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authorLinus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>2026-09-13 12:27:00 -0700
committerLinus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>2026-09-13 12:27:00 -0700
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Merge tag 'trace-v7.3-rc2' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/trace/linux-tracegrafted
Pull tracing fixes from Steven Rostedt: - Don't destroy user event fields when removal fails User event fields are destroyed before the event is removed from visibility. But that can fail leaving the still visible event with no fields. Move the destroying of the fields to after the event is successfully removed from visibility. - Initialize function graph state is fork before calling copy_exec_state() For non-CLONE_VM forks, copy_exec_state() allocates a new task_exec_state. If that allocation fails, ftrace_graph_exit_task() will free the tasks ret_stack pointer. Since that pointer is still using the parent's ret_stack, it mistakenly frees the parent's pointer too. Call ftrace_graph_init() on the task first which will NULL out the new tasks's ret_stack and if the copy fails, it will not free anything. - Remove FGRAPH_MAX_INDEX The macro FGRAPH_MAX_INDEX was added but never used. Remove it. - Save ent_size in function graph printing of nested functions The function graph tracer needs to look at the next event to see if the next event is the return of the current function entry. If it is, it prints a single line: ktime_get(); Otherwise it prints it like a nested function: tick_nohz_irq_exit() { ktime_get(); kcpustat_irq_exit(); } In order to look at the next event, it must save the current event so that it has the information to print from it. It saves the event in the iterator descriptor called "ent". What it doesn't save is the ent_size of the event which is now used to know if the function graph arguments are to be printed. The peek doesn't save the size so the size used happens to be that of the size of the last event that was seen. Save the entry event size in the iterator descriptor so that the correct size is used. - Fix several errors with freeing data in the histogram code The histogram code had a lot of leaked or or incorrect accounting when failures happen. Correct them. - Fix histogram regression of .percent and .graph modifiers Up until 6.3 histogram values could have "percent" or "graph" modifiers that changed how they were printed. But a change that added restricting histograms values from being strings, stack traces and other modifiers inadvertently prevented them from using the percent and graph modifiers, which were legal use cases for values. Put back the percent and graph modifiers. - Fix various typos in the comments - Set the trace_clock before initializing a histogram with clock argument The histogram API allows the user to specific which trace clock to use via a "clock=" string. The histogram is set up first before the clock is checked. If the passed in clock is not valid, it exits without fully fixing up the histogram leaving it on the list and a use-after-free can trigger. Update the clock argument first and if it fails then exit gracefully before the histogram trigger is placed on any lists. - Restore :mod: trailer after parsing in ftrace_set_clr_event The function ftrace_set_clr_event() modifies the parse string and needs to put it back to what was passed in. It searches for ":mod:" via a strsep() but fails to put back the first ':' in the string. Add back the ':' in the passed in string. - Take trace_array reference when opening a tracer options file The options files are dynamically created and some tracers add their own options. When a tracer adds their own list of options, the trace_array holding them has an array to hold the list of options for each tracer. This array increases in size via a krealloc(), and the new entry gets a newly allocated array to hold the options of the new tracer being added. The element in each entry of the tracer's option array holds a pointer back to the trace_array, a pointer to the tracer it is associated to, a pointer to the flags of the option. The issue is that these arrays are freed when the trace_array is freed when its instance it represents is removed from the instances directory. There's a race that an open of one of these options files can happen when the instance is being removed. Add a new helper function to be called by the open function of the options file to iterate all existing trace_arrays under a lock and find the one that has the given option element in one of it's tracer arrays. If found, then update the associated trace_array's reference counter to keep it from being freed. If not found, have the open call return -ENODEV. - Disable interrupts when acquiring the lock in rb_wake_up_waiters() The function rb_wake_up_waiters() assumes it will be called in interrupt context and does not disable irqs when taking