rust-raspberrypi-OS-tutorials/17_kernel_symbols

Tutorial 17 - Kernel Symbols

tl;dr

• To enrich and augment existing and future debugging code, we add support for kernel symbol lookup.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Implementation
  • Linking Changes
  • Kernel Symbols Tool
  • Lookup Code
• Test it
• Diff to previous

Introduction

Ever since the first tutorial, it was possible to execute the make nm target in order to view all kernel symbols. The kernel itself, however, does not have any means yet to correlate a virtual address to a symbol during runtime. Gaining this capability would be useful for augmenting debug-related prints. For example, when the kernel is handling an exception, it prints the content of the exception link register, which is the program address where the CPU was executing from when the exception happened.

Until now, in order to understand to which function or code such an address belongs to, a manual lookup by the person debugging the issue was necessary. In this tutorial, we are adding a data structure to the kernel which contains all the symbol names and corresponding address ranges. This enables the kernel to print symbol names in existing and future debug-related code, which improves triaging of issues by humans, because it does away with the manual lookup.

This tutorial is mostly is an enabler for the upcoming tutorial that will add backtracing support.

Implementation

First of all, a new support crate is added under $ROOT/libraries/debug-symbol-types. It contains the definition for struct Symbol:

/// A symbol containing a size.
#[repr(C)]
pub struct Symbol {
    addr_range: Range<usize>,
    name: &'static str,
}

To enable the kernel to lookup symbol names, we will add an array to the kernel binary that contains all the kernel symbols. Because we can query the final symbol names and addresses only after the kernel has been linked, the same approach as for the translation tables will be used: The symbols array will be patched into a placeholder section of the final kernel ELF.

Linking Changes

In the kernel.ld linker script, we define a new section named kernel_symbols and give it a size of 32 KiB:

    .rodata         : ALIGN(8) { *(.rodata*) } :segment_code
    .got            : ALIGN(8) { *(.got)     } :segment_code
    .kernel_symbols : ALIGN(8) {
        __kernel_symbols_start = .;
        . += 32 * 1024;
    } :segment_code

Also, we are providing the start address of the section through the symbol __kernel_symbols_start, which will be used by our Rust code later on.

Kernel Symbols Tool

Under $ROOT/tools/kernel_symbols_tool, we are adding a helper tool that is able to dynamically generate an array of all the kernel symbols and patch it into the final kernel ELF. In our main Makefile, we are invoking the tool after the translation table generation. In the first step, the tool generates a temporary Rust file that instantiates the symbols array. Here is an example of how this can look like:

$ head ./target/aarch64-unknown-none-softfloat/release/kernel+ttables_symbols_demangled.rs

use debug_symbol_types::Symbol;

# [no_mangle]
# [link_section = ".rodata.symbol_desc"]
static KERNEL_SYMBOLS: [Symbol; 139] = [
    Symbol::new(18446744072635809792, 124, "_start"),
    Symbol::new(18446744072635809920, 8, "BOOT_CORE_ID"),
    Symbol::new(18446744072635809928, 8, "PHYS_KERNEL_TABLES_BASE_ADDR"),
    Symbol::new(18446744072635809936, 80, "_start_rust"),
    Symbol::new(18446744072635813888, 84, "__exception_restore_context"),
    // Many more

Next, the helper crate $ROOT/kernel_symbols is compiled. This crate contains a single main.rs that just includes the temporary symbols file shown above.

//! Generation of kernel symbols.

