdata-sections`,
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resulting in the changed original objects
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- For every changed object, use `create-diff-object` to do the following:
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* Analyze each original/patched object pair for patchability
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* Add `.kpatch.funcs` and `.rela.kpatch.funcs` sections to the output object.
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The kpatch core module uses this to determine the list of functions
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that need to be redirected using ftrace.
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2014-06-16 04:40:48 +00:00
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* Add `.kpatch.dynrelas` and `.rela.kpatch.dynrelas` sections to the output object.
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2014-06-16 04:32:08 +00:00
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This will be used to resolve references to non-included local
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and non-exported global symbols. These relocations will be resolved by the kpatch core module.
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* Generate the resulting output object containing the new and modified sections
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- Link all the output objects into a cumulative object
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- Generate the patch module
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2014-02-11 20:34:19 +00:00
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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### Patching
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2014-04-01 21:40:28 +00:00
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The patch modules register with the core module (`kpatch.ko`).
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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They provide information about original functions that need to be replaced, and
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corresponding function pointers to the replacement functions.
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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The core module registers a handler function with ftrace. The
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handler function is called by ftrace immediately before the original
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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function begins executing. This occurs with the help of the reserved mcount
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call at the beginning of every function, created by the gcc `-mfentry` flag.
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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The ftrace handler then modifies the return instruction pointer (IP)
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2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
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address on the stack and returns to ftrace, which then restores the original
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function's arguments and stack, and "returns" to the new function.
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2014-02-11 20:34:19 +00:00
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2014-02-18 23:33:20 +00:00
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Limitations
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-----------
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2014-03-21 19:57:52 +00:00
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- Patches to functions which are always on the stack of at least one
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process in the system are not supported. Examples: schedule(),
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sys_poll(), sys_select(), sys_read(), sys_nanosleep(). Attempting to
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apply such a patch will cause the insmod of the patch module to return
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an error.
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- Patches which modify init functions (annotated with `__init`) are not
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supported. kpatch-build will return an error if the patch attempts
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to do so.
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- Patches which modify statically allocated data are not supported.
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kpatch-build will detect that and return an error. (In the future
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we will add a facility to support it. It will probably require the
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2014-04-01 21:40:28 +00:00
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user to write code which runs at patch module loading time which manually
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2014-03-21 19:57:52 +00:00
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updates the data.)
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- Patches which change the way a function interacts with dynamically
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allocated data might be safe, or might not. It isn't possible for
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kpatch-build to verify the safety of this kind of patch. It's up to
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the user to understand what the patch does, whether the new functions
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interact with dynamically allocated data in a different way than the
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old functions did, and whether it would be safe to atomically apply
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such a patch to a running kernel.
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2014-02-18 23:33:20 +00:00
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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- Patches which modify functions in vdso are not supported. These run in
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user-space and ftrace can't hook them.
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- Some incompatibilities currently exist between kpatch and usage of ftrace and
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kprobes. See the Frequently Asked Questions section for more details.
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2014-02-18 23:33:20 +00:00
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2014-02-19 21:49:15 +00:00
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Frequently Asked Questions
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--------------------------
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**Q. Isn't this just a virus/rootkit injection framework?**
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kpatch uses kernel modules to replace code. It requires the `CAP_SYS_MODULE`
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capability. If you already have that capability, then you already have the
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ability to arbitrarily modify the kernel, with or without kpatch.
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**Q. How can I detect if somebody has patched the kernel?**
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2014-05-01 17:15:58 +00:00
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When a patch module is loaded, the `TAINT_USER` flag is set. To test for it,
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`cat /proc/sys/kernel/tainted` and check to see if the value of 64 has been
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OR'ed in.
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2014-02-19 21:49:15 +00:00
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2014-05-01 17:15:58 +00:00
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Eventually we hope to have a dedicated `TAINT_KPATCH` flag instead.
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2014-05-01 17:19:41 +00:00
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Note that the `TAINT_OOT_MODULE` flag (4096) will also be set, since the patch
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2014-05-01 17:15:58 +00:00
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module is built outside the Linux kernel source tree.
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If your patch module is unsigned, the `TAINT_FORCED_MODULE` flag (2) will also
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be set. Starting with Linux 3.15, this will be changed to the more specific
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`TAINT_UNSIGNED_MODULE` (8192).
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2014-02-19 21:49:15 +00:00
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**Q. Will it destabilize my system?**
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No, as long as the patch is chosen carefully. See the Limitations section
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above.
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**Q. Why does kpatch use ftrace to jump to the replacement function instead of
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adding the jump directly?**
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ftrace owns the first "call mcount" instruction of every kernel function. In
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order to keep compatibility with ftrace, we go through ftrace rather than
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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updating the instruction directly. This approach also ensures that the code
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modification path is reliable, since ftrace has been doing it successfully for
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years.
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2014-02-19 21:49:15 +00:00
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**Q Is kpatch compatible with \<insert kernel debugging subsystem here\>?**
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2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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We aim to be good kernel citizens and maintain compatibility. A kpatch
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2014-02-19 21:49:15 +00:00
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replacement function is no different than a function loaded by any other kernel
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module. Each replacement function has its own symbol name and kallsyms entry,
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so it looks like a normal function to the kernel.
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- **oops stack traces**: Yes. If the replacement function is involved in an
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oops, the stack trace will show the function and kernel module name of the
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replacement function, just like any other kernel module function. The oops
|
2014-04-23 19:22:58 +00:00
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message will also show the taint flag (currently `TAINT_USER`).
|
2014-02-19 21:49:15 +00:00
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- **kdump/crash**: Yes. Replacement functions are normal functions, so crash
|
2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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will have no issues.