cpu_buffer->reader_lock, which can be called in hard interrupt context. The issue is in PREEMPT_RT, this function is called in thread context leaving this lock open to a deadlock. Take the lock with interrupts disabled. - Use rcu_assign_pointer() for tmp_ops filter hash The tmp_ops used in update_ftrace_direct_mod() assigns its filter_hash field directly, but that field is annotated as __rcu and sparse complains. Assign it with rcu_assign_pointer() - Fix use-after-free in enable_trigger_private_data_free() The trace_event_call is accessed through the event_trigger_data's trace_event_file pointer to put the trace_event_call on freeing. The issue is that the trace_event_file data may have been freed already causing a use-after-free. Add a field to the event_trigger_data that points directly to the trace_event_call so that it can decrement its reference directly without needing to go through the trace_event_file. - Fix accounting of buffer data remote headers trace_buffer_desc_size() and trace_remote_alloc_buffer() undercount the number of pages is needed for the asked for size as it doesn't take into account the meta data on each page. Add a helper function to do the calculation properly and use that in these functions. - Catch nr_page_va overflow in ring_buffer_desc sizing The number of pages per remote ring buffer is capped by ring_buffer_desc::nr_page_va (32 bits). A buffer_size large enough to overflow that field would silently allocate a descriptor smaller than what was asked for. - Do not resize the subbuf order if any per_cpu buffer is disabled The mmapping of ring buffers disables resizing the subbuffers, but it is done per-cpu whereas the subbuf size change is done for all the per_cpu buffers under the buffer->mutex. It could change the size of some while the mapping is happening on others. Have the resize of the subbuf order check all the per_cpu buffers under the lock to see if any of them is disabled before starting and causing an inconsistency between buffers that are being mapped. * tag 'trace-v7.3-rc2' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/trace/linux-trace: (25 commits) ring-buffer: Check resize_disabled before publishing the new subbuf order tracing/remotes: Catch nr_page_va overflow in ring_buffer_desc sizing tracing/remotes: Account for ring buffer page header in size calculation tracing: Don't dereference trace_event_file in deferred trigger free ftrace: Use rcu_assign_pointer() for tmp_ops filter hash ring-buffer: Acquire the lock with irqsave in rb_wake_up_waiters() tracing: Take trace_array reference when opening a tracer options file tracing: Fix ring_buffer_read_page_size() kernel-doc tracing: Restore :mod: trailer after parsing in ftrace_set_clr_event() tracing: Fix memory corruption from a "STACKTRACE" histogram key tracing: Fix memory corruption from the histogram stacktrace modifier tracing: Undo the registration when enabling the histogram trigger fails tracing: Take the reference before publishing the named histogram trigger tracing: Set the trace clock before registering the histogram trigger tracing: Fix typo "preceeded" in comment tracing: Fix typo "availabe" in comment tracing: Let histogram values keep the percent and graph modifiers tracing: Keep the entry count when the histogram stats allocation fails tracing: Free histogram the field rejected for a bad modifier tracing: Free histogram the var ref when its initialization fails ...
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+.. _serial_console:
+
+Linux Serial Console
+====================
+
+To use a serial port as console you need to compile the support into your
+kernel - by default it is not compiled in. For PC style serial ports
+it's the config option next to menu option:
+
+:menuselection:`Character devices --> Serial drivers --> 8250/16550 and compatible serial support --> Console on 8250/16550 and compatible serial port`
+
+You must compile serial support into the kernel and not as a module.
+
+It is possible to specify multiple devices for console output. You can
+define a new kernel command line option to select which device(s) to
+use for console output.
+
+The format of this option is::
+
+ console=device,options
+
+ device: tty0 for the foreground virtual console
+ ttyX for any other virtual console
+ ttySx for a serial port
+ lp0 for the first parallel port
+ ttyUSB0 for the first USB serial device
+
+ options: depend on the driver. For the serial port this
+ defines the baudrate/parity/bits/flow control of
+ the port, in the format BBBBPNF, where BBBB is the
+ speed, P is parity (n/o/e), N is number of bits,
+ and F is flow control ('r' for RTS). Default is
+ 9600n8. The maximum baudrate is 115200.
+
+You can specify multiple console= options on the kernel command line.
+
+The behavior is well defined when each device type is mentioned only once.
+In this case, the output will appear on all requested consoles. And
+the last device will be used when you open ``/dev/console``.