#![no_std]
#![no_main]

#[cfg(feature = "generated_symbols_available")]
include!(env!("KERNEL_SYMBOLS_DEMANGLED_RS"));

KERNEL_SYMBOLS_DEMANGLED_RS is set by the corresponding build.rs file. The helper crate has its own linker file, which ensures that that just the array and the corresponding strings that it references are kept:

SECTIONS
{
    .rodata : {
        ASSERT(. > 0xffffffff00000000, "Expected higher half address")

        KEEP(*(.rodata.symbol_desc*))
        . = ALIGN(8);
        *(.rodata*)
    }
}

Afterwards, objcopy is used to strip the produced helper crate ELF. What remains is a small binary blob that just contains the symbols array and the names that are referenced. To ensure that these references are valid kernel addresses (remember that those are defined as name: &'static str, so basically a pointer to a kernel address), the sub-makefile compiling this helper crate ($ROOT/kernel_symbols.mk) did the following:

It used the kernel_symbols_tool to query the virtual address of the kernel_symbols section (of the final kernel ELF). This address was then supplied to the linker when the helper crate was linked (emphasis on the --section-start=.rodata= part):

GET_SYMBOLS_SECTION_VIRT_ADDR = $(DOCKER_TOOLS) $(EXEC_SYMBOLS_TOOL) \
    --get_symbols_section_virt_addr $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_OUTPUT_ELF)

RUSTFLAGS = -C link-arg=--script=$(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_LINKER_SCRIPT) \
    -C link-arg=--section-start=.rodata=$$($(GET_SYMBOLS_SECTION_VIRT_ADDR))

This might be a bit convoluted, but the main take away is: This ensures that the start address of the .rodata section of the kernel_symbols helper crate is exactly the same address as the placeholder section of the final kernel ELF where the symbols binary blob will be patched into. The latter is the last step done by the tool.

Lookup Code

In the kernel, we add the file src/symbols.rs. It makes the linker-provided symbol __kernel_symbols_start that we saw earlier accesible, and also defines NUM_KERNEL_SYMBOLS:

#[no_mangle]
static NUM_KERNEL_SYMBOLS: u64 = 0;

When the kernel_symbols_tool patches the symbols blob into the kernel ELF, it also updates this value to reflect the number of symbols that are available. This is needed for the code that internally crafts the slice of symbols that the kernel uses for lookup:

fn kernel_symbol_section_virt_start_addr() -> Address<Virtual> {
    Address::new(unsafe { __kernel_symbols_start.get() as usize })
}

fn num_kernel_symbols() -> usize {
    unsafe {
        // Read volatile is needed here to prevent the compiler from optimizing NUM_KERNEL_SYMBOLS
        // away.
        core::ptr::read_volatile(&NUM_KERNEL_SYMBOLS as *const u64) as usize
    }
}

fn kernel_symbols_slice() -> &'static [Symbol] {
    let ptr = kernel_symbol_section_virt_start_addr().as_usize() as *const Symbol;

    unsafe { slice::from_raw_parts(ptr, num_kernel_symbols()) }
}

Lookup is done by just iterating over the slice:

/// Retrieve the symbol corresponding to a virtual address, if any.
pub fn lookup_symbol(addr: Address<Virtual>) -> Option<&'static Symbol> {
    kernel_symbols_slice()
        .iter()
        .find(|&i| i.contains(addr.as_usize()))
}

And that's it for this tutorial. The upcoming tutorial on backtracing will put this code to more prominent use.

Test it

For now, symbol lookup can be observed in the integration test for synchronous exception handling. Here, the kernel now also prints the symbol name that corresponds to the value of ELR_EL1. In the following case, this is kernel_init(), which is where the the exception is generated in the test:

$ TEST=02_exception_sync_page_fault make test_integration
[...]
         -------------------------------------------------------------------
         🦀 Testing synchronous exception handling by causing a page fault
         -------------------------------------------------------------------

         [    0.002640] Writing to bottom of address space to address 1 GiB...
         [    0.004549] Kernel panic!

         Panic location:
               File 'kernel/src/_arch/aarch64/exception.rs', line 59, column 5

         CPU Exception!

         ESR_EL1: 0x96000004

         ...

