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Date:      Mon, 20 Jun 2005 15:38:43 -0400
From:      Aziz Kezzou <french.linuxian@gmail.com>
To:        John Baldwin <jhb@freebsd.org>
Cc:        freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org, Andrey Simonenko <simon@comsys.ntu-kpi.kiev.ua>
Subject:   Re: FreeBSD Memory Management questions ?
Message-ID:  <3727392705062012385d75d5c0@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <200506201037.43599.jhb@FreeBSD.org>
References:  <37273927050614012154fdb80b@mail.gmail.com> <20050614120706.GA539@pm514-9.comsys.ntu-kpi.kiev.ua> <3727392705061919494ea7e0ad@mail.gmail.com> <200506201037.43599.jhb@FreeBSD.org>

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On 6/20/05, John Baldwin <jhb@freebsd.org> wrote:
> On Sunday 19 June 2005 10:49 pm, Aziz Kezzou wrote:
> > > On Tue, Jun 14, 2005 at 04:21:41AM -0400, Aziz Kezzou wrote:
> > > > 1 - Right now to access the memory address space of a user process
> > > > from kernel mode, I only have to set, on x86 systems, the register =
CR3
> > > > to the right value.  How can I do that on other architectures ? is
> > > > there an architecture-independant way of doing that ?
> > >
> > > Addition to the previous answer.  It is also possible to temporally
> > > map several pages of user memory into the kernel address space.
> > > Check pmap_qenter(9) and see physio -> vmapbuf, for example, how to
> > > use it.  Another method, it is possible to COW a single user page and
> > > then use it in the kernel, but with this method an user process will
> > > not see any modification in this page made by the kernel and vice
> > > versa. Check socow_setup -> vm_page_cowsetup, for example, how to
> > > use it.
> >
> > Very interesting !
> >
> > Right now I am using the fact that the kernel address space is maped
> > on i386 machines into the user address space. So when I am executing a
> > system call I can access kernel memory.
> > I am wondering if there is an architecture-independant way of doing
> > that ? (Notice that I need not only read kernel memory but also free
> > it. e.g, mbufs ) or at least could you tell me if that's  possible on
> > other architectures ?
>=20
> Are you modifying kernel memory from userland or are you trying to access=
 user
> memory from kernel code?
>=20

I want to be able to modify BOTH user and kernel memory in kernel mode.

Typically, a user process invoques a system call. While executing the
system call I need to have r/w access to the calling process's memory
(which is normally OK) and also r/w access to kernel's memory. Note :
the user pages that are access from kernel mode are wired to avoid a
page-fault inside the kernel, is that necessary ?

Also is there a way of sharing part of the user memory space with the
kernel. In a way that both have access to it and both see each others
work (i.e, no copy-on-write ) ?

Thanks,
-aziz



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