[7/10] libc, sched: Resolve FDPIC descriptors at module callback entry points

[casaroli]

Summary

[5/10] #19942, [5.5/10] #19940 and [6/10] #20089 are merged: an FDPIC object is placed, bound and relocated. This makes the firmware callable from one.

The base firmware and an FDPIC module disagree about what a function pointer is. Firmware is not built FDPIC, so to it a pointer is a code address and it branches there. A module passes the address of a two word descriptor instead, because its code and data are placed independently and a bare code address would leave the callee unable to find its own data. A firmware routine handed a module's callback therefore branches into the module's data segment and faults.

So the ten entry points that can be handed a callback resolve the descriptor before storing or branching to it: qsort, bsearch, pthread_create, signal, sigaction, task_create and task_create_with_stack, task_spawn, pthread_once, scandir, and mq_notify and timer_create with SIGEV_THREAD.

Which one resolves matters as much as that one does. Resolving twice would take an already resolved code address for a descriptor and read two words from the instruction stream, so each pointer is resolved exactly once, at the outermost point that sees it. signal() passes its argument through untouched because sigaction() and then nxsig_action() will resolve it, which also covers a module calling sigaction() directly. qsort() is split so the public entry resolves and the recursive implementation does not. scandir() resolves its filter but not its comparison function, which it hands to qsort().

Whether the caller is a module at all is asked of the PIC base register, which up_initial_state() sets only for a task that has a D-Space, so a plain kernel task reads zero and is left alone.

SIGEV_THREAD is the case the register cannot answer, because the callback runs later on a work queue worker carrying no module's base. The base is captured when the notification is registered, in the module's own context, and installed around the call.

Impact

All of it is behind CONFIG_FDPIC, which defaults off and is only selectable where ARCH_HAVE_ELF_FDPIC is set.

qsort() gains an internal split and scandir() a blank line; everything else is #ifdef'd. With the option off the entry points are what they were.

Testing

mps3-an547:picostest builds with CONFIG_FDPIC off and on.

tools/checkpatch.sh -c -u -m -g passes.

The run time evidence for the descriptors themselves is in [10/10], whose pimoroni-pico-2-plus:xipfs-fdpic carries apps/testing/fs/xipfs: it exercises qsort and SIGEV_THREAD callbacks from a loaded module, which is what this patch exists to make work.

[github-actions]

MemBrowse Memory Report

hifive1-revb

• flash: .text +4 B (+0.0%, 83,728 B / 4,194,304 B, total: 2% used)

qemu-armv8a

• Code: .text.qsort -896 B (+0.0%, 337,024 B)

qemu-intel64

• Code: .text +16 B (+0.0%, 8,659,829 B)

s698pm-dkit

• Code: .text +64 B (+0.0%, 367,744 B)
  No memory changes detected for:
• arduino-mega2560
• esp32-devkitc
• mirtoo
• rx65n-rsk2mb
• stm32-nucleo-f103rb

[github-actions]

🔗 Cross-repo PR dependencies

The read-only Build run reported the following dependent PR(s) and fetched head SHA(s):

• [6/10] libs/libc/machine/arm: Relocate FDPIC function descriptors #20089 @ 74836bc

CI run: https://github.com/apache/nuttx/actions/runs/34770810263

[xiaoxiang781216]

why not call fdpic_callback to wrap the callback with got at register site?like other change?

[casaroli]

because nxsig_notification() does not run in the module's context. it is called by drivers, timer_settime() or mq_sndinternal(). mq_notify() and timer_create() run in the module context, so those were fixed now.

[github-actions]

❌ Cross-repo dependency could not be applied

The Build report says the declared dependency PR(s) could not be applied, so CI did not run against the combined code:

• [6/10] libs/libc/machine/arm: Relocate FDPIC function descriptors #20089

Reason: cherry-pick failed (if your PR has merge commits, rebase instead)

CI run: https://github.com/apache/nuttx/actions/runs/34837949470