         ELR_EL1: 0xffffffffc0001118
               Symbol: kernel_init

Diff to previous

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/Cargo.toml 17_kernel_symbols/Cargo.toml
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/Cargo.toml
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/Cargo.toml
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@

 members = [
         "libraries/*",
-        "kernel"
+        "kernel",
+        "kernel_symbols"
 ]

 [profile.release]

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/Cargo.toml 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/Cargo.toml
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/Cargo.toml
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "mingo"
-version = "0.16.0"
+version = "0.17.0"
 authors = ["Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>"]
 edition = "2021"

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@

 [dependencies]
 test-types = { path = "../libraries/test-types" }
+debug-symbol-types = { path = "../libraries/debug-symbol-types" }

 # Optional dependencies
 tock-registers = { version = "0.8.x", default-features = false, features = ["register_types"], optional = true }

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/src/_arch/aarch64/exception.rs 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/src/_arch/aarch64/exception.rs
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/src/_arch/aarch64/exception.rs
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/src/_arch/aarch64/exception.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 //!
 //! crate::exception::arch_exception

-use crate::exception;
+use crate::{exception, memory, symbols};
 use aarch64_cpu::{asm::barrier, registers::*};
 use core::{arch::global_asm, cell::UnsafeCell, fmt};
 use tock_registers::{
@@ -260,6 +260,14 @@

         writeln!(f, "{}", self.spsr_el1)?;
         writeln!(f, "ELR_EL1: {:#018x}", self.elr_el1)?;
+        writeln!(
+            f,
+            "      Symbol: {}",
+            match symbols::lookup_symbol(memory::Address::new(self.elr_el1 as usize)) {
+                Some(sym) => sym.name(),
+                _ => "Symbol not found",
+            }
+        )?;
         writeln!(f)?;
         writeln!(f, "General purpose register:")?;


diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/src/bsp/raspberrypi/kernel.ld 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/src/bsp/raspberrypi/kernel.ld
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/src/bsp/raspberrypi/kernel.ld
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/src/bsp/raspberrypi/kernel.ld
@@ -56,7 +56,11 @@
         *(.text*)                 /* Everything else */
     } :segment_code

-    .rodata : ALIGN(8) { *(.rodata*) } :segment_code
+    .rodata         : ALIGN(8) { *(.rodata*) } :segment_code
+    .kernel_symbols : ALIGN(8) {
+        __kernel_symbols_start = .;
+        . += 32 * 1024;
+    } :segment_code

     . = ALIGN(PAGE_SIZE);
     __code_end_exclusive = .;

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/src/bsp/raspberrypi/memory.rs 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/src/bsp/raspberrypi/memory.rs
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/src/bsp/raspberrypi/memory.rs
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/src/bsp/raspberrypi/memory.rs
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 //! | .text                                 |
 //! | .rodata                               |
 //! | .got                                  |
+//! | .kernel_symbols                       |
 //! |                                       |
 //! +---------------------------------------+
 //! |                                       | data_start == code_end_exclusive
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@
 //! | .text                                 |
 //! | .rodata                               |
 //! | .got                                  |
+//! | .kernel_symbols                       |
 //! |                                       |
 //! +---------------------------------------+
 //! |                                       | data_start == code_end_exclusive

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/src/lib.rs 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/src/lib.rs
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/src/lib.rs
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/src/lib.rs
@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@
 pub mod memory;
 pub mod print;
 pub mod state;
+pub mod symbols;
 pub mod time;

