From: David Gibson <david@gibson.dropbear.id.au>
To: passt-dev@passt.top, Stefano Brivio <sbrivio@redhat.com>
Cc: David Gibson <david@gibson.dropbear.id.au>
Subject: [PATCH 03/12] parse: Start splitting out parsing helpers
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:09:54 +1000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260626071003.3472194-4-david@gibson.dropbear.id.au> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20260626071003.3472194-1-david@gibson.dropbear.id.au>
As we add more complexity to what forwarding rules are allowed, our
existing ad-hoc C parsing is starting to become quite awkward. We already
have some parts that resemble a very simple recursive[0] descent parser,
with composable subfunctions that consume as much input as they need,
rather than pre-splitting based on known delimiters.
Start extending this approach, by creating parse.[ch] with parsing helpers
with a uniform interface. Initially we start with very simple cases: the
parse_keyword() function from fwd_rule.c and another helper to check that
we've reached the end of input.
Rename parse_keyword() to parse_literal(), because it's not just useful
for "keywords" as such. We can use it in a bunch of additional places for
parsing delimiters and other symbols. This doesn't gain us a lot now but
will make things clearer as we use more such parser helpers.
[0] Except that the grammars we have aren't actually recursive, so neither
is the code.
Signed-off-by: David Gibson <david@gibson.dropbear.id.au>
---
Makefile | 17 ++++++++------
conf.c | 5 +++-
fwd_rule.c | 33 +++++----------------------
parse.c | 67 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
parse.h | 14 ++++++++++++
5 files changed, 101 insertions(+), 35 deletions(-)
create mode 100644 parse.c
create mode 100644 parse.h
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 5ed0f702..bd729c75 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -36,12 +36,13 @@ BASE_CFLAGS += -pedantic -Wall -Wextra -Wno-format-zero-length -Wformat-security
PASST_SRCS = arch.c arp.c bitmap.c checksum.c conf.c dhcp.c dhcpv6.c \
epoll_ctl.c flow.c fwd.c fwd_rule.c icmp.c igmp.c inany.c iov.c ip.c \
isolation.c lineread.c log.c mld.c ndp.c netlink.c migrate.c packet.c \
- passt.c pasta.c pcap.c pif.c repair.c serialise.c tap.c tcp.c \
+ parse.c passt.c pasta.c pcap.c pif.c repair.c serialise.c tap.c tcp.c \
tcp_buf.c tcp_splice.c tcp_vu.c udp.c udp_flow.c udp_vu.c util.c \
vhost_user.c virtio.c vu_common.c
QRAP_SRCS = qrap.c
PASST_REPAIR_SRCS = passt-repair.c
-PESTO_SRCS = pesto.c bitmap.c fwd_rule.c inany.c ip.c lineread.c serialise.c
+PESTO_SRCS = pesto.c bitmap.c fwd_rule.c inany.c ip.c lineread.c parse.c \
+ serialise.c
SRCS = $(PASST_SRCS) $(QRAP_SRCS) $(PASST_REPAIR_SRCS) $(PESTO_SRCS)
MANPAGES = passt.1 pasta.1 pesto.1 qrap.1 passt-repair.1
@@ -49,13 +50,14 @@ MANPAGES = passt.1 pasta.1 pesto.1 qrap.1 passt-repair.1
PASST_HEADERS = arch.h arp.h bitmap.h checksum.h conf.h dhcp.h dhcpv6.h \
epoll_ctl.h flow.h fwd.h fwd_rule.h flow_table.h icmp.h icmp_flow.h \
inany.h iov.h ip.h isolation.h lineread.h log.h migrate.h ndp.h \
- netlink.h packet.h passt.h pasta.h pcap.h pif.h repair.h serialise.h \
- siphash.h tap.h tcp.h tcp_buf.h tcp_conn.h tcp_internal.h tcp_splice.h \
- tcp_vu.h udp.h udp_flow.h udp_internal.h udp_vu.h util.h vhost_user.h \
- virtio.h vu_common.h
+ netlink.h packet.h parse.h passt.h pasta.h pcap.h pif.h repair.h \
+ serialise.h siphash.h tap.h tcp.h tcp_buf.h tcp_conn.h tcp_internal.h \
+ tcp_splice.h tcp_vu.h udp.h udp_flow.h udp_internal.h udp_vu.h util.h \
+ vhost_user.h virtio.h vu_common.h
QRAP_HEADERS = arp.h ip.h passt.h util.h
PASST_REPAIR_HEADERS = linux_dep.h
-PESTO_HEADERS = bitmap.h common.h fwd_rule.h inany.h ip.h log.h pesto.h serialise.h
+PESTO_HEADERS = bitmap.h common.h fwd_rule.h inany.h ip.h log.h parse.h \
+ pesto.h serialise.h
C := \#include <sys/random.h>\nint main(){int a=getrandom(0, 0, 0);}
