[foreign-memaccess+abi] RFR: 8301228: Add more ways to resize zero-length memory segments
Maurizio Cimadamore
mcimadamore at openjdk.org
Fri Jan 27 11:23:36 UTC 2023
When dealing with native libraries, it is not uncommon to obtain zero-length memory segments. Since the size of these segment is zero (for safety reasons), clients need to be able to resize these segments.
At the time of writing, there are two ways to resize zero-length memory segment:
* By calling `MemorySegment.ofAddress`, and obtaining a new segment with desired base address, size and lifetime.
* By using an "unbounded" layout (e.g. OfAddress.asUnbounded()) in order to perform address dereference.
Both approaches can be improved. First, while `MemorySegment.ofAddress` is a good primitive to create truly custom native segments, sometimes the only thing a client wants to do is to quickly be able to resize the segment to the desired size.
Secondly, while unbounded address layouts are useful, there are cases where the size of the dereferenced segment is known statically. It is a bit sad that the API does not let clients to specify a _bounded_ size to be specified for a given address layout (as that would lead to safer code). Of course, in some cases the size would still be unknonw statically, so there has to be a way to go unbounded, if needed.
This patch fixes rectifies the situation in two ways:
* by adding a method, namely `MemorySegment::asUnbounded()` which allows to obtain a view of a native segment with maximal size (i.e. `Long.MAX_VALUE`). Note that clients can first use this method, and then use regular slicing methods to further restrict the size, as required.
* by replacing the `OfAddress::asUnbounded()` method with a more targeted `OfAddress::withTargetLayout(MemoryLayout)`. Note that the unbounded behavior can still be obtained by passing something like `MemoryLayout.sequenceLayout(JAVA_BYTE)`.
When working on the patch we have considered other options, such as that of adding unsafe slicing methods which can be thought of as the composition of `asUnbounded` with some other (safe) slicing method. And, whether or not to keep `OfAddress::asUnbounded` (as a shortcut).
I would like to start from the more principled approach in this patch. Since the methods we are talking about are all restricted, there is a certain appeal in trying to keep their number limited. And, duplicating all the slicing methods into new restricted variants can increase the footprint of the MemorySegment API for a relatively little gain. That said, other overloads can always be added as required, at a later point.
Note that this patch also adds more safe slicing variants, namely:
* asSlice(long offset, MemoryLayout)
* asSlice(long offset, long newSize, long byteAlignment)
The former is very handy when resizing an unbounded segment to a given layout (e.g. JAVA_INT). Since it takes a layout parameter, it makes sense to check if the resulting slice conforms to the alignment constraint specified by the memory layout. The second method is basically the "real" slicing primitive - which does resizing, offset and alignment check. All other slicing methods can be explained in terms of this.
Interestingly, thanks to the new slicing methods, we can now more easily deal with alignment checks from `slicingAllocator` and `prefixAllocator`.
Another note: for the time being, `MemorySegment::asUnbounded` will only work on native segments. While the implementation could be easily made total, I'm a bit skeptical of allowing out-of-bound access from a Java array :-)
-------------
Commit messages:
- Add alignment check on prefix allocator
- Add safe slicing method which checks alignment.
- Update src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/foreign/MemorySegment.java
- Update src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/foreign/MemorySegment.java
- Update src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/foreign/MemorySegment.java
- Update src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/foreign/MemorySegment.java
- Update src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/foreign/MemorySegment.java
- Add tests
- Improve toString for address and sequence layout.
- Initial push
Changes: https://git.openjdk.org/panama-foreign/pull/775/files
Webrev: https://webrevs.openjdk.org/?repo=panama-foreign&pr=775&range=00
Issue: https://bugs.openjdk.org/browse/JDK-8301228
Stats: 612 lines in 27 files changed: 493 ins; 3 del; 116 mod
Patch: https://git.openjdk.org/panama-foreign/pull/775.diff
Fetch: git fetch https://git.openjdk.org/panama-foreign pull/775/head:pull/775
PR: https://git.openjdk.org/panama-foreign/pull/775
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