 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/src/symbols.rs 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/src/symbols.rs
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel/src/symbols.rs
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel/src/symbols.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+//
+// Copyright (c) 2022 Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>
+
+//! Debug symbol support.
+
+use crate::memory::{Address, Virtual};
+use core::{cell::UnsafeCell, slice};
+use debug_symbol_types::Symbol;
+
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Private Definitions
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+// Symbol from the linker script.
+extern "Rust" {
+    static __kernel_symbols_start: UnsafeCell<()>;
+}
+
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Global instances
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// This will be patched to the correct value by the "kernel symbols tool" after linking. This given
+/// value here is just a (safe) dummy.
+#[no_mangle]
+static NUM_KERNEL_SYMBOLS: u64 = 0;
+
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Private Code
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+fn kernel_symbol_section_virt_start_addr() -> Address<Virtual> {
+    Address::new(unsafe { __kernel_symbols_start.get() as usize })
+}
+
+fn num_kernel_symbols() -> usize {
+    unsafe {
+        // Read volatile is needed here to prevent the compiler from optimizing NUM_KERNEL_SYMBOLS
+        // away.
+        core::ptr::read_volatile(&NUM_KERNEL_SYMBOLS as *const u64) as usize
+    }
+}
+
+fn kernel_symbols_slice() -> &'static [Symbol] {
+    let ptr = kernel_symbol_section_virt_start_addr().as_usize() as *const Symbol;
+
+    unsafe { slice::from_raw_parts(ptr, num_kernel_symbols()) }
+}
+
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Public Code
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// Retrieve the symbol corresponding to a virtual address, if any.
+pub fn lookup_symbol(addr: Address<Virtual>) -> Option<&'static Symbol> {
+    kernel_symbols_slice()
+        .iter()
+        .find(|&i| i.contains(addr.as_usize()))
+}
+
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Testing
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use test_macros::kernel_test;
+
+    /// Sanity of symbols module.
+    #[kernel_test]
+    fn symbols_sanity() {
+        let first_sym = lookup_symbol(Address::new(
+            crate::common::is_aligned as *const usize as usize,
+        ))
+        .unwrap()
+        .name();
+
+        assert_eq!(first_sym, "libkernel::common::is_aligned");
+
+        let second_sym = lookup_symbol(Address::new(crate::version as *const usize as usize))
+            .unwrap()
+            .name();
+
+        assert_eq!(second_sym, "libkernel::version");
+    }
+}

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel_symbols/build.rs 17_kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols/build.rs
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel_symbols/build.rs
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols/build.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+use std::{env, path::Path};
+
+fn main() {
+    if let Ok(path) = env::var("KERNEL_SYMBOLS_DEMANGLED_RS") {
+        if Path::new(&path).exists() {
+            println!("cargo:rustc-cfg=feature=\"generated_symbols_available\"")
+        }
+    }
+
+    println!(
+        "cargo:rerun-if-changed={}",
+        Path::new("kernel_symbols.ld").display()
+    );
+}

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel_symbols/Cargo.toml 17_kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols/Cargo.toml
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel_symbols/Cargo.toml
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+[package]
+name = "kernel_symbols"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition = "2021"
+
+[features]
+default = []
+generated_symbols_available = []
+
+##--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Dependencies
+##--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+[dependencies]
+debug-symbol-types = { path = "../libraries/debug-symbol-types" }

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols.ld 17_kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols.ld
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols.ld
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols.ld
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2022 Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>
+ */
+
+SECTIONS
+{
+    .rodata : {
+        ASSERT(. > 0xffffffff00000000, "Expected higher half address")
+
+        KEEP(*(.rodata.symbol_desc*))
+        . = ALIGN(8);
+        *(.rodata*)
+    }
+}

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel_symbols/src/main.rs 17_kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols/src/main.rs
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel_symbols/src/main.rs
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols/src/main.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+//
+// Copyright (c) 2022 Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>
+
+//! Generation of kernel symbols.
+
+#![no_std]
+#![no_main]
+
+#[cfg(feature = "generated_symbols_available")]
+include!(env!("KERNEL_SYMBOLS_DEMANGLED_RS"));
+
+#[panic_handler]
+fn panic(_info: &core::panic::PanicInfo) -> ! {
+    unimplemented!()
+}