+So, for example::
+
+ console=ttyS1,9600 console=tty0
+
+defines that opening ``/dev/console`` will get you the current foreground
+virtual console, and kernel messages will appear on both the VGA
+console and the 2nd serial port (ttyS1 or COM2) at 9600 baud.
+
+The behavior is more complicated when the same device type is defined more
+times. In this case, there are the following two rules:
+
+1. The output will appear only on the first device of each defined type.
+
+2. ``/dev/console`` will be associated with the first registered device.
+ Where the registration order depends on how kernel initializes various
+ subsystems.
+
+ This rule is used also when the last console= parameter is not used
+ for other reasons. For example, because of a typo or because
+ the hardware is not available.
+
+The result might be surprising. For example, the following two command
+lines have the same result::
+
+ console=ttyS1,9600 console=tty0 console=tty1
+ console=tty0 console=ttyS1,9600 console=tty1
+
+The kernel messages are printed only on ``tty0`` and ``ttyS1``. And
+``/dev/console`` gets associated with ``tty0``. It is because kernel
+tries to register graphical consoles before serial ones. It does it
+because of the default behavior when no console device is specified,
+see below.
+
+Note that the last ``console=tty1`` parameter still makes a difference.
+The kernel command line is used also by systemd. It would use the last
+defined ``tty1`` as the login console.
+
+If no console device is specified, the first device found capable of
+acting as a system console will be used. At this time, the system
+first looks for a VGA card and then for a serial port. So if you don't
+have a VGA card in your system the first serial port will automatically
+become the console, unless the kernel is configured with the
+CONFIG_NULL_TTY_DEFAULT_CONSOLE option, then it will default to using the
+ttynull device.
+
+You will need to create a new device to use ``/dev/console``. The official
+``/dev/console`` is now character device 5,1.
+
+(You can also use a network device as a console. See
+``Documentation/networking/netconsole.rst`` for information on that.)
+
+Here's an example that will use ``/dev/ttyS1`` (COM2) as the console.
+Replace the sample values as needed.
+
+1. Create ``/dev/console`` (real console) and ``/dev/tty0`` (master virtual
+ console)::
+
+ cd /dev
+ rm -f console tty0
+ mknod -m 622 console c 5 1
+ mknod -m 622 tty0 c 4 0
+
+2. LILO can also take input from a serial device. This is a very
+ useful option. To tell LILO to use the serial port:
+ In lilo.conf (global section)::
+
+ serial = 1,9600n8 (ttyS1, 9600 bd, no parity, 8 bits)
+
+3. Adjust to kernel flags for the new kernel,
+ again in lilo.conf (kernel section)::
+
+ append = "console=ttyS1,9600"
+
+4. Make sure a getty runs on the serial port so that you can login to
+ it once the system is done booting. This is done by adding a line
+ like this to ``/etc/inittab`` (exact syntax depends on your getty)::
+
+ S1:23:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyS1 9600 vt100
+
+5. Init and ``/etc/ioctl.save``
+
+ Sysvinit remembers its stty settings in a file in ``/etc``, called
+ ``/etc/ioctl.save``. REMOVE THIS FILE before using the serial
+ console for the first time, because otherwise init will probably
+ set the baudrate to 38400 (baudrate of the virtual console).
+
+6. ``/dev/console`` and X
+ Programs that want to do something with the virtual console usually
+ open ``/dev/console``. If you have created the new ``/dev/console`` device,
+ and your console is NOT the virtual console some programs will fail.
+ Those are programs that want to access the VT interface, and use
+ ``/dev/console instead of /dev/tty0``. Some of those programs are::
+
+ Xfree86, svgalib, gpm, SVGATextMode
+
+ It should be fixed in modern versions of these programs though.
+
+ Note that if you boot without a ``console=`` option (or with
+ ``console=/dev/tty0``), ``/dev/console`` is the same as ``/dev/tty0``.
+ In that case everything will still work.
+
+7. Thanks
+
+ Thanks to Geert Uytterhoeven <geert@linux-m68k.org>
+ for porting the patches from 2.1.4x to 2.1.6x for taking care of
+ the integration of these patches into m68k, ppc and alpha.
+
+Miquel van Smoorenburg <miquels@cistron.nl>, 11-Jun-2000