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17k Lines Of New Rust Kernel Code Heading Into Linux 7.4 (www.phoronix.com)

submitted 1 week ago by cm0002@lemdro.id to c/linux@programming.dev

10 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Miguel Ojeda sent out his pull request of the new Rust kernel code slated for introduction in Linux 7.4. It's a big one this round due to updating the Zerocopy vendored library plus updating other Rust crates for the kernel.

The Zerocopy crate update is a big one in jumping eight versions ahead. This is the code providing traits and macros to safely convert between raw byte sequences and structured types. Rust for Linux 7.4 also has other toolchain and infrastructure updates, enabling the unstable proc_macro_span feature for better diagnostics of all procedural macros, and more.

The Rust kernel create adds new "mem" and "ratelimit" modules while improving some of the existing modules. The pin-init crate is adding support for tuple structs as well as allowing for the safe creation of self-references. There is also much improved diagnostics.

More details on these central Rust code changes for Linux 7.4 can be found via this pull request. Via individual subsystem pull requests will also be more Rust code for Linux 7.4, like the NVIDIA Nova driver improvements for Linux 7.4 and the other Rust DRM infrastructure work that brings.

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[–] refalo@programming.dev 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If someone makes a Rust-free fork, please name it Stainless.

[–] groche@lemmy.rochegmr.com -2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Is very easy to build the kernel without rust, and is the default scenario

[–] refalo@programming.dev 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

it is not the default

[–] groche@lemmy.rochegmr.com 0 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

The default is GCC, and you need to build the kernel with clang to build the kernel with the rust support, how is possible rust arrives by default? https://docs.kernel.org/rust/quick-start.html

Maybe is the default in your distribution, but is not the default in the kernel

[–] refalo@programming.dev 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

you need to build the kernel with clang to build the kernel with the rust support

I believe this statement is incompatible with how C works. The kernel can load modules written in any language as long as it outputs a .ko, so there can be no technical requirement for building the rest of the kernel itself with clang.

[–] groche@lemmy.rochegmr.com 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You can't load modules built with a different compiler. The modules aren't external programs, the modules are literally part of the kernel. And if you want to use a module wrote in rust you also need to have built in the rust support in the kernel

[–] refalo@programming.dev 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

You can’t load modules built with a different compiler.

Sure you can. There's even multiple guides for how to write C++ kernel modules, which inherently is going to use a different compiler than what was used for the kernel itself.

if you want to use a module wrote in rust you also need to have built in the rust support in the kernel

Only if the module uses rust-specific interfaces in the kernel, otherwise it can be assembled into a .ko to have plain C-style symbols loaded by the kernel like normal.

[–] nightwatch_admin@lemmy.world -3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

How much of this will be slop?