ifeq ($(shell printf "$(C)" | $(CC) -S -xc - -o - >/dev/null 2>&1; echo $$?),0)
@@ -223,6 +225,7 @@ pesto.cppcheck: CPPCHECK_FLAGS += --suppress=unusedFunction:bitmap.c
pesto.cppcheck: CPPCHECK_FLAGS += --suppress=unusedFunction:inany.h
pesto.cppcheck: CPPCHECK_FLAGS += --suppress=unusedFunction:inany.c
pesto.cppcheck: CPPCHECK_FLAGS += --suppress=unusedFunction:ip.h
+pesto.cppcheck: CPPCHECK_FLAGS += --suppress=unusedFunction:parse.c
pesto.cppcheck: CPPCHECK_FLAGS += --suppress=unusedFunction:serialise.c
pesto.cppcheck: CPPCHECK_FLAGS += --suppress=staticFunction:fwd_rule.c
pesto.cppcheck: $(PESTO_SRCS) $(PESTO_HEADERS) seccomp_pesto.h
diff --git a/conf.c b/conf.c
index 6ab8efec..ca6c859c 100644
--- a/conf.c
+++ b/conf.c
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@
#include "conf.h"
#include "pesto.h"
#include "serialise.h"
+#include "parse.h"
#define NETNS_RUN_DIR "/run/netns"
@@ -1028,7 +1029,9 @@ static void conf_ugid(char *runas, uid_t *uid, gid_t *gid)
static void conf_nat(const char *arg, struct in_addr *addr4,
struct in6_addr *addr6, int *no_map_gw)
{
- if (strcmp(arg, "none") == 0) {
+ const char *p = arg;
+
+ if (parse_literal(&p, "none") && parse_eoi(p)) {
*addr4 = in4addr_any;
*addr6 = in6addr_any;
if (no_map_gw)
diff --git a/fwd_rule.c b/fwd_rule.c
index 04a0101d..d0e90402 100644
--- a/fwd_rule.c
+++ b/fwd_rule.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
#include "fwd_rule.h"
#include "lineread.h"
#include "log.h"
+#include "parse.h"
#include "serialise.h"
/* Ephemeral port range: values from RFC 6335 */
@@ -427,28 +428,6 @@ static int parse_port_range(const char *s, const char **endptr,
return 0;
}
-/**
- * parse_keyword() - Parse a literal keyword
- * @s: String to parse
- * @endptr: Update to the character after the keyword
- * @kw: Keyword to accept
- *
- * Return: 0, if @s starts with @kw, -EINVAL if it does not
- */
-static int parse_keyword(const char *s, const char **endptr, const char *kw)
-{
- size_t len = strlen(kw);
-
- if (strlen(s) < len)
- return -EINVAL;
-
- if (memcmp(s, kw, len))
- return -EINVAL;
-
- *endptr = s + len;
- return 0;
-}
-
/**
* fwd_rule_range_except() - Set up forwarding for a range of ports minus a
* bitmap of exclusions
@@ -568,7 +547,7 @@ static void fwd_rule_parse_ports(struct fwd_table *fwd, bool del, uint8_t proto,
continue;
}
- if (parse_keyword(p, &p, "auto") == 0) {
+ if (parse_literal(&p, "auto")) {
if (p != ep) /* Garbage after the keyword */
goto bad;
@@ -582,9 +561,8 @@ static void fwd_rule_parse_ports(struct fwd_table *fwd, bool del, uint8_t proto,
}
/* Should be an exclude range */
- if (*p != '~')
+ if (!parse_literal(&p, "~"))
goto bad;
- p++;
if (parse_port_range(p, &p, &xrange))
goto bad;
@@ -616,8 +594,9 @@ static void fwd_rule_parse_ports(struct fwd_table *fwd, bool del, uint8_t proto,
if (parse_port_range(p, &p, &orig_range))
goto bad;
- if (*p == ':') { /* There's a range to map to as well */
- if (parse_port_range(p + 1, &p, &mapped_range))
+ if (parse_literal(&p, ":")) {
+ /* There's a range to map to as well */
+ if (parse_port_range(p, &p, &mapped_range))
goto bad;
if ((mapped_range.last - mapped_range.first) !=
(orig_range.last - orig_range.first))
diff --git a/parse.c b/parse.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c2a92422
--- /dev/null
+++ b/parse.c
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+/* PASST - Plug A Simple Socket Transport
+ * for qemu/UNIX domain socket mode
+ *
+ * PASTA - Pack A Subtle Tap Abstraction
+ * for network namespace/tap device mode
+ *
+ * parse.c - Composable parsing helpers
+ *
+ * Copyright Red Hat
+ * Author: David Gibson <david@gibson.dropbear.id.au>
+ */
+
+#include <assert.h>
+#include <stddef.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include "common.h"
+
+/**
+ * DOC: Theory of Operation
+ *
+ * These are a number of primitives which can be combined into parsers for
+ * moderately complex input. For simpler composability, they have common
+ * conventions.
