From: Sascha Hauer <s.hauer@pengutronix.de>
To: BAREBOX <barebox@lists.infradead.org>
Cc: "Claude Sonnet 4.5" <noreply@anthropic.com>,
Ahmad Fatoum <a.fatoum@pengutronix.de>
Subject: [PATCH v5 18/22] ARM: PBL: setup MMU with proper permissions from ELF segments
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2026 09:12:29 +0100 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260116-pbl-load-elf-v5-18-51d042021c5a@pengutronix.de> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20260116-pbl-load-elf-v5-0-51d042021c5a@pengutronix.de>
Move complete MMU setup into PBL by leveraging ELF segment information
to apply correct memory permissions before jumping to barebox proper.
After ELF relocation, parse PT_LOAD segments and map each with
permissions derived from p_flags:
- Text segments (PF_R|PF_X): Read-only + executable (MAP_CODE)
- Data segments (PF_R|PF_W): Read-write (MAP_CACHED)
- RO data segments (PF_R): Read-only (MAP_CACHED_RO)
This ensures barebox proper starts with full W^X protection already
in place, eliminating the need for complex remapping in barebox proper.
The framework is portable - common ELF parsing in pbl/mmu.c uses
architecture-specific early_remap_range() exported from mmu_*.c.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Reviewed-by: Ahmad Fatoum <a.fatoum@pengutronix.de>
Signed-off-by: Sascha Hauer <s.hauer@pengutronix.de>
---
arch/arm/cpu/mmu-common.c | 31 +++++++-------
arch/arm/cpu/uncompress.c | 10 +++++
include/pbl/mmu.h | 38 +++++++++++++++++
pbl/Makefile | 1 +
pbl/mmu.c | 105 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5 files changed, 169 insertions(+), 16 deletions(-)
diff --git a/arch/arm/cpu/mmu-common.c b/arch/arm/cpu/mmu-common.c
index 67317f127c..4f3ad4a794 100644
--- a/arch/arm/cpu/mmu-common.c
+++ b/arch/arm/cpu/mmu-common.c
@@ -109,28 +109,26 @@ static inline void remap_range_end(unsigned long start, unsigned long end,
remap_range((void *)start, end - start, map_type);
}
-static inline void remap_range_end_sans_text(unsigned long start, unsigned long end,
+static inline void remap_range_end_sans_image(unsigned long start, unsigned long end,
unsigned map_type)
{
- unsigned long text_start = (unsigned long)&_stext;
- unsigned long text_end = (unsigned long)&_etext;
+ unsigned long image_start = (unsigned long)&__image_start;
+ unsigned long image_end = (unsigned long)&__image_end;
- if (region_overlap_end_exclusive(start, end, text_start, text_end)) {
- remap_range_end(start, text_start, MAP_CACHED);
- /* skip barebox segments here, will be mapped later */
- start = text_end;
+ if (region_overlap_end_exclusive(start, end, image_start, image_end)) {
+ remap_range_end(start, image_start, MAP_CACHED);
+ /* skip barebox segments here, PBL has already mapped them */
+ start = image_end;
}
+ start = ALIGN(start, PAGE_SIZE);
+
remap_range_end(start, end, MAP_CACHED);
}
static void mmu_remap_memory_banks(void)
{
struct memory_bank *bank;
- unsigned long code_start = (unsigned long)&_stext;
- unsigned long code_size = (unsigned long)&__start_rodata - (unsigned long)&_stext;
- unsigned long rodata_start = (unsigned long)&__start_rodata;
- unsigned long rodata_size = (unsigned long)&__end_rodata - rodata_start;
/*
* Early mmu init will have mapped everything but the initial memory area
@@ -138,6 +136,10 @@ static void mmu_remap_memory_banks(void)
* all memory banks, so let's map all pages, excluding reserved memory areas
* and barebox text area cacheable.
*
+ * PBL has already set up the MMU with proper permissions for text, data
+ * and rodata based on ELF segment information, so we don't need to remap
+ * those here.
+ *
* This code will become much less complex once we switch over to using
* CONFIG_MEMORY_ATTRIBUTES for MMU as well.