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel_symbols.mk 17_kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols.mk
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/kernel_symbols.mk
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+## SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+##
+## Copyright (c) 2018-2022 Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>
+
+include ../common/format.mk
+include ../common/docker.mk
+
+##--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Check for input variables that need be exported by the calling Makefile
+##--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ifndef KERNEL_SYMBOLS_TOOL_PATH
+$(error KERNEL_SYMBOLS_TOOL_PATH is not set)
+endif
+
+ifndef TARGET
+$(error TARGET is not set)
+endif
+
+ifndef KERNEL_SYMBOLS_INPUT_ELF
+$(error KERNEL_SYMBOLS_INPUT_ELF is not set)
+endif
+
+ifndef KERNEL_SYMBOLS_OUTPUT_ELF
+$(error KERNEL_SYMBOLS_OUTPUT_ELF is not set)
+endif
+
+
+
+##--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Targets and Prerequisites
+##--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+KERNEL_SYMBOLS_MANIFEST      = kernel_symbols/Cargo.toml
+KERNEL_SYMBOLS_LINKER_SCRIPT = kernel_symbols/kernel_symbols.ld
+
+KERNEL_SYMBOLS_RS           = $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_INPUT_ELF)_symbols.rs
+KERNEL_SYMBOLS_DEMANGLED_RS = $(shell pwd)/$(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_INPUT_ELF)_symbols_demangled.rs
+
+KERNEL_SYMBOLS_ELF      = target/$(TARGET)/release/kernel_symbols
+KERNEL_SYMBOLS_STRIPPED = target/$(TARGET)/release/kernel_symbols_stripped
+
+# Export for build.rs of kernel_symbols crate.
+export KERNEL_SYMBOLS_DEMANGLED_RS
+
+
+
+##--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Command building blocks
+##--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+GET_SYMBOLS_SECTION_VIRT_ADDR = $(DOCKER_TOOLS) $(EXEC_SYMBOLS_TOOL) \
+    --get_symbols_section_virt_addr $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_OUTPUT_ELF)
+
+RUSTFLAGS = -C link-arg=--script=$(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_LINKER_SCRIPT) \
+    -C link-arg=--section-start=.rodata=$$($(GET_SYMBOLS_SECTION_VIRT_ADDR))
+
+RUSTFLAGS_PEDANTIC = $(RUSTFLAGS) \
+    -D warnings                   \
+    -D missing_docs
+
+COMPILER_ARGS = --target=$(TARGET) \
+    --release
+
+RUSTC_CMD   = cargo rustc $(COMPILER_ARGS) --manifest-path $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_MANIFEST)
+OBJCOPY_CMD = rust-objcopy \
+    --strip-all            \
+    -O binary
+
+EXEC_SYMBOLS_TOOL  = ruby $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_TOOL_PATH)/main.rb
+
+##------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Dockerization
+##------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+DOCKER_CMD = docker run -t --rm -v $(shell pwd):/work/tutorial -w /work/tutorial
+
+# DOCKER_IMAGE defined in include file (see top of this file).
+DOCKER_TOOLS = $(DOCKER_CMD) $(DOCKER_IMAGE)
+
+
+
+##--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Targets
+##--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+.PHONY: all symbols measure_time_start measure_time_finish
+
+all: measure_time_start symbols measure_time_finish
+
+symbols:
+	@cp $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_INPUT_ELF) $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_OUTPUT_ELF)
+
+	@$(DOCKER_TOOLS) $(EXEC_SYMBOLS_TOOL) --gen_symbols $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_OUTPUT_ELF) \
+                $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_RS)
+
+	$(call color_progress_prefix, "Demangling")
+	@echo Symbol names
+	@cat $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_RS) | rustfilt > $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_DEMANGLED_RS)
+
+	@RUSTFLAGS="$(RUSTFLAGS_PEDANTIC)" $(RUSTC_CMD)
+
+	$(call color_progress_prefix, "Stripping")
+	@echo Symbols ELF file
+	@$(OBJCOPY_CMD) $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_ELF) $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_STRIPPED)
+
+	@$(DOCKER_TOOLS) $(EXEC_SYMBOLS_TOOL) --patch_data $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_OUTPUT_ELF) \
+                $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_STRIPPED)
+
+# Note: The following is the only _trivial_ way I could think of that works out of the box on both
+# Linux and macOS. Since macOS does not have the moduloN nanosecond format string option, the
+# resolution is restricted to whole seconds.
+measure_time_start:
+	@date +modulos > /tmp/kernel_symbols_start.date
+
+measure_time_finish:
+	@date +modulos > /tmp/kernel_symbols_end.date
+
+	$(call color_progress_prefix, "Finished")
+	@echo "in $$((`cat /tmp/kernel_symbols_end.date` - `cat /tmp/kernel_symbols_start.date`)).0s"
+
+	@rm /tmp/kernel_symbols_end.date /tmp/kernel_symbols_start.date