+ *
+ * - Functions return a bool indicating whether they successfully parsed.
+ * - Any specific output from the parse is as output parameters
+ * - First argument is always @cursor, a const char **.
+ * - On entry, *@cursor has the point to start parsing.
+ * - On successful exit, *@cursor is updated to the next character after the
+ parsed portion of the input
+ * - On failure, *@cursor and any output arguments are not modified
+ *
+ * For brevity the common parameters and return information are omitted from the
+ * individual function documentation comments.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * parse_literal() - Parse a specified literal string
+ * @lit: Keyword to accept
+ */
+bool parse_literal(const char **cursor, const char *lit)
+{
+ size_t len = strlen(lit);
+
+ if (strlen(*cursor) < len || memcmp(*cursor, lit, len))
+ return false;
+
+ *cursor += len;
+ return true;
+}
+
+/**
+ * parse_eoi() - Parse end of input
+ * @cursor: Current parse pointer
+ *
+ * Return: true if @p is at End of Input (\0), false otherwise
+ */
+bool parse_eoi(const char *cursor)
+{
+ return !(*cursor);
+}
diff --git a/parse.h b/parse.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..eb51a469
--- /dev/null
+++ b/parse.h
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+ * Copyright Red Hat
+ * Author: David Gibson <david@gibson.dropbear.id.au>
+ */
+
+#ifndef PARSE_H
+#define PARSE_H
+
+#include <stdbool.h>
+
+bool parse_literal(const char **cursor, const char *lit);
+bool parse_eoi(const char *cursor);
+
+#endif /* _PARSE_H */
--
2.54.0
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2026-06-26 7:10 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 13+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-06-26 7:09 [PATCH 00/12] Rework option parsing in preparation for destination remapping David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:09 ` [PATCH 01/12] Makefile: Add missing PESTO_HEADERS variable David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:09 ` [PATCH 02/12] conf: Use parameter instead of global in conf_nat() David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:09 ` David Gibson [this message]
2026-06-26 7:09 ` [PATCH 04/12] conf: Remove duplicate parsing of -F option David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:09 ` [PATCH 05/12] conf: Clean up conf_ip4_prefix() David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:09 ` [PATCH 06/12] parse: Add helper to parse unsigned integer values David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:09 ` [PATCH 07/12] parse: Move parse_port_range() to new parsing framework David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:09 ` [PATCH 08/12] parse: Add helpers for parsing IP addresses David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:10 ` [PATCH 09/12] conf: Move address configuration into helper function David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:10 ` [PATCH 10/12] conf: Use new parsing tools to handle -a option David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:10 ` [PATCH 11/12] fwd_rule: Allow "all" port specs to be combined with other options David Gibson
2026-06-26 7:10 ` [PATCH 12/12] fwd_rule: Rewrite forward rule parsing using parse.c helpers David Gibson
Reply instructions:
You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:
* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
and reply-to-all from there: mbox
Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
switches of git-send-email(1):
git send-email \
--in-reply-to=20260626071003.3472194-4-david@gibson.dropbear.id.au \
--to=david@gibson.dropbear.id.au \
--cc=passt-dev@passt.top \
--cc=sbrivio@redhat.com \
/path/to/YOUR_REPLY
https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line
before the message body.
Code repositories for project(s) associated with this public inbox
https://passt.top/passt
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox;
as well as URLs for IMAP folder(s).