Re: [PATCH v2 2/7] semihosting: add the semihosting_exit_request function

[Peter Maydell]

On Tue, 21 Jun 2022 at 13:59, Luc Michel <lmichel@kalray.eu> wrote:
>
> Add the semihosting_exit_request function to be used by targets when
> handling an `exit' semihosted syscall. This function calls gdb_exit to
> close existing GDB connections, and qemu_system_shutdown_request with
> the new `guest-semi-exit' exit reason. It sets the QEMU exit status
> given by the exit syscall parameter. Finally it stops the CPU to prevent
> further execution, and exit the CPU loop as the syscall caller expects
> this syscall to not return.
>
> This function is meant to be used in place of a raw exit() call when
> handling semihosted `exit' syscalls. Such a call is not safe because
> it does not allow other CPU threads to exit properly, leading to e.g.
> at_exit callbacks being called while other CPUs still run. This can lead
> to strange bugs, especially in plugins with a registered at_exit function.

This is mixing up two things:
 (1) fixing bugs with the plugin code when code (semihosting or
     otherwise) calls exit()
 (2) reporting to the monitor when the guest exits because it
     asked to via semihosting

I remain unconvinced that this series is actually fixing (1),
I think it's just working around the most common cause of it.
For (2), maybe we want it, but that should I think be a
separate patchset with justification of why it's useful to
tell the monitor about it. I think on balance it probably
is a good idea, but I disagree about (1) and would like to
see these two things not tangled up in the same series.

thanks
-- PMM