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/libraries/debug-symbol-types/Cargo.toml 17_kernel_symbols/libraries/debug-symbol-types/Cargo.toml
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/libraries/debug-symbol-types/Cargo.toml
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/libraries/debug-symbol-types/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+[package]
+name = "debug-symbol-types"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition = "2021"

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/libraries/debug-symbol-types/src/lib.rs 17_kernel_symbols/libraries/debug-symbol-types/src/lib.rs
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/libraries/debug-symbol-types/src/lib.rs
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/libraries/debug-symbol-types/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+//
+// Copyright (c) 2022 Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>
+
+//! Types for implementing debug symbol support.
+
+#![no_std]
+
+use core::ops::Range;
+
+/// A symbol containing a size.
+#[repr(C)]
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct Symbol {
+    addr_range: Range<usize>,
+    name: &'static str,
+}
+
+impl Symbol {
+    /// Create an instance.
+    pub const fn new(start: usize, size: usize, name: &'static str) -> Symbol {
+        Symbol {
+            addr_range: Range {
+                start,
+                end: start + size,
+            },
+            name,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Returns true if addr is contained in the range.
+    pub fn contains(&self, addr: usize) -> bool {
+        self.addr_range.contains(&addr)
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the symbol's name.
+    pub fn name(&self) -> &'static str {
+        self.name
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the symbol's size.
+    pub fn size(&self) -> usize {
+        self.addr_range.end - self.addr_range.start
+    }
+}

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/Makefile 17_kernel_symbols/Makefile
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/Makefile
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/Makefile
@@ -85,7 +85,24 @@
 KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES      = target/$(TARGET)/release/kernel+ttables
 KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES_DEPS = $(KERNEL_ELF_RAW) $(wildcard $(TT_TOOL_PATH)/*)

-KERNEL_ELF = $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES)
+##------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Kernel symbols
+##------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+export KERNEL_SYMBOLS_TOOL_PATH = tools/kernel_symbols_tool
+
+KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES_SYMS = target/$(TARGET)/release/kernel+ttables+symbols
+
+# Unlike with KERNEL_ELF_RAW, we are not relying on dep-info here. One of the reasons being that the
+# name of the generated symbols file varies between runs, which can cause confusion.
+KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES_SYMS_DEPS = $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES) \
+    $(wildcard kernel_symbols/*)                     \
+    $(wildcard $(KERNEL_SYMBOLS_TOOL_PATH)/*)
+
+export TARGET
+export KERNEL_SYMBOLS_INPUT_ELF  = $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES)
+export KERNEL_SYMBOLS_OUTPUT_ELF = $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES_SYMS)
+
+KERNEL_ELF = $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES_SYMS)



@@ -178,11 +195,18 @@
 	@$(DOCKER_TOOLS) $(EXEC_TT_TOOL) $(BSP) $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES)