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- **ftrace**: Yes, but certain uses of ftrace which involve opening the
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`/sys/kernel/debug/tracing/trace` file or using `trace-cmd record` can result
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|
in a tiny window of time where a patch gets temporarily disabled. Therefore
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it's a good idea to avoid using ftrace on a patched system until this issue
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is resolved.
|
2014-04-23 19:22:58 +00:00
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- **systemtap/kprobes**: Some incompatibilities exist.
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- If you setup a kprobe module at the beginning of a function before loading
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a kpatch module, and they both affect the same function, kprobes "wins"
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|
until the kprobe has been unregistered. This is tracked in issue
|
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|
[#47](https://github.com/dynup/kpatch/issues/47).
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|
- Setting a kretprobe before loading a kpatch module could be unsafe. See
|
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|
|
issue [#67](https://github.com/dynup/kpatch/issues/67).
|
2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
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- **perf**: Yes.
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|
- **tracepoints**: Patches to a function which uses tracepoints will result in
|
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|
|
the tracepoints being effectively disabled as long as the patch is applied.
|
2014-02-19 21:49:15 +00:00
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|
|
**Q. Why not use something like kexec instead?**
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|
If you want to avoid a hardware reboot, but are ok with restarting processes,
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|
kexec is a good alternative.
|
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|
**Q. If an application can't handle a reboot, it's designed wrong.**
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|
That's a good poi... [system reboots]
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|
|
**Q. What changes are needed in other upstream projects?**
|
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|
We hope to make the following changes to other projects:
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|
|
- kernel:
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|
- ftrace improvements to close any windows that would allow a patch to
|
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|
|
be inadvertently disabled
|
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|
- hot patch taint flag
|
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|
|
- possibly the kpatch core module itself
|
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- crash:
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|
|
- point it to where the patch modules and corresponding debug symbols
|
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|
|
live on the file system
|
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|
|
**Q: Is it possible to register a function that gets called atomically with
|
|
|
|
`stop_machine` when the patch module loads and unloads?**
|
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|
|
We do have plans to implement something like that.
|
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|
2014-02-21 03:10:09 +00:00
|
|
|
**Q. What kernels are supported?**
|
|
|
|
|
2014-06-26 14:22:52 +00:00
|
|
|
kpatch needs gcc >= 4.8 and Linux >= 3.7 for use of the -mfentry flag.
|
2014-02-21 03:10:09 +00:00
|
|
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|
|
|
|
**Q. Is it possible to remove a patch?**
|
|
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|
|
2014-04-26 04:05:26 +00:00
|
|
|
Yes. Just run `kpatch unload` which will disable and unload the patch module
|
|
|
|
and restore the function to its original state.
|
2014-02-21 03:10:09 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
**Q. Can you apply multiple patches?**
|
|
|
|
|
2014-06-18 19:41:31 +00:00
|
|
|
Yes, but to prevent any unexpected interactions between multiple patch modules,
|
|
|
|
it's recommended that you only have a single patch loaded at any given time.
|
|
|
|
This can be achieved by combining the new patch with the previous patch using
|
|
|
|
`combinediff` before running `kpatch-build`. You can then the `kpatch replace`
|
|
|
|
command to atomically replace the old patch module with the new cumulative one.
|
2014-02-21 03:10:09 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2014-04-23 19:22:58 +00:00
|
|
|
**Q. Why did kpatch-build detect a changed function that wasn't touched by the
|
|
|
|
source patch?**
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There could be a variety of reasons for this, such as:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- The patch changed an inline function.
|
|
|
|
- The compiler decided to inline a changed function, resulting in the outer
|
|
|
|
function getting recompiled. This is common in the case where the inner
|
|
|
|
function is static and is only called once.
|
|
|
|
- The function uses a WARN() or WARN_ON() macro. These macros embed the source
|
|
|
|
code line number (`__LINE__`) into an instruction. If a function was changed
|
|
|
|
higher up in the file, it will affect the line numbers for all subsequent
|
|
|
|
WARN calls in the file, resulting in recompilation of their functions. If
|
|
|
|
this happens to you, you can usually just ignore it, as patching a few extra
|
|
|
|
functions isn't typically a problem. If it becomes a problem for whatever
|
|
|
|
reason, you can change the source patch to redefine the WARN macro for the
|
|
|
|
affected files, such that it hard codes the old line number instead of using
|
|
|
|
`__LINE__`, for example.
|
2014-02-21 03:10:09 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2014-02-18 23:33:20 +00:00
|
|
|
Get involved
|
|
|
|
------------
|
|
|
|
|
2014-04-29 02:13:14 +00:00
|
|
|
If you have questions or feedback, join the #kpatch IRC channel on freenode and
|
|
|
|
say hi. We also have a [mailing list](https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/kpatch).
|
2014-02-18 23:33:20 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2014-03-19 15:29:07 +00:00
|
|
|
Contributions are very welcome. Feel free to open issues or PRs on github.
|
|
|
|
For big PRs, it's a good idea to discuss them first in github issues or on the
|
|
|
|
[mailing list](https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/kpatch) before you write
|
|
|
|
a lot of code.
|
2014-02-18 23:33:20 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2014-02-18 16:15:13 +00:00
|
|
|
License
|
|
|
|
-------
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
kpatch is under the GPLv2 license.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
|
|
|
|
modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
|
|
|
|
as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
|
|
|
|
of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
|
|
|
|
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
|
|
|
|
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
|
|
|
|
GNU General Public License for more details.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
|
|
|
|
along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
|
|
|
|
Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
|