*/
@@ -150,16 +152,13 @@ static void mmu_remap_memory_banks(void)
/* Skip reserved regions */
for_each_reserved_region(bank, rsv) {
if (pos != rsv->start)
- remap_range_end_sans_text(pos, rsv->start, MAP_CACHED);
+ remap_range_end_sans_image(pos, rsv->start, MAP_CACHED);
pos = rsv->end + 1;
}
- remap_range_end_sans_text(pos, bank->res->end + 1, MAP_CACHED);
+ remap_range_end_sans_image(pos, bank->res->end + 1, MAP_CACHED);
}
- remap_range((void *)code_start, code_size, MAP_CODE);
- remap_range((void *)rodata_start, rodata_size, MAP_CACHED_RO);
-
setup_trap_pages();
}
diff --git a/arch/arm/cpu/uncompress.c b/arch/arm/cpu/uncompress.c
index 10df5fcba9..9a9f391022 100644
--- a/arch/arm/cpu/uncompress.c
+++ b/arch/arm/cpu/uncompress.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
#include <asm/unaligned.h>
#include <compressed-dtb.h>
#include <elf.h>
+#include <pbl/mmu.h>
#include <debug_ll.h>
@@ -103,6 +104,15 @@ void __noreturn barebox_pbl_start(unsigned long membase, unsigned long memsize,
if (ret)
panic("Failed to relocate ELF: %d\n", ret);
+ /*
+ * Now that the ELF image is relocated, we know the exact addresses
+ * of all segments. Set up MMU with proper permissions based on
+ * ELF segment flags (PF_R/W/X).
+ */
+ ret = pbl_mmu_setup_from_elf(&elf, membase, memsize);
+ if (ret)
+ panic("Failed to setup MMU from ELF: %d\n", ret);
+
barebox = (void *)(unsigned long)elf.entry;
handoff_data_move(handoff_data);
diff --git a/include/pbl/mmu.h b/include/pbl/mmu.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..72537604e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/pbl/mmu.h
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only */
+#ifndef __PBL_MMU_H
+#define __PBL_MMU_H
+
+#include <linux/types.h>
+
+struct elf_image;
+
+/**
+ * pbl_mmu_setup_from_elf() - Configure MMU using ELF segment information
+ * @elf: ELF image structure from elf_open_binary_into()
+ * @membase: Base address of RAM
+ * @memsize: Size of RAM
+ *
+ * This function sets up the MMU with proper permissions based on ELF
+ * segment flags. It should be called after elf_load_inplace() has
+ * relocated the barebox image.
+ *
+ * Segment permissions are mapped as follows:
+ * PF_R | PF_X -> Read-only + executable (text)
+ * PF_R | PF_W -> Read-write (data, bss)
+ * PF_R -> Read-only (rodata)
+ *
+ * Return: 0 on success, negative error code on failure
+ */
+#if IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_MMU)
+int pbl_mmu_setup_from_elf(struct elf_image *elf, unsigned long membase,
+ unsigned long memsize);
+#else
+static inline int pbl_mmu_setup_from_elf(struct elf_image *elf,
+ unsigned long membase,
+ unsigned long memsize)
+{
+ return 0;
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* __PBL_MMU_H */
diff --git a/pbl/Makefile b/pbl/Makefile
index f66391be7b..b78124cdcd 100644
--- a/pbl/Makefile
+++ b/pbl/Makefile
@@ -9,3 +9,4 @@ pbl-$(CONFIG_HAVE_IMAGE_COMPRESSION) += decomp.o
pbl-$(CONFIG_LIBFDT) += fdt.o
pbl-$(CONFIG_PBL_CONSOLE) += console.o
obj-pbl-y += handoff-data.o
+obj-pbl-$(CONFIG_MMU) += mmu.o
diff --git a/pbl/mmu.c b/pbl/mmu.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..744a76afa6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pbl/mmu.c
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 Sascha Hauer <s.hauer@pengutronix.de>, Pengutronix
+
+#define pr_fmt(fmt) "pbl-mmu: " fmt
+
+#include <common.h>
+#include <elf.h>
+#include <mmu.h>
+#include <pbl/mmu.h>
+#include <asm/mmu.h>
+#include <linux/bits.h>
+#include <linux/sizes.h>
+
+/*
+ * Map ELF segment permissions (p_flags) to architecture MMU flags
+ */
+static unsigned int elf_flags_to_mmu_flags(u32 p_flags)
+{
+ bool readable = p_flags & PF_R;
+ bool writable = p_flags & PF_W;
+ bool executable = p_flags & PF_X;
+
+ if (readable && writable) {
+ /* Data, BSS: Read-write, cached, non-executable */
+ return MAP_CACHED;
+ } else if (readable && executable) {
+ /* Text: Read-only, cached, executable */
+ return MAP_CODE;
+ } else if (readable) {
+ /* Read-only data: Read-only, cached, non-executable */
+ return MAP_CACHED_RO;
+ } else {
+ /*
+ * Unusual: segment with no read permission.
+ * Map as uncached, non-executable for safety.
+ */
+ pr_warn("Segment with unusual permissions: flags=0x%x\n", p_flags);
+ return MAP_UNCACHED;
+ }
+}
+
+int pbl_mmu_setup_from_elf(struct elf_image *elf, unsigned long membase,
+ unsigned long memsize)
+{
+ void *phdr;
+ int i = -1;
+
+ pr_debug("Setting up MMU from ELF segments\n");
+ pr_debug("ELF loaded at: 0x%p - 0x%p\n", elf->low_addr, elf->high_addr);
+
+ /*
+ * Iterate through all PT_LOAD segments and set up MMU permissions
+ * based on the segment's p_flags
+ */
+ elf_for_each_segment(phdr, elf, elf->hdr_buf) {
+ i++;
+
+ if (elf_phdr_p_type(elf, phdr) != PT_LOAD)
+ continue;
+
+ u64 p_vaddr = elf_phdr_p_vaddr(elf, phdr);
+ u64 p_memsz = elf_phdr_p_memsz(elf, phdr);
+ u32 p_flags = elf_phdr_p_flags(elf, phdr);
+
+ /*
+ * Calculate actual address after relocation.
+ * For ET_EXEC: reloc_offset is 0, use p_vaddr directly
+ * For ET_DYN: reloc_offset adjusts virtual to actual address
+ */
+ unsigned long addr = p_vaddr + elf->reloc_offset;
+ unsigned long size = p_memsz;
+ unsigned long segment_end = addr + size;
+
+ /* Validate segment is within available memory */
+ if (segment_end < addr || /* overflow check */
+ addr < membase ||
+ segment_end > membase + memsize) {
+ pr_err("Segment %d outside memory bounds\n", i);
+ return -EINVAL;
+ }
+
+ /* Validate alignment - warn and round if needed */
+ if (!IS_ALIGNED(size, PAGE_SIZE)) {
+ pr_debug("Segment %d not page-aligned, rounding\n", i);
+ size = ALIGN(size, PAGE_SIZE);
+ }
+
+ unsigned int mmu_flags = elf_flags_to_mmu_flags(p_flags);
+
+ pr_debug("Segment %d: addr=0x%08lx size=0x%08lx flags=0x%x [%c%c%c] -> mmu_flags=0x%x\n",
+ i, addr, size, p_flags,
+ (p_flags & PF_R) ? 'R' : '-',
+ (p_flags & PF_W) ? 'W' : '-',
+ (p_flags & PF_X) ? 'X' : '-',
+ mmu_flags);
+
+ /*
+ * Remap this segment with proper permissions.
+ */
+ remap_range((void *)addr, size, mmu_flags);
+ }
+
+ pr_debug("MMU setup from ELF complete\n");
+ return 0;
+}
--
2.47.3
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2026-01-16 8:36 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 24+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-01-16 8:12 [PATCH v5 00/22] PBL: Add PBL ELF loading support with dynamic relocations Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 01/22] Makefile.compiler: add objcopy-option Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 02/22] elf: only accept images matching the native ELF_CLASS Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 03/22] elf: build for PBL as well Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 04/22] elf: add elf segment iterator Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 05/22] elf: add dynamic relocation support Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 06/22] ARM: implement elf_apply_relocations() for ELF " Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 07/22] riscv: define generic relocate_image Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 08/22] riscv: implement elf_apply_relocations() for ELF relocation support Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 09/22] elf: implement elf_load_inplace() Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 10/22] elf: create elf_open_binary_into() Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 11/22] Makefile: add vmbarebox build target Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 12/22] PBL: allow to link ELF image into PBL Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 13/22] mmu: add MAP_CACHED_RO mapping type Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 14/22] ARM: drop arm_fixup_vectors() Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 15/22] ARM: linker script: create separate PT_LOAD segments for text, rodata, and data Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 16/22] ARM: link ELF image into PBL Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 17/22] ARM: cleanup barebox proper entry Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` Sascha Hauer [this message]
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 19/22] riscv: linker script: create separate PT_LOAD segments for text, rodata, and data Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 20/22] riscv: link ELF image into PBL Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 21/22] riscv: Allwinner D1: Drop M-Mode Sascha Hauer
2026-01-16 8:12 ` [PATCH v5 22/22] riscv: add ELF segment-based memory protection with MMU Sascha Hauer
2026-01-19 12:23 ` [PATCH v5 00/22] PBL: Add PBL ELF loading support with dynamic relocations Sascha Hauer
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