 ##------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+## Generate kernel symbols and patch them into the kernel ELF
+##------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+$(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES_SYMS): $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES_SYMS_DEPS)
+	$(call color_header, "Generating kernel symbols and patching kernel ELF")
+	@$(MAKE) --no-print-directory -f kernel_symbols.mk
+
+##------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ## Generate the stripped kernel binary
 ##------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-$(KERNEL_BIN): $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES)
+$(KERNEL_BIN): $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES_SYMS)
 	$(call color_header, "Generating stripped binary")
-	@$(OBJCOPY_CMD) $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES) $(KERNEL_BIN)
+	@$(OBJCOPY_CMD) $(KERNEL_ELF_TTABLES_SYMS) $(KERNEL_BIN)
 	$(call color_progress_prefix, "Name")
 	@echo $(KERNEL_BIN)
 	$(call color_progress_prefix, "Size")
@@ -191,7 +215,7 @@
 ##------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ## Generate the documentation
 ##------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-doc:
+doc: clean
 	$(call color_header, "Generating docs")
 	@$(DOC_CMD) --document-private-items --open

@@ -318,10 +342,19 @@
     cd $(shell pwd)

     TEST_ELF=$$(echo $$1 | sed -e 's/.*target/target/g')
+    TEST_ELF_SYMS="$${TEST_ELF}_syms"
     TEST_BINARY=$$(echo $$1.img | sed -e 's/.*target/target/g')

     $(DOCKER_TOOLS) $(EXEC_TT_TOOL) $(BSP) $$TEST_ELF > /dev/null
-    $(OBJCOPY_CMD) $$TEST_ELF $$TEST_BINARY
+
+    # This overrides the two ENV variables. The other ENV variables that are required as input for
+    # the .mk file are set already because they are exported by this Makefile and this script is
+    # started by the same.
+    KERNEL_SYMBOLS_INPUT_ELF=$$TEST_ELF           \
+        KERNEL_SYMBOLS_OUTPUT_ELF=$$TEST_ELF_SYMS \
+        $(MAKE) --no-print-directory -f kernel_symbols.mk > /dev/null 2>&1
+
+    $(OBJCOPY_CMD) $$TEST_ELF_SYMS $$TEST_BINARY
     $(DOCKER_TEST) $(EXEC_TEST_DISPATCH) $(EXEC_QEMU) $(QEMU_TEST_ARGS) -kernel $$TEST_BINARY
 endef


diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/cmds.rb 17_kernel_symbols/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/cmds.rb
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/cmds.rb
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/cmds.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2022 Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>
+
+def generate_symbols(kernel_elf, output_file)
+    File.open(output_file, 'w') do |file|
+        header = <<~HEREDOC
+            use debug_symbol_types::Symbol;
+
+            # [no_mangle]
+            # [link_section = ".rodata.symbol_desc"]
+            static KERNEL_SYMBOLS: [Symbol; #{kernel_elf.num_symbols}] = [
+        HEREDOC
+
+        file.write(header)
+        kernel_elf.symbols.each do |sym|
+            value = sym.header.st_value
+            size = sym.header.st_size
+            name = sym.name
+
+            file.write("    Symbol::new(#{value}, #{size}, \"#{name}\"),\n")
+        end
+        file.write("];\n")
+    end
+end
+
+def get_symbols_section_virt_addr(kernel_elf)
+    kernel_elf.kernel_symbols_section_virt_addr
+end
+
+def patch_symbol_data(kernel_elf, symbols_blob_path)
+    symbols_blob = File.binread(symbols_blob_path)
+
+    raise if symbols_blob.size > kernel_elf.kernel_symbols_section_size
+
+    File.binwrite(kernel_elf.path, File.binread(symbols_blob_path),
+                  kernel_elf.kernel_symbols_section_offset_in_file)
+end
+
+def patch_num_symbols(kernel_elf)
+    num_packed = [kernel_elf.num_symbols].pack('Q<*') # "Q" == uint64_t, "<" == little endian
+    File.binwrite(kernel_elf.path, num_packed, kernel_elf.num_kernel_symbols_offset_in_file)
+end

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/kernel_elf.rb 17_kernel_symbols/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/kernel_elf.rb
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/kernel_elf.rb
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/kernel_elf.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2021-2022 Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>
+
+# KernelELF
+class KernelELF
+    attr_reader :path
+
+    def initialize(kernel_elf_path, kernel_symbols_section, num_kernel_symbols)
+        @elf = ELFTools::ELFFile.new(File.open(kernel_elf_path))
+        @symtab_section = @elf.section_by_name('.symtab')
+
+        @path = kernel_elf_path
+        fetch_values(kernel_symbols_section, num_kernel_symbols)
+    end
+
+    private
+
+    def fetch_values(kernel_symbols_section, num_kernel_symbols)
+        sym = @symtab_section.symbol_by_name(num_kernel_symbols)
+        raise "Symbol \"#{num_kernel_symbols}\" not found" if sym.nil?
+
+        @num_kernel_symbols = sym
+
+        section = @elf.section_by_name(kernel_symbols_section)
+        raise "Section \"#{kernel_symbols_section}\" not found" if section.nil?
+
+        @kernel_symbols_section = section
+    end
+
+    def num_kernel_symbols_virt_addr
+        @num_kernel_symbols.header.st_value
+    end
+
+    def segment_containing_virt_addr(virt_addr)
+        @elf.each_segments do |segment|
+            return segment if segment.vma_in?(virt_addr)
+        end
+    end
+
+    def virt_addr_to_file_offset(virt_addr)
+        segment = segment_containing_virt_addr(virt_addr)
+        segment.vma_to_offset(virt_addr)
+    end
+
+    public
+
+    def symbols
+        non_zero_symbols = @symtab_section.symbols.reject { |sym| sym.header.st_size.zero? }
+        non_zero_symbols.sort_by { |sym| sym.header.st_value }
+    end
+
+    def num_symbols
+        symbols.size
+    end
+
+    def kernel_symbols_section_virt_addr
+        @kernel_symbols_section.header.sh_addr.to_i
+    end
+
+    def kernel_symbols_section_size
+        @kernel_symbols_section.header.sh_size.to_i
+    end
+
+    def kernel_symbols_section_offset_in_file
+        virt_addr_to_file_offset(kernel_symbols_section_virt_addr)
+    end
+
+    def num_kernel_symbols_offset_in_file
+        virt_addr_to_file_offset(num_kernel_symbols_virt_addr)
+    end
+end

diff -uNr 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/main.rb 17_kernel_symbols/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/main.rb
--- 16_virtual_mem_part4_higher_half_kernel/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/main.rb
+++ 17_kernel_symbols/tools/kernel_symbols_tool/main.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env ruby
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2022 Andre Richter <andre.o.richter@gmail.com>
+
+require 'rubygems'
+require 'bundler/setup'
+require 'colorize'
+require 'elftools'
+
+require_relative 'kernel_elf'
+require_relative 'cmds'
+
+KERNEL_SYMBOLS_SECTION = '.kernel_symbols'
+NUM_KERNEL_SYMBOLS = 'NUM_KERNEL_SYMBOLS'
+
+cmd = ARGV[0]
+
+kernel_elf_path = ARGV[1]
+kernel_elf = KernelELF.new(kernel_elf_path, KERNEL_SYMBOLS_SECTION, NUM_KERNEL_SYMBOLS)
+
+case cmd
+when '--gen_symbols'
+    output_file = ARGV[2]
+
+    print 'Generating'.rjust(12).green.bold
+    puts ' Symbols source file'
+
+    generate_symbols(kernel_elf, output_file)
+when '--get_symbols_section_virt_addr'
+    addr = get_symbols_section_virt_addr(kernel_elf)
+
+    puts "0x#{addr.to_s(16)}"
+when '--patch_data'
+    symbols_blob_path = ARGV[2]
+    num_symbols = kernel_elf.num_symbols
+
+    print 'Patching'.rjust(12).green.bold
+    puts " Symbols blob and number of symbols (#{num_symbols}) into ELF"
+
+    patch_symbol_data(kernel_elf, symbols_blob_path)
+    patch_num_symbols(kernel_elf)
+else
+